[Connection] A Piece of Te[a]ch-nology

When I think of technology I immediately associate it with digital, functional devices. As a matter of fact, it is daunting when I realized I have so many pieces of digital technology around me and they all weight significantly in my life (laptop, smart phone, USB, charger...) I choose this USB “stick” not for its function as a technology, but because of its evolution in design. USB sticks have evolved and decreased in size rapidly; now a day they become chips and come to the size of a fingernail. 

With this piece of technology I would like to challenge my students to think of our aggressive demand for technology. Just like this USB chip, our desire for newer, faster, smaller, lighter, and thinner instrument has occupied our life. Students who claim they are unable to pay for tuition yet they hold the newest smart phone and tablet display people’s fanatic with “updating.” I would ask my students to

1st: consider the function of USB, why and how we use it (ex. storing information and   
      transport it to other places easily). 

2nd: come up with alternative devices if you cannot use the USB. 

3rd: assuming that all of the devices you provided are unavailable, please design a new 
       device or brainstorm a new way to transport the information without using digital 
       technology. Present a visual representation of your idea, it can be in either 2D or 3D 
       form. 

This lesson will target at high school students around Gr. 11~Gr. 12. The learning objective is to have them think about the purpose behind using technology and how we have taken it for granted while we stop updating “ourselves.”