Context Information

Economic Growth is the expansion of output as measured by GDP. In general, the expansion of output can be achieved by adding more resources to the production process or by improving the ways in which the existing resources are utilized or combined. The knowledge of how resources are combined and transformed is what we call technology. In other words, technology is the knowledge of techniques used to transform inputs (resources) into products. is tied closely to how well people live.

TEDx Talks. (2020, January).Are indoor vertical farms the future of agriculture? | Stuart Oda.[Video]. YouTube.

In-class Activity Description

In class, the instructor will lead a discussion about Structural Unemployment. During this discussion you are expected to review information about Structural Unemployment in the form of a video(s) or an article(s). Then, you will be asked to make connections between the video/article and the concept of Structural Unemployment, and verbally express your impressions during the session. You are encouraged to ask questions, and apply the intellectual standards of Clarity, Precision, Accuracy, Relevance and Logic. You can do this in 2 ways:

By asking questions that evoke clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance and logic. For example, if in your opinion, a statement made during the discussion was not clear or lacked precision, you can point that out by asking questions of Clarity, and by addressing what was unclear about the statement. An effective question may look like this; "when you said this _________, I was not sure if you meant _________ or ________. Can you say that in a different way? Can you be more specific?".

By expressing your ideas in a clear, precise, accurate manner, and by making logical and relevant arguments. You can accomplish this by asking questions in your head that evoke clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance and logic. For example, as you speak, you can think, can I be more specific? If you can, then go ahead and provide more details, doing so will increase your level of precision.

You can direct your questions and statements at other classmates or at the instructor.

After the interaction ends as indicated by the instructor, you will be given time to produce a written response reflecting what you have learned in the discussion. This response will be turned in for a grade. In other words, the discussion is used as a form of collaborative learning, but your grade depends on the quality of your written response, which is submitted via D2L.

Completing your Discussion Reflection

After participating in an instructor-led discussion (in-class) about Economic Growth and Technology, provide a response (at least 500 words) to the following questions:

In what way does this TED Talk describe the impact of technology in the expansion of output?

Provide an example of a new but different technology that can have the potential to improve society's standard of living.