1. Lesson 1- Our Digital World
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2. Objectives:
• Acknowledge how access to technology has changed over the decades
• Identify how technology has impacted society
• Recognize how technology has impacted the workplace
• Define the digital divide

3. Access to Technology
Digital native – a person who has been exposed to technology from a young age and is pretty comfortable using it.
Technology has transitioned from only being available to government, large companies, and wealthy individuals to becoming a big part of most households.
Discussion tips:
Discuss what technology was readily available when you were a child. Bring some examples if possible (i.e. Walkman, CD, even an album)
Ask a few students how old they were when they started using technology.
Ask how many of them have cell phones, laptops, and/or tablets. Relate to them how old you were when you received those same items.

4. Examples:
Wi-Fi, when initially introduced in 1991, was intended only for use in cash register systems.
Now, Wi-Fi is in just about every home and business.
Discussion tips:
Ask students how technology has changed since they began using it.
Ask them what technology they used when they were younger that is no longer available?
 When the internet was introduced, it was only for government use.
Now, the internet can be accessed by anyone, anytime, anywhere.

5. Technology’s Impact on Society
Positive
Negative
• Staying connected
• Important medical advancements
• Unlimited access to knowledge
• Decreased human interaction
• Inactive lifestyles
• Global deterioration
Discussion tips:
Have students share their ideas before revealing. They may give good answers that are not on the list.
Discuss each point and have students share why they think each one is positive or negative.
Share your thoughts on each one of these items. Add items to the list as you see fit.
Staying connected:
Keeping in touch with family and friends wherever you are
Staying connected to the world around you
Medical advancements:
Improving and saving lives
Artificial limbs
3D printing of implants
Unlimited access to knowledge:
Access to anything you want to know at your fingertips
Decreased human interaction:
Less and less real human contact (give examples)
People are becoming socially awkward
Don’t know how to read social cues
Inactive lifestyles:
Less need to physically go places
Easy access to banks, retail stores, and even grocery outlets
Global deterioration:
Technological advancements such as the vehicle and the airplane cause pollution
Earth has been damaged and needs repair

6. Technology’s Impact on the Workplace
Positive
Negative
• Connectivity
• Efficiency
• Skilled labor force
• Dependency
• No downtime
• Changing technology
Discussion tips:
Have students try to translate some of the positives and negatives from society to the workplace.
Connectivity:
Employees can connect from anywhere.
Employees from around the world can work together.
Efficiency:
Increased productivity
Decreased time
Skilled labor force:
Greater emphasis on education and skill
Improved quality of work
Dependency:
Technology is the norm
Not sure how to conduct business without it
No Downtime:
Employees stay tuned in
Decreased relaxation may increase stress levels
Changing technology:
Rapid changes quickly outdates technology
Out of date technology is useless and costly

7. Digital Divide
Digital divide – an economic inequality between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies.
Discussion tip:
Have students discuss whether or not everyone (no names) they know has access to technology.
Global digital divide – digital divide between countries.

8. Summary:
• Acknowledge how access to technology has changed over the decades
• Identify how technology has impacted society
• Recognize how technology has impacted the workplace
• Define the digital divide