DGB 3: Technology, Environment and Society

← Digital Literacy – Year 3

Technical applications change mobility, energy supply, health care, agriculture, education, work and public communication. Digital competence therefore means looking beyond what a technology can do and asking who benefits, which new dependencies arise and how ecological, economic and social consequences interact.

Curriculum reference

Area	Classification
Competence area	Orientation
Perspectives	T, G
Focus	Applications of technology in the environment and society
Competence	Describe technical applications using interdisciplinary examples, consider their relevance for different social groups and identify interactions between technology, the environment, the economy and everyday life.

Learning objectives

Students can:

describe technical applications in the environment and society using concrete examples;
explain benefits and risks for different social groups;
take cultural and regional conditions into account;
identify interactions between technology, the environment, the economy and everyday life;
distinguish direct from indirect consequences of technological change;
weigh up conflicts between convenience, cost, privacy and sustainability;
critically examine media portrayals of technological developments;
classify examples from their own lives, school and region using clear criteria.

Learning content

Mobility and energy

Electric mobility, public transport systems, navigation, renewable energy and smart grids illustrate how technology can link mobility and energy. Improvements may reduce emissions or make systems more efficient, while infrastructure, raw materials, costs and access can create new challenges.

Health and care

Telemedicine, digital health records, diagnostic systems and assistive technologies can improve access and support. At the same time, sensitive data, unequal access, reliability and responsibility need to be considered.

Agriculture and food

Sensors, drones, automated machinery and data analysis can help monitor fields, water use and production. Possible benefits must be considered together with investment costs, skills, dependence on providers and changes in work.

Education and work

Learning platforms, video conferencing, automation and digital collaboration change where and how people learn and work. Flexibility can increase, but so can demands for devices, connectivity, self-organisation and digital skills.

Communication, the public sphere and politics

Digital media can increase reach and participation, but they can also enable surveillance, manipulation or unequal visibility. Technology and social rules therefore shape each other.

Environmental monitoring and disaster protection

Sensors, satellites, warning systems and data networks can support weather observation, flood warnings and emergency response. Their usefulness depends on reliable data, infrastructure and responsible decision-making.

Cross-connections

One technology can have consequences in several areas at once. A useful analysis links technical function, users, costs, environmental effects, social participation and long-term dependencies instead of examining only one advantage.

Classroom activities

Compare case studies

Compare two technical applications and identify function, users, benefits, risks and indirect effects.

Expected outcome: A structured comparison.

Discuss stakeholder perspectives

Analyse one technology from the perspectives of users, providers, public authorities and environmental interests.

Expected outcome: A perspective map.

Examine media reports

Compare optimistic and critical reports about the same technology and identify missing perspectives.

Expected outcome: A media comparison.

Investigate technology in your surroundings

Document one technical system used at school, at home or in the region and analyse its wider effects.

Expected outcome: A short case study.

Build cause-and-effect chains

Create a chain showing how one technological change can produce several direct and indirect effects.

Expected outcome: A labelled cause-and-effect diagram.

Evaluate possible solutions

Compare alternative solutions to the same problem using shared criteria.

Expected outcome: A justified recommendation.

Reflect on responsibility

Write a short reflection on who should carry responsibility for benefits, risks and follow-up costs.

Expected outcome: A reasoned reflection.

Self-check

I can describe technical applications using more than one perspective.
I can distinguish benefits from risks and direct from indirect effects.
I can explain that technologies affect different groups differently.
I can identify interactions between technical, social and environmental factors.
I can justify a decision using transparent criteria.