Students watch a video that portrays technology via social media. Then, they learn about the origins of the Information Age from the 1970s to the present. Next, they explain the interaction of technology with the free enterprise system. Finally, students predict the future of the technology revolution.
Students are introduced to the idea that they are living through a rapidly changing historical era. They watch Linkedin: Social Media Revolution 2017 to see how social media and digital technology shape contemporary life, then post to a class wall explaining which details from the video they recognize in their own world and which seem different, with an explanation.
Teacher MovesReview the lesson objectives and frame the experience as an exploration of the recent history of technology. After students post, prompt them to compare their observations to gain a general sense of how teens experience today’s changing world, then transition by explaining that the class will next look back to the 1970s–1990s to see how the Information Age began.
Students read Living in the Information Age to trace the early development of key technologies such as home computers, the Internet, fiber-optic cables, the World Wide Web, email, and chat rooms. Using brief online research to find dates, they create a timeline of these technological developments on a digital canvas or on paper and consider how invention dates can be uncertain or contested.
Teacher MovesProvide or confirm approximate dates for major milestones (for example, 1960s Internet and email; 1970 fiber-optic cables; 1973 chat rooms; 1977 home computers; 1989 World Wide Web). If appropriate, introduce Moore’s Law to highlight the rapid, exponential increase in computing power and decrease in cost.
Students read background text describing how rapid advances in computers and communications have transformed transportation, business management, medicine, and consumer habits, including the rise of online shopping, robotics, and Just-In-Time inventory systems. They then use Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years and The Top 10 Innovations of the Decade to identify two innovations that have affected their own lives, post to a class wall explaining how each innovation has impacted them (positively, negatively, or both), and respond to at least two classmates with questions or positive comments.
Teacher MovesGuide discussion about how recent innovations influence students’ daily lives and broader economic patterns. Use students’ explanations to highlight that technological change often has both positive and negative effects. For students interested in business or retail, point them to Just in Time—JIT as an optional resource for understanding Just-In-Time inventory management.
Students read AI Will Have an Enormous Impact on the Future Economy and In a Robot Economy, All Humans Will Be Marketers to explore current trends in robotics and artificial intelligence and how they may shape future work and economic life. They take notes on each article in a two-part graphic organizer, then write a paragraph on a class wall predicting how AI will affect the economy of the 2020s, including imaginative details, and respond to at least two classmates with questions or positive comments.
Teacher MovesUse students’ notes and prediction posts as discussion starters, drawing out a range of possible futures for AI and the economy. Encourage students to compare different visions and consider implications for work, consumers, and their own adult lives.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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