The Real Costs of Technology (The Story of Electronics)

Have you used The Story of Stuff in your classroom? You should. It’s a video series about the world of consumable goods, and the impact of the “throw away” philosophy of the modern world has on the environment and our health. Earlier this week, I shared this video — The Story of Electronics — with my students as we begin to move our way into an environmental inquiry theme for the remainder of the school year.

A couple of observations:

  • There are hidden impacts from cheap goods that we never think about;
  • It brings another view to our conceptions about the positives of technology;
  • The use of “persuasive voice” and “loaded term” fills this video series (see a video critique of The Story of Stuff).

I also want to note that my Western Massachusetts Writing Project colleagues (and fellow editors of Teaching the New Writing) Charlie Moran and Anne Herrington put together a fascinating collection of resources around the topic of the “true cost of technology” (particularly around the issue of energy use) over at the National Writing Project’s Digital Is site. It’s a worth a visit.

Peace (in the stuff),
Kevin

 

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