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Listed under:  Society  >  Ethics
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Transportation Though the Ages: Science as a human endeavour

Humans are constantly working to develop and improve our technology and understanding. This resource provides step-by-step instructions to help students consider why innovative design and improvement is important. Students firstly identify as many types of transport they can think of and then discuss why new types of transport ...

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Travel Times

Life would be very different today if we did not have modern transport. In this activity, students calculate the time it would take for humans to travel long distances through different modes of transport. They then analyse the impact of these technological developments.

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Designing urban carbon sinks lesson

In this lesson, students learn about the role of vegetation as carbon sinks, conduct field work to evaluate local carbon sinks and explore urban design issues. Students asses their own carbon footprints using the carbon footprint calculator, learn about carbon offset, carbon farming and carbon storage programs. Students ...

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Food and fibre production: an Aboriginal perspective

This resource investigates historical Australian Aboriginal agricultural production. Chapters include: Aboriginal agriculture- Firestick farming, Cultivation and cropping and aquaculture, Farming and living to the calendar, and the environmental impacts of firestick farming. Suggested answers document also available. The ...

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AI ethics - What's possible, probable and preferred?

The development and ubiquity of Artificial Intelligence raise a number of social and ethical matters that students can explore in the Digital Technologies classroom. This lesson idea outlines a project to help students frame such discussions using the curriculum Key Idea of Creating preferred futures, tying into Critical ...

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Sphero slalom lesson

In this lesson students explore slalom sports and how competitors maximise speed when completing a course. Students research different slalom sports and then share their findings with the class. Students investigate the impact of distance and friction on time to complete a course through digital and unplugged activities. ...

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AI quiz

This lesson provides an opportunity for students to draw on their ethical understanding when asked to respond to different scenarios. The scenarios feature information systems that incorporate an AI application. Students are given four options to select which one they believe to be the ‘right’ thing to do. Students develop ...

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Analysis of AI applications, drawing on ethical understandings

This lesson plan explores the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence and the implications on our future lives. This lesson was developed by the Digital Technologies Institute in collaboration with the DT Hub.

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Spark: A better way to predict the spread of bushfires

In recent years, new technologies have helped us respond to natural disasters more quickly by providing up-to-date information as it becomes available. What if we could take this one step further with new technologies that can also predict disasters? Learn how Spark, which uses our existing knowledge of bushfire behaviours ...

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Game changers and change makers: resource book of ideas for National Science Week 2018

This resource book includes ideas to support students’ involvement in investigating, exploring, experimenting, designing, creating and communicating their understandings about game changers and change makers from the past who have solved some of the seemingly unsolvable problems, to game changers and change makers of today, ...

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Cotton Australia fact sheets

This library provides a series of one to two page fact sheets on a range of topics related to the Australian cotton industry including: an overview of the industry, history of the cotton industry in Australia and in the world; economics of Australian cotton; biotechnology; climate challenges and cotton; properties of cotton ...

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Catalyst: The home of Australian science

Australia has a long and proud history of excellence in science. How should we celebrate this? Watch this clip to find out about an Australian organisation that recognises and promotes outstanding scientific achievement. You'll also find why its Canberra headquarters is referred to as 'the flying saucer'!

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Catalyst: Coorong salinity

Imagine the mighty Murray River as it flows through South Australia and reaches the sea. Explore the consequences of drought and human activity while listening to Graham Phillips describe the effects of the Coorong's increasing salinity and the the associated threat to Adelaide's supply of fresh water.

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Catalyst: Supercapacitors: new battery technology

Discover how nanotechnology is contributing to the creation of new, improved batteries that may soon be used in all our mobile phones and portable music devices - even in cars and trams. Catalyst's Tanya Ha looks at how traditional batteries produce electricity and how their efficiency may be increased by tiny devices known ...

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experiMENTALS: Bouncing balls

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students to observe what happens when two different sized balls are dropped independently or in vertical contact. The simple explanation relates to transfer of energy.

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Measuring Speed (Simulation)

Students use this resource consisting of a webpage with diagrams of three cars that students can vary the speed at which they are travelling. They can calculate the time to travel 3000m and then observe the cars as they travel the distance. This demonstrates how to work out the speed of a moving object and how to make calculations ...

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Sites2See: What is climate change?

A page to address the question What is climate change? from the definition, to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as the foremost authority, and selected links covering aspects of that question with games, graphics, activities, information sites, resource packs and video interviews, for teachers and students. ...

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Biomes that produce our food, industrial materials and fibre: producer video

This is a video about the mixed farming operations of Boonderoo Pastoral Company in South Australia. The farm is introduced by owner Lachie Seears who describes its size, family history and how region's Mediterranean climate allows him to diversify across a range of valuable commodities including Angus cattle, cross-breed ...

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Science under the microscope

A student-focused mobile web application that tests students? knowledge of the NSW Science curriculum. It will reuse videos and other components of 2010 Murder under the Microscope (Shockwave on the Shoreline) to provide a series of clues that unfold as the student answers science questions correctly. After receiving all ...

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DIY Lava Lamp

This resource contains lessons plans containing instructions and teachers' notes for an activity based on a chemical reaction that occurs when a soluble aspirin tablet dissolves and the fact that oil and water do not mix are used to create a model of a lava lamp. Students have fun while they learn about density of fluids. ...