Debate: teacher resource | Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology Debates: Teacher Resource

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Activity 2 Student Worksheet

Activity 2 Teacher Resource

To the left is the teacher resource, containing general background information and suggested solutions

Teachers version: Debates:

This activity will focus on hosting debates around different issues in nanotechnology. Students will be placed into one of four topics, with each student being on the affirmative or negative team for their topic.

Victorian Curriculum:

Learning objectives:

Students will be able to:

Research topics and find information.
Gather information and form valid arguments.
Work on their public speaking skills (through the debate).
Quickly think on their feet and adapt to new information (rebuttal).
Spot holes in their opponent’s logic or point out problems in other people’s arguments in a professional manner (rebuttals).
Learn about how nanotechnology impacts these areas, and the wide range of uses of nanotechnology.

The four topics are:

1. Should the general public and companies be allowed to use nanotechnology for security purposes? (Example: Security cameras you can’t see).

Ideas to consider: Aspects of freedom and benefits of nanotechnology in general to society. Privacy issues, personal health problems, and safety.

2.Should nanotechnology be used to enhance people?

Ideas to consider: These enhancement tools may be normally used as medicines. How much will these things cost? Access to the enhancements? Would it be fair competition between enhanced people and normal people in sports? What can be considered normal?

3. Should nanotechnology be allowed in competitive sports?

Ideas to consider: How does it affect the performance of athletes; what problems are there with this?

4. Should nanotechnology be used for our military purposes?

Ideas to consider: The dangers of a new arms race? The safety and wellbeing of our soldiers? Potential dangers that can happen from these new developments.

This will help the students address requirements for their skills and content knowledge, it requires them to use their knowledge and findings while researching (or looking up online), to evaluate claims and draw conclusions; with the idea being to use those conclusions to help their argument in the debate.

Debating in Australia: http://www.dav.com.au/resources/itd_team_line_and_split.php

How is a debate conducted?

Each debate consists of 2 teams of 3 speakers each. 1 team against a statement, the other for the statement; otherwise known as the negative and affirmative teams. Each speaker should be arguing for about 3 minutes. Teachers should allow 15 seconds minimum after each speaker finalises their point; to allow the other team to think of rebuttals. This time can also be used to help the teacher make notes about how that speaker handled themselves in the debate.

Order of speakers:

-The first affirmative speaker begins the debate which defines the topic. First speaker is to give the team split (tell audience what each speaker is discussing) and establish their stance. They in turn will state points for their argument. (1 or 2 ideas max).

-First negative: Rebuttal in response to first speaker’s arguments. The first negative speaker should then tell the audience what each speaker is going to discuss and establish their stance. They are then to state points for their argument. (1 idea or 2 ideas max).

-Second positive: Rebuttal. State points for their argument. (2 ideas).

-Second negative: Rebuttal. State points for their argument. (2 ideas).

-Third positive: Rebuttal. Summarise points from previous speakers.

-Third negative: Rebuttal. Summarise points from previous speakers.

Third speakers never bring up new points!

What is a rebuttal?

A rebuttal works to counter or weaken an argument that the opposing team has made before one’s own argument is put forth. While good rebuttals can have evidence, if one notices the other teams contradicting themselves or saying something that doesn’t make sense (like they made a leap in logic), they are to comment on that. Note: These can’t be insults to the opposing team’s behaviour, appearance, intelligence or anything similar. It is unprofessional.

Note: Half arguments do not work: Say one was on the negative for the sports equipment, one can’t say that some sports equipment be allowed to have nanotechnology, while others can’t. However, for the second topic of ‘can people be enhanced?’, the negative side of the debate is able to say that nanomedicine can be used solely for treatment; and not used to enhance people.

What would teachers need to look for?

• How their argument sounds?

• Is it poorly constructed?

• Are they unable to do the debate properly?

• Ask for the cue cards they use and other notes they made as proof they researched and thought about this topic?

Marking Criteria: (100 marks)

Public speaking abilities (30 marks): How did they handle speaking in front of a class? Did they maintain eye contact with audience, or read from a piece of paper?
Following the structure of the debate (25 marks): Did students follow the proper structure of the debate. Did the third speaker bring up any new points, did speaker 1 introduce the topic, their stance and their fellow debaters? Did speaker 2 focus mainly on their arguments outside of rebuttals at the start of the debate?
Content of the debate (25 marks): How well thought were their arguments? Were they reasonable?
References (5 marks): Presence of a reference list.
Time limit (15 marks): Did students fit into a time limit, or did they go for too long or too short. Time limit should be 3 minutes for each student.

Topic 1 support for teachers

Should the general public and companies be allowed to use nanotechnology for security and tracking purposes?

Nanotechnology can be used for a variety of reasons. These reasons can be used to heighten security in several places, through the use of surveillance cameras that can’t be seen by the naked human eye, and microchips.

With the use of nanotechnology, a potential future application could be implantable tracking devices. At the moment it isn’t possible, however with nanoscience the idea that these devices can be possibly created (Lin, Moore and Weckert 2007, p.10), should be considered. While these tracking devices can be used possibly to help find missing people and reduce the numbers of kidnapping, on the other hand it can lead to massive problems with people’s privacy, and people tracking other people for bad purposes.

Another application that may come about are cameras invisible to the eye. There already exists a camera that is reported to be 1x1x1mm big, incredibly small and difficult to see with the human eye (Wilke 2011, p.4). Technology does improve over time, and with these ones having a resolution of 62,500 pixels. The main purpose of this camera is to enable doctors to be able to see inside the human body a bit more easily, however these cameras can be exploited for other purposes.

Note:

If affirmative side is having trouble, teacher can suggest to the students that they look into figures of missing people and think how security may be improved with these cameras?

If negative side is having trouble, teacher can suggest to the students that they look into where people’s information has been hacked; and to consider how they would feel being tracked?

Note: At the moment, these are hypothetical situations.

Things students might say for their side of the debate:

The affirmative team:

The tracking of people will make kidnappings, and missing people cases a fair bit easier to solve.
Better security may discourage crimes or make it easier to identify and arrest criminals.

The Negative team:

Privacy concerns.
Public should not have access to incredibly small cameras.

Topic 1 references:

1. Lin, P, Moore, J, Weckert, J 2007, Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology, John Wiley & Sons, Hadoken, New Jersey.

2. Wilke, M 2011, Research news, media release, March 2011, Fraunhofer Institute, retrieved 27/08/2018, https://www.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/zv/en/press-media/2011/pdfs/rn3_2011_M%C3%84RZ.pdf

Topic 2 support for teachers

Should nanotechnology be used to enhance people?

With nanotechnology, the capabilities of medicine can improve greatly. With these new medicines though, they can potentially be utilised to enhance the body. These enhanced bodies can do things potentially better than normal humans will be able to. While this issue isn’t entirely new, with other drugs that can be used to enhanced people, nanotechnology adds more potential methods and ways to enhance themselves.

These medications can be made in mind to help people in therapy. However the same medications can also potentially help people enhance themselves. For example, nanotechnology used to help reduce or replace memory loss can be used to help normal people enhanced their memory capabilities. (Resnik, D and Tinkle, S 2007) This means normal people can use to help enhance their memory to be able to perform better in tests, exams and other situations heavily involving memory.

These can also be potentially used to be able to help people improve other things, like their strength, agility and other things, improving the possibility of what humanity can achieve in the future.

However, this technology has several problems. One of the main problems is the idea of fair competition and affordability of the new medicine. If only certain people, rich enough to afford the enhancements use it, it’s a big disadvantage to those who are unable to do so. The “socio-economic inequality,” (Graur, F et.al 2011, p.11) may run deeper, as this gives those already rich, a better edge over their competition.

Teachers:

How to help affirmative side:

Suggest to the students how nanotechnology enhancements can be used to help people get stronger and smarter, and possibly achieve new things we couldn’t beforehand.
Also ask the students to consider how they can do a separate league for those that don’t have enhancements.

How to help negative side:

How would you (directed at the students) feel if their opponent has an unfair advantage over them in sports or other things?
Could there be any long-term consequences to using these enhancements?
Would people be able to generally afford these enhancements?

Points positive would probably mention:

Pushes human limits.
Everyone can access these enhancements.
That a separate sporting league can be done for these enhanced people.

Points negative side may mention:

Unfair competition between both sides.
Rich get richer with this advantage.
Discrimination between enhanced groups and non-enhanced groups.

References:

1. Resnik, D and Tinkle, S 2007, ‘Ethics in nanomedicine’, Nanomedicine, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 345-350, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695932/

2. Graur, F, Elisei, R, Szasz, A, Neagos, H.C., Muresan, A, Furcea, F, Neagoe, I, Braicu, C, Katona, G, Diudea, M, 2011, ‘Ethical issues in nanomedicine’, International Conference on Advancements of Medicine and Health Care through Technology, IFMBE proceedings, vol. 36, pp. 9-12, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, file:///C:/Users/Virog_000/Downloads/Ethicalissuesinnanomedicine-Meditech2011.PDF

Topic 3 teacher support

Should nanotechnology be allowed in competitive sports?:

Every athlete uses some kind of equipment in their professional career. These can range from racquets used in tennis, cricket bats, and the clothes they wear. With nanoscience the possibility to improve the equipment they use to better the performance of these athletes.

These improvements include things like making their equipment more flexible, stable, lighter and allowing a better feel when it comes to moving . These things will enable athletes to be faster, and able to respond to things quicker, enabling them to have a better performance on the field as a whole. This could lead to better outcomes and more records broken as boundaries of what we can accomplish are pushed further.

However, these improvements bring up the questions over fair competition? What if eventually competitions don’t just come down to whose better in their field, but who has the better equipment? How will we be able to identify those that have special equipment to help them, and those that don't? The idea and concept of fair play is questioned by these enhancements.

How to help students:

For affirmative side: Suggest to the students that they think of ways around the idea that doing this can make things unfair. Can an unfair gap already be identified in other manners (genetics, non-Nano equipment, etc)?

For negative side, ask them these questions: Will this equipment problem make it harder for new athletes from poorer backgrounds to get into the competitive scene? Would knowing this affect people’s viewing habits? How would you feel losing to someone just because they had better equipment then you?

Points to look out for?:

Affirmative:

Able to perform better feats, potentially attracting more people to watch the sports.
No personal changes to the person, unlike drugs and possible modifications like above.
Everyone has access to this equipment and it may become the new norm. (Another sport like table tennis has a heavy emphasis on the equipment you use already).

Negatives:

Idea of fair play between athletes.
Is it the person’s skill, or just the equipment?
Potential differences over pricing of the enhanced equipment.
May be more difficult to identify in competitive sports, more so than enhancements like drugs, or nanotechnology enhancements.

References:

1. Qi, Z 2014, ‘The Ethical Reflection on Nanotechnology Applications in the Field of Sports’, Applied Mechanics and Materials, Zurich Vol. 556-562, pp. 40-42, https://search.proquest.com/openview/948575081dca7e25410021929f29f541/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2029177

2. Lin, P, Moore, J, Weckert, J 2007, Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology, John Wiley & Sons, Hadoken, New Jersey.

Topic 4 support for teachers

Should nanotechnology be used for military purposes?

As time progresses, soldiers will have to deal with more challenges. Nanotechnology can help these soldiers deal with these problems. Nanotechnology can have a wide range of uses in the military. It could be something as simple as providing armour that weighs less, better precision using software to help our soldiers in the military in their duty for their country .

However, there are some costs to this nanotechnology enhanced equipment for soldiers. With nanoscience involved, a variety of new and dangerous, controversial weapons could be created. With this, one of them can be the use of small devices in order to transmit biological or chemical weapons directly to a target. With the possibility of creating weapons to target specific genetic markers (ethnic groups) as well .

Nanotechnology in the military does have more benefits as well for the military, with these new innovations, soldiers can become more agile, and it enables them access to better medicines quicker, and better tools for observing their surrounding area and communication .

How can teachers help students?

For the affirmative side:

Ask them to think of benefits it can have for our soldiers.
Would it make it easier for us to survive?
Should we have nanotechnology in our weapons, in case other countries decide to?

For negative side:

Ask them how this technology can be abused.
Do they think there might be problems with some of the more dangerous applications?
Ask them if we should enhance our weapons with nanotechnology.

What you should be on lookout for?

Affirmative:

support soldiers and enable less fatalities.
Better to be prepared in case someone else uses nanotechnology in their weapons first.

Negative:

The potential abuse of these new nanotechnologies.
Should we make it even easier to kill people?

References:

1. Altmann, J & Gubrud, M, 2018, RISKS FROM MILITARY USES OF NANOTECHNOLOGY - THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AND PREVENTIVE CONTROL, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238746618_RISKS_FROM_MILITARY_USES_OF_NANOTECHNOLOGY_-_THE_NEED_FOR_TECHNOLOGY_ASSESSMENT_AND_PREVENTIVE_CONTROL

2. Tate, J, Espinoza, S, Habbit, D, Hanks, C, Trybula, W, Dominick, F 2015, ‘Military and national security implications of nanotechnology’, Journal of Technology Studies, vol.41, no.1, https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/v41/v41n1/tate.html