This week’s readings largely focused on the future implications of technology on society. In previous posts, I have mentioned that I have a strong love for technology. However, I am well aware that not everything technology-related is all sunshine and roses. Outside of privacy and security concerns, one aspect of technology that has not been discussed nearly enough is its impact on our environment. Discussing how technology impacts our environment is also directly related to how we introduce technology into our educational spaces.

Saving Our Planet?

As Selwyn (2021) mentioned, it is hard to imagine a world where technology is truly considered “sustainable.” Right now, there seems to be a trend where innovators are arguing that technology use can be and is sustainable (see Sustainable Technology: A Key Element in Corporate Strategy for examples of technologies that claim to promote sustainability). Yet, they fail to address the fact that procuring these technologies is arguably one of the most unsustainable and environmentally impacting practices in the world today.

The below infographic by Inemesit Ukpanah from GreenMatch illustrates the issues with current technology consumption perfectly:

Created by GreenMatch, taken from their website

How can we bring awareness to this conversation before it’s too late?

I decided to do a little digging and came across a fantastic video resource posted on the Architect Tomorrow YouTube Channel. This presentation by Oliver Cronck summarizes the current issue with the technology creation mindset in industry today and why it is impacting the environment so heavily. It also dives into what it takes to truly make technology sustainable and align its production with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Changing the way an entire industry runs is a bit tricky however that is not a reason to give up hope. While the lasting changes need to be made on a global scale through global efforts, there are many ways that us as individuals can be more mindful of technology’s impact on the environment. Check out this resource for 10 Ways to Be Eco-Friendly With Your Tech.

Teaching as a Superpower

To make a change there needs to be widespread awareness of the issue. This is where the educational piece comes in. If we want to develop a change in mindset towards something, we must start by bringing awareness to the subject and there is no better way to do so than in schools. This goes hand in hand with what Selwyn et al. (2019) were saying about “reimagining forms of EdTech suitable for an age of climate change” (Selwyn et al., 2019).

Currently technologies are being used in academia for the sake of using them, instead of for reinforcing educational concepts and advancing learning in a meaningful way. However, when used productively technology can be an incredible tool in educational spaces. This Venn diagram shows how content, pedagogy and technology can be integrated to improve learning:

Taken from the Technology Integration Framework guide on the Stanford Teaching Commons website

Using technology to teach about the impacts of technology can help society become more conscious of the issue.

This reminds me of when I was in elementary school and there were these educational campaigns about how air pollution and excessive plastic waste are ruining the environment. To teach students about the issue, my school

  • Participated in the Bike to Work Week initiative
  • Organized beach cleanups
  • Invited guest speakers to talk about the impact of microplastics on our oceans
  • Hosted workshops for students to make their own reusable bags
  • Generally increased awareness about the importance of the issue

Around the same time, I recall the public was really involved in speaking up, so much so that it resulted in serious actions being taken in the city surrounding environmental preservation. Now, at least in Victoria, plastic bags aren’t usually given in grocery stores, coffee shops are using paper straws, and every take-out style restaurant will provide patrons with compostable utensils. It is also common to see people with reusable bags and water bottles and staying away from single use plastics.

All of this began with the efforts of educators. I believe if we apply the same strategies to bring awareness to the harm technologies bring to the planet there is hope for change. People will begin using technology with intention in all spaces, not only in academia, and we can begin to push for more sustainable technology innovation practices. I believe that using technology as a tool to support learning, when done right, opens up a world of endless ideation, creativity, and learning opportunities that all serve to better our society.

Free Inquiry Project: Update #1

For the Free Inquiry Project, Mandy Song and I are working together to tackle the subject “The Psychology of Motivation: The Impact of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation on Lifelong Learning.” In a previous post I mentioned that we would be working together but now we have solidified the details of the project and have come up with a project plan. We will be making six blog posts in total, with each person responsible for three. Each blog post addresses one of the learning objectives we came up with for this project.

After some preliminary research, I am very excited to work on this topic. There are various areas of debate and consideration with motivation which I find quite fascinating. For example, some people are extrinsically motivated to avoid punishment whereas punishment doesn’t even factor into intrinsic motivation. I also think lifelong learning should be considered a lifestyle. It takes a dedicated effort to be a lifelong learner, to prioritize gaining knowledge and staying away from falling into habits of distraction (my phone does a great job of keeping me off-task!). We are making great progress on our work, and I am looking forward to seeing how the project comes together very soon.

References

Architect Tomorrow. (2022, December 8). Making technology more sustainable [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/FNAz1_-m60k?si=wfnUQbBU523RgBBH

Marsh, J. (2023, March 17). 10 Ways to Be Eco-Friendly With Your Tech | Green City Times. https://www.greencitytimes.com/10-ways-to-be-eco-friendly-with-your-tech/

Selwyn, N. (2021, April 12). Facing up to the dilemma of sustainable digital futures | Digital Education Research @ Monash. https://der.monash.edu/facing-up-to-the-dilemma-of-sustainable-digital-futures/

Selwyn, N., Hillman, T., Eynon, R., Ferreira, G., Knox, J., Macgilchrist, F., & Sancho-Gil, J. M. (2019). What’s next for Ed-Tech? Critical hopes and concerns for the 2020s. Learning, Media and Technology, 1–6. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci339/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/03/What-s-next-for-Ed-Tech-Critical-hopes-and-concerns-for-the-2020s.pdf

Technology Integration Framework | Teaching Commons. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-guides/foundations-course-design/theory-practice/technology-integration-framework

Ukpanah, I. (2024, May 8). Environmental Impact of Technology: Stats, Trends and Insights. GreenMatch.Co.Uk. https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/technology-environmental-impact

Yasmina. (2025, April 15). â–· Sustainable Technology: Benefits and Examples | Esade. Beyond by Esade. https://www.esade.edu/beyond/en/what-is-sustainable-technology/