Why are readings and discussions important?
The textbook chapters provide information and encourage thinking that would not be possible with hands-on projects alone. Citizens are rarely asked to vote on whether or not they would like to see a new technology developed and introduced. Nonetheless, as workers and consumers in modern society, we collectively make those decisions every day. All new technologies that enter the mainstream — such as automobiles, telephones, and more recently, cell phones — result from the collective actions of millions of individuals. These technologies, in turn, have a profound effect on human societies. The readings and questions encourage students to think about the effects of technological revolutions of the past and recognize how their own actions will affect the world of the future. Class discussions about the readings are a very important means of helping your students fully grasp these important ideas.
