Big Idea 5.1 - Beneficial and Harmful Effects

Discussion Summary

Certain technologies such as UAVs/Drones and OpenAI/ChatGPT may have many benefits, but there can also be many negative effects as well
UAVs/Drones have benefits such as search and rescue, aerial photography, hobbies, etc. However, there are negatives such as environmental damage, privacy issues, etc.
OpenAi/ChatGPT can be useful and efficient for certain tasks, but there are negatives such as providing false information, promoting laziness, and causing a platform shift for things like Google
Games and social media can have positive and negative effects on people
Both of them are a good way to stay connected with others or make new friends
Both games and social media increase dopamine, making people feel happy, but this can lead to addiction and people may “waste time”, neglect their needs and other activities like self care and school, etc
Both games and social media are a hotspot of cyberbullying because the interactions are online
Social media is also a projection of peoples best moments and it is really fake, it can cause people to feel insecure
Social media is linked with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, etc

Come up with three of your own Beneficial and corresponding Harmful Effects of Computing:

Enhanced commmunication and access to information -> data security and privacy concerns
Increased efficiency and productivity while doing certain tasks -> dependence on technology and loss of tradictional skills
Increased convenience and improved quality of life through technology -> widening digital divide and socioeconomic inequality

Talk about dopamine issues above. Real? Parent conspiracy? Anything that is impacting your personal study and success in High School?

I think dopamine issues above are real. Social media and games are designed to be addicting so they can attract people and keep those people interested. Personally, there have been many times where I feel distracted by social medias such as Instagram and Tiktok and I find it hard to focus on my studies.

Widening digital divide in today’s society, differerences in computers, internet, or tehcnology in general
Factors that contribute to divide include socioeconomic (money) geographic (location, and demographic (education, nationality, religion, and etnicity)
Many things, such as education, requires school to provide materials like computers or chrombooks for equity

How does someone empower themself in a digital world?

Someone can empower themself in a digital world by engaging with the digital world. For example, they can participate in online communities and social media, stay informed about digital trends, updates in technology, etc, and they can learn digital skills such as coding, digital marketing, etc.

How does someone that is empowered help someone that is not empowered? Describe something you could do at Del Norte HS.

Someone empowered could help someone that is not empowered by informing them about certain information about the digital world. For example, someone might wnat to learn more about digital skills but might not know how. I could help teach them some or inform them about certain clubs and classes they could partake in, such as coding clubs, AP CSP/CSA, etc.

Is paper or red tape blocking digital empowerment? Are there such barriers at Del Norte? Elsewhere?

Digital empowerment is blocked at different levels in different areas of the world or community, depending on how much that certain place as access to computers, internet, technology, etc. At Del Norte, I think the school does a good job at overcoming some of the barriers of blocked digital empowerment by providing chromebooks. However, there are some barriers that block digital empowerment for those who don’t have as much access to technology such as phones.