Description

• discussions linking historical and philosophical concepts to

the development of specific S&T issues and their respective
impacts to society
• S&T issues include:
• Information Age
• Biodiversity and Health
• Gene Therapy and Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMO’s)
• Nanotechnology
• Climate Change and Environmental Awareness
• NOTE: Other current issues related to STS may be
discussed but the topics enumerated above should be
prioritized since these are the most controversial topics
that involve not only local but regional and even global
concerns.
CHAPTER 3

SPECIFIC
SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
ISSUES
Chapter Objectives
At the end of this chapter, the learners must be able
to link historical and philosophical concepts and their
respective impacts to the development of specific
S&T issues such as:
1. Information Age
2. Biodiversity and Health
3. Gene Therapy and Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMO’s)
4. Nanotechnology
5. Climate Change and Environmental Awareness
6. other current issues
Contents
Unit 1. Information Age
• discusses the development of the information age and its impact on society
• provides activities that illustrate how the social media and the information age have impacted our
lives
Unit 2. Biodiversity and the Healthy Society
• determines the relationship of society, environment, and health
Unit 3. Gene Therapy and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
• describes gene therapy and its various forms
• discusses ethics and implications of GMOs and their potential future impacts
Unit 4. Nanotechnology
• determines the major impacts (both potential and realized) of Nanotechnology on society
• analyzes the issues through the conceptual STS lenses and issues are critiqued based on costs
and benefits to society
Unit 5. Climate Change and Environmental Awareness
• identifies the causes of climate change and assesses the various impacts of climate change
including economic, geopolitical, biological, meteorological, etc.
• Environmental awareness is inculcated to the students on the context of local, regional and
global efforts i.e. the international agreement among signatory countries of Cartagena Principle
which focuses on disaster preparedness
UNIT 1

INFORMATION
AGE
Unit 1: Information Age

This unit:
1. traces the development of the information
age
2. discusses its impact on society
3. illustrates how the social media and the
information age have impacted our lives
individually and the society as a whole
Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this Unit, students are expected to

demonstrate the following:

1. To be able to trace the development of the

information age from the printing press of
Gutenberg up to the era of social media and
determine whether its impact is beneficial or
detrimental to society
2. To be able to analyze whether the social
media and the information age have
impacted our lives positively or detrimentally
Diagnostics: Learning Checkpoint
Instruction: Identification.
______1. Who invented the printing press?
______2. When was the printing press invented?
______3. Back then they compiled actuarial tables and did engineering calculations and served
as computers.
______4. Who is the Father of Computer Age?
______5. It is an electromechanical machine that searched through the permutations, and by the
end of the war the British were able to read all daily German Naval Enigma traffic.
______6. It is a machine solving any problem, performing any task for which a program could be
written.
______ 7. Who is the Filipino engineer who created the new silicon chip?
______ 8. Who built a simple computer with around 8080 microprocessors that were hooked up
to a keyboard and television?
______ 9. Steve Jobs called the computer described in No. 8 as ______and sold this computer
to a Silicon Valley shop that wanted to buy 100 of them for $500 each.
______ 10. He realized that personal computers (PCs) needed software and then he created his
Microsoft.
Discussion
• printing press was invented by German goldsmith
Johannes Gutenberg around 1440
• a device that applies pressure to an inked surface lying on
a medium i.e. cloth or paper to transfer the ink
• hand mould printing press led to creation metal movable
type
• a new branch of media was known as “the press”
• era of mass communication
• permanently reformed the structure of society
• political and religious authorities were threatened due
Gutenberg’s printing press to the increase of literate population
youtu.be/0ojyCDRc8uc
• middle class was distinguished
• proto-nationalism had grown due to rapid increase of
vernacular languages
• rotary press run by steam and used in industrial scale
printing in 19th century
Discussion
• Watch videos on • Discussion will help
Gutenberg’s printing visualize the printing
press: press invented by
(1) The parts of printing Gutenberg
press • Realization how big the
(https://youtu.be/0ojyC impacts of printing press
DRc8uc) on the formation of
(2) Impacts of printing society
press to Gutenberg • Questions may be raised
and to his society) what if printing press was
(https://youtu.be/yeikqw not invented
0kyqI)
Discussion
• Communications needed calculations due to
advancing trade and industry
• Computers were people who compiled
actuarial tables and did engineering
calculations.
• During World War II, the Allies, countries that
opposed the Axis powers (Germany, Japan and
Italy): had shortage of human computers for
military calculations
• United States mechanized the problem by
building the Harvard Mark 1
• an electromechanical monster 50 feet long
• capable of doing calculations in seconds
• British needed mathematicians to crack the Enigma machine
German Navy’s Enigma code
www.ilord.com
• used by Germans to transcribe their
messages in encryption using a machine
called Enigma
• looked like an oversized typewriter
• Alan Turing Discussion
• an English mathematician
• hired in in 1936 by the British top-secret
Government Code and Cipher School at
Bletchley Park to break the Enigma code
• code-breaking works became an industrial
process having 12,000 people working
three shifts day in day out 24/7
• Nazis had made the Enigma machines more
complicated having approximately 10114
possible permutations
• Turing designed Bombe Alan Turing
• an electromechanical machine www.rwg-neuwied.de
• made the British able to read all daily
German Naval Enigma traffic by searching
through the permutations
• saved millions of lives since the invention
shortened the war by as much as two
years
Discussion

• Watch video How • Discussion of how

Alan Turing Started S&T was used in
the Computer Age solving social and
political problems
• Discussion on how
the invented
machine was further
developed to serve
greater purpose
Discussion
• published paper entitled “On
Computable Numbers, with an
application to the
Entscheidungsproblem,” in 1936
• presented a theoretical
machine, called the Turing
machine
• solve any problem from
simple instructions encoded
on a paper tape
• demonstrated simulation of Turing
machine to construct a single
Universal Machine www.switchyourmood.com
• became the foundation of
computer science and the
invention of a machine that can
solve any problem by
performing any task from a
written program later called a
computer
Discussion
• A generation with “electronic brains”
was born by the 1970s who wanted
their own personal computers (PCs).
• In 1975, members of the Homebrew
Computer Club, became eager with
the potential of the new silicon chips
• allow them build their own
computers
• Steve Wozniak built a simple
computer around the 8080
microprocessor hooked up to a
keyboard and television in 1976 Apple 1
• Steve Jobs called the computer presscenter.ru
Apple I and sold replicates of this
machine to a Silicon Valley shop
• Bill Gates realized that PCs needed
software and sold his Microsoft
programs
Discussion
• From 1973 onwards different social media creations were introduced:
• multi-user chat rooms
• instant-messaging e.g. AOL, Yahoo messenger, MSN messenger, Windows
messenger
• conferencing and bulletin-board forum system
• exchanging e-mails
• game-based social networking websites i.e. Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter,
VK, Tumblr
• business-oriented social networking websites i.e. Xing
• messaging, video and voice calling service e.g. Skype
• blogging platform, image and video hosting website e.g. Flicker
• discovery and dating-oriented website e.g. Tagged, Tinder
• video sharing service allowing users to post virtually everything e.g. YouTube
• real-time social media feed aggregator e.g. FriendFeed
• live-streaming e.g. Justin.tv, Twitch.tv
• photo-video sharing website e.g. Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Keek, Vine
• question-and-answer platform e.g. Quora

• To date, these social-media platforms were just bought by one company owner to
another and were modified based on the dynamic needs of the users
Discussion
• Development of the Discussion
information age from the • How is your life affected
discovery of printing by information age?
press to the creation of
social media platforms
have impacted our lives
individually and the
society as a whole.
• The impacts may be
beneficial or adverse
depending on how these
discoveries were used.
Activity 1
Unit 1. Exercise 1.0. Information Revolution: Its
Impact to Education
Instructions:
Watch the video entitled Information Revolution: Its
Impact to Education.
Prepare a short essay with not more than 1000 words
with the topic: “How Information Revolution affect my
learning process?”
Please use the attached Rubric for Short Essay as your
guide in preparing this activity.
Rubric for Short Essay
Activity 2
Unit 1. Exercise 2.0. Information Revolution: A Source of Joy and
Happiness
Instructions:
• Watch the video entitled Information Revolution: Source of Joy
and Happiness. Form a group of 5 and pick a topic below that
your group need to defend in a debate:
• Information Revolution: A Source of Joy and Happiness in
Education (Agree vs Disagree)
• Information Revolution: A Source of Joy and Happiness in
Medicine (Agree vs Disagree)
• Information Revolution: A Source of Joy and Happiness in
Environment (Agree vs Disagree)
• Three debates will be conducted in the class.
• Please use the attached Debate Scoring Sheet or Rubric for
Debate in preparing for the debate and your arguments.
Rubric for Debate Levels of Performance

Criteria 1 2 3 4

1. Organization and Clarity (Viewpoints

Unclear in most Clear in some parts Mostly clear and Completely clear and
and responses are outlined both clearly
parts but not over all orderly in all parts orderly presentation
and orderly.)

2. Use of Arguments (Reasons are Few or no relevant Some relevant Many reasons Most relevant reasons
given to support viewpoint.) reasons given reasons given given: fairly relevant given in support

3. Use of Examples and Facts Few or no relevant Many

Some relevant Most relevant supporting
(Examples and facts are given to supporting examples/facts
examples/facts given examples and facts given
support reasons, with references) examples/facts given: fairly relevant

4. Use of Rebuttal (Arguments made by No effective Few effective Some effective

Many effective counter-
the other teams are responded to and counter-arguments counter-arguments counter-arguments
arguments made
dealt with effectively.) made made made

5. Presentation Style (Tone of voice, Few style features

Few style features All style features
use of gestures, and level of were used but they All style features were
were used; not were used, most
enthusiasm are convincing to were used used convincingly
convincingly convincingly
audience.) convincingly

6. Argument Structure Analysis No valid counter

One valid counter Two valid counter All counterarguments
(Analysis of the argument structure of a argument
argument presented argument presented presented are valid.
chosen opinion article.) presented
Activity 3
Unit 1. Exercise 3.0. Science, Technology, and
Information on the Modern Battlefield
Instructions:
Watch the full documentary entitled “Science, Technology,
and Information on the Modern Battlefield”.
Prepare a dyad based on the documentary using the
following guide questions:
• How does Information Revolution affect local and global
peace and security?
• Cite local and global examples to support your answer
to question no. 1.
Please use the attached Rubric for Dyad as your guide in
preparing this activity.
Rubric for Dyad
Activity 4
Unit 1. Exercise 4.0. Information Revolution and Freedom
of Speech
Instructions:
Form a group of 5
Based on the video entitled “Information Revolution and
Freedom of Speech”, prepare a video presentation that
collates interviews of people from different walks of life
Use the following guide questions for the interview:
• Do you agree that people should use social media in
exercising their Freedom of Speech?
• Why or why not?
Use the Rubric for Video Presentation below as your guide in
preparing for this activity.
Unacceptable Average Above Average Excellent

Rubric for Video Presentation

Written script
5 pts
The script did a poor job in
7 pts
The video did a fair job in
8 pts
The video did a good job
9 pts
The video did an excellent job
demonstrating how to write showing accurate use of showing accurate use of the showing accurate use of the
Did the script have all a script. Several important the script. Unclear on script. Setting, dialogue, script. Setting, dialogue,
the necessary parts to aspects of the text were left some of elements either transitions all work together transition all work together to
make the storyboard out of the video and or the setting, dialogue, or to make the video accurate. make the video accurate. The
and video video was very inaccurate transitions. I could figure There was a beginning, script had an excellent
in its recall of important out the beginning, middle middle and end. introduction, middle, and end.
parts of the text from the and end.
script. It lacked in dialogue
and transitions.

Effort Poor effort. Little to no hard Fair effort. Obvious effort is Good effort. Hard work was Excellent effort. A lot of hard
work was put into the apparent in the final put into the film. There was good work was put into the
How much effort was creation of the film. The end product. There was an a good use of class time. film. The film is polished and
put in to create the product is not very polished effort to follow the script, Good end results very well put together. Good
project and or was put together at storyboard. Video fell short Presentation met minimum use of script, story board and
the last moment and poor of some minimum requirements. creating the video the video.
setting choices. requirements.
Presentation fell short of Presentation met or exceeded
minimum requirements. minimum requirements.

Neatness and Editing Appears rushed, sloppy or Difficult to read. Shows Shows thought and Shows careful thought and
careless. Difficult to read little thought and planning. planning. Understandable, planning. Understandable,
How the story board and clearly or understand. Video Video lacks editing to easy to read and follow easy to read and follow story
video are put together is not edited well. make it a good video. story board. Sound, board. Sound, transitions,
and organized Sound, transitions, transitions, dialogue are dialogue are excellent quality.
dialogue needed more overall good quality.
attention.
Meta-Cognitive Reading Report
Assignment 1. Meta-Cognitive Reading Report
Readings:

• TEDTalk: Julian Assange on “Why the World Needs

Wikileaks”
• Book: “Alan Turing: The Enigma” (Andrew Hodges
and Douglas Hofstadter)
• Balakrishnan, Janaki and B V Sreekantan, eds.
Nature’s Longest Threads: New Frontiers in the
Mathematics and Physics of Information in Biology,
World Scientific, 2014.
Meta-Cognitive Reading Report
Use the MRR form and answer the following:

1. (3) Things that I significantly learned from the

readings
2. (3) Things that are still unclear to me
3. I used to think that….
4. (3) questions that I want to ask about the readings