Students as Tech For Good Content Creators

Note: While technology itself is a broad and far reaching domain, for the purpose of this blog, when referring to “tech for good,” I am referring to the subcategory of tech, specifically, online platforms and social media.

Technology is everywhere. From toddlers on iPads in prams, people streaming their favourite shows as they commute home on public transport, to people of all ages using coding skills to address issues such as sustainability challenges in initiatives like Call for Code.

Technology is so deeply embedded into our lives, that we often don’t think too much about how we use it (until a new technology comes along and we spend those frustrating few seconds/minutes/hours/days working it out). We seamlessly weave between work and personal use, friending colleagues on Facebook or posting holiday pics on LinkedIn.
We read, watch, play, scroll, write, draw, record and design in an interplay of consuming tech alongside acts of creation, despite it being well known that online technology platforms, especially social media, can have serious consequences physically, mentally, socially and politically if not used responsibly.

How often do we reflect on what exactly we are consuming (how did I end up on this cat-eating-vanilla-ice-cream video?) or the power of what we post? How often do we stop and think about intentional technology use? And, as educators, how we can take these reflections into schools to support students to have these important conversations, not only as media consumers but as conscious content producers?

Technology can be used for good in a million and one ways. Countless examples exist of robotics, 3D printers and crowdfunding apps impacting positively on society. It is being used to help people with debilitating medical illnesses, to collect rubbish heading towards the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and to combat climate change.

In today’s world, many teens have a smartphone in their pocket. This might make us wonder:

• How aware are young people of the impacts of consuming technology, in small or large amounts?
• How aware are they of how social media works (e.g. “if you aren’t buying a product, you are the product”) and what data are they giving up by using it?
• What might conscious consumption of tech look like?
• How can tech be used “for good,” especially to support student interests and projects with Service Learning, PBL or student action projects?
• How can they protect themselves and others against the well-known harms of technology use and social media?

The question I come back to time and again in my work with young people across Australia with their Student Action Projects is: are young people aware and empowered to use tech purposefully to make positive impacts on the world around them? And, if not, how can we make this happen in busy schools with competing curriculum demands?

What is Tech For Good?

“Tech For Good is broadly defined as companies and their technologies, organisations, projects or even individuals who aim to deliver a positive impact on the world around us. In many cases, Tech For Good (also known as Tech4Good) is defined as the use of technology to effect deliberate, positive social benefit.”
– Well, That’s Interesting Tech

“Tech For Good” refers to the use of technology to create positive social, environmental, or humanitarian impacts. It represents the idea that technology can be a force for positive change in the world by addressing important challenges and improving people’s lives.”
– Chat GPT’s Definition

My understanding of Tech For Good is technology that:

• Creates positive social, environmental, or humanitarian impact
• Shows that technology can be a force for positive change in the world
• Shows how technology can address important challenges and improve people’s lives
• Is created by anyone who wants to make a positive impact on society

There is no limit to topics it might focus on as long as the ‘for good’ aspect is being fulfilled. Focus areas and impact may include:

• Social Impact: responding to social issues like poverty, inequality, healthcare access, education, and homelessness
• Environmental Sustainability: combating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability
• Humanitarian Aid or Crisis Response: addressing disaster response and relief efforts
• Healthcare: improving healthcare delivery
• Education: making education more accessible and effective, e.g. online learning platforms, or digital tools for personalised learning
• Access and Inclusion: Tech For Good also aims to bridge the digital divide, supporting marginalised communities and individuals to access the benefits of technology.

Another way to think about the “good” in “Tech For Good,” is how it addresses the UN’s different Sustainable Development Goals.

 

How can young people use Tech for Good?

With an increase in awareness and adoption of Student Voice and Student Agency initiatives and approaches in education, we are seeing more real-world problem-solving, action projects and service-learning type opportunities in schools, at both micro classroom levels and macro school initiative levels.

There is no doubt that designing solutions to real issues students care about is powerful and motivating learning that can be deeply impactful to those involved. But without technology, these initiatives and their benefits stop in schools.

Tech as an Amplifier

Tech gets messages out, as it provides centralised information hubs, connects communities and celebrates success, all within the reach of an audience that can scale hundreds, thousands or, even tens of thousands of people within short spaces of time.

When working with young people to design social or environmental justice solutions, tech can be harnessed to:

• Educate others about an issue
• Inspire action for an issue

Educate:

Without understanding issues, why they are important, how they connect to our lives, what the implications might be if we don’t address them or what might happen if we do, people are unlikely to make changes to their behaviour. Talk with anyone in advertising about behavioural change and how to make it happen and you’ll quickly hear how challenging this can be.

Tech can reach wide and varied audiences for education campaigns in a matter of seconds. It can be shared immediately, if the viewer finds the content important or engaging, reaching people the poster might never have had contact with. Content creators can also select different mediums, approaches and avenues that are relevant to the campaign’s target audience. Recently I was talking with some high school students about where we might see infographics online. The students quickly established that they don’t see infographics on TikTok, whereas the educators in attendance affirmed that the social media platforms and people they follow often share infographics. Understanding your audience is key to using tech successfully.

Inspire Action:

With humour and data, with videos or gifs, through blogs, vlogs or podcasts, people can be directly reached and asked to take action on issues students care about. Students can reach people in a way that they have never been able to before, providing an entirely new educational landscape.

This potential impact is exciting and inspiring when young people see people responding positively to their content. However, this only happens if the content has been designed to be accessible, engaging and inspiring – and students need support and practice to learn how to do this.

Content Creation

To educate and inspire action with tech, students need a varied range of technological skills as content creators.

Learning how to create podcasts, edit videos, use green-screens, create social media posts, develop websites, are all skills students may need to support action projects or simply use “tech for good” for any school initiatives they are working on. There are the nuts and bolts of creating with tech, e.g. learning the tech skills, but there are also a wide range of other cross-curricular skills they also use and develop such as Literacy skills where students learn how to design suitable messaging for different audiences, use persuasive techniques, write “call to actions” and more. Here are some examples of students who have successfully used “tech for good” in their Student Action Projects:

• Explore how students at Wembley Primary School created a website, with a mini-podcast on their Sustainability action project.
• Students at Mernda Primary School learnt podcasting and green screening skills to create a student interview series to address cultural inclusion at their school.
• Check out the educational videos students at St Michaels, Daceyville created to educate their community about their project in their project website here.

Student and Educator Roles

Educators as Co-Learners

Tech is a rapidly evolving discipline, where students sometimes are more familiar with the functionality of a tech product, or at least the principles of how it works, than the educator is. Especially if you’ve been in education for a while, like me. This dynamic means that educators are often co-learners, learning alongside students, how to use a technology best.

Students as educators

There is no doubt that there are students who are more tech-savvy than their educators (myself included). As technology evolves into sub-areas and domains such as coding, VR, AR, blockchain, etc., students will often have a passion and knowledge bank of these specific areas of tech, that may surpass their educator. In this dynamic, educators are not co-learning alongside students, they are learning from students.

Check out this video of students teaching their elders how to use Flip to connect with others outside their immediate environment:

 

Conclusion

There is no doubt that technology is a powerful tool that, like a hammer, can be used to create or destroy. Intentional use of technology is something that all educators can facilitate with their students to ensure they are engaged, informed and equipped to create a better world around them with “tech for good.” Learn more about how Meg can help facilitate “tech for good” practices in your classroom through our Student Action Workshops!