Instances of alleged unfair use and ethical quandaries appear in the news regularly. Facilitate student investigations of legal and ethical issues regarding technology and society. Advancements in technology often come with unexpected issues and unintended consequences. Costly new medical treatments, for example, trigger questions about who may qualify for the treatment and what costs insurance policies should cover. Distinctions between good and bad can blur, depending on one's perspective.
Teachers can give students assignments that involve looking at technology issues in current events.
For example, a high school teacher may assign students role-playing exercises regarding the Napster controversy. Having students assume the roles of rock stars, software wizards, record company executives, and music fans can elicit an understanding of the complexities that arise with new technologies. Such an approach can turn a potentially dry lesson on copyright use and the limits of free speech into a lively and informative exchange. Bioengineered food, cloning, and computer implants in humans are among the topical subjects students can explore with an eye to potential legal, ethical, and social consequences. Teachers can direct students to consider the values that new technologies call into question by asking them to consider the trade-offs that technologies generate.