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Numerous technologies have had a significant positive impact on humanity across various domains, such as:

Internet and Communication Technologies

Medical Advancements

Renewable Energy Technologies

Agricultural Technologies

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Education

Transportation Technologies

These technologies have made significant strides in supporting humanity and have transformed certain industries, economic opportunities and global citizenship, which empowers people worldwide and creates change. However, It is important to note that the beneficial outcomes of technologies are dependent on responsible implementation, equitable access, and considering ethical and societal implications.

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tim berners-lee has some ideas on how to fix it

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‎Beyond The Valley: Three decades after inventing the web, Tim Berners-Lee has some ideas on how to fix it on Apple Podcasts

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The internet landscape is now disempowering for individuals, and its inventor Tim Berners-Lee and Inrupt CEO John Bruce share their visions for the future of the web.

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BBC Micro: bits are a great example of technologies supporting humanity within an educational setting. They promote Coding and Digital Literacy, Accessibility and Inclusivity, and Collaborative Learning. This provides hands-on learning experiences and fosters digital literacy by allowing students to create their programs and projects. The user-friendly platform allows creativity and problem-solving for all students to engage with technology despite their background or prior experience. It also enhances their learning experience and promotes social interaction through teamwork and communication.

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Technologies for humanity encompass the utilisation and progress of technological innovations aimed at tackling social, economic, and environmental issues while enhancing the overall welfare of individuals on a global scale (Warschauer, 2003). This concept revolves around harnessing technology to advance the collective well-being of humanity, fostering positive effects on society, and striving for a more democratic and inclusive world (World Bank, 2016).

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Warschauer, M. (2003) spoke about the digital divide in society but technologies like the internet have equalised access to information, breaking down barriers to education and knowledge. They empower individuals by providing them with resources, educational opportunities for anyone from any background, and platforms for self-expression. Access to information promotes informed decision-making, citizen engagement, and a more inclusive society.

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Technologies facilitate global connectivity, enabling diverse voices to be heard and fostering cultural exchange. Boyd (2011) said social media platforms and online communities allow marginalised groups to express themselves, raise awareness, and mobilize for social causes. Jenkins, Ford and Green (2013) also explain that these platforms allow for greater participation and engagement in public discourse, contributing to a more democratic society.

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Rheingold (2002) discussed their thoughts on the next social revolution. The technological advancements that have been made facilitate collaboration and collective action, enabling individuals and communities to work together towards common goals. Crowdsourcing platforms, open-source initiatives, and online collaboration tools empower people to contribute their skills, knowledge, and resources to projects that address societal challenges. This inclusivity encourages a sense of empowerment and ownership, fostering a more inclusive and democratic society.

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Bridging Divides and Reducing Inequalities

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Bridging Divides and Reducing Inequalities

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Technologies can bridge socioeconomic and geographical divides by providing access to services, opportunities, and resources. They enable marginalised communities to overcome barriers and participate in economic, educational, and social spheres. Vassilakopoulou and Hustad (2021) discuss that marginalised individuals can access healthcare, education, employment, and civic resources through technology, promoting greater equality and inclusivity.

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In summary, it is important to acknowledge that the potential of technologies for humanity to promote a democratic and inclusive society relies on addressing issues like the digital divide, algorithmic biases, privacy concerns, and digital literacy gaps. Ensuring equitable access to technology, fostering digital literacy, and considering ethical implications are vital for harnessing the full potential of technologies for humanity and promoting a more democratic and inclusive society.

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Other examples of technologies in support of humanity within an education setting include 3D Printers, VR and AR. Then other online learning platforms such as Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy provide access to a wide range of educational courses and resources.

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Negative impacts include Privacy, data Security, Technology Dependence, and Equity and Access. These things can all negatively impact students and their experience with technology, which can cause a widening of the digital divide.

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Computer coding with micro:bit in Mauritius

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Young people combine creativity and technology in solutions to the Global Goals

Warao children in Brazil participating in 2020's do your :bit challenge

The 'do your :bit' challenge is an international competition for 8-to-14-year-olds (extending to 18-year-olds in 2021). For the 2019/20 challenge, entries were submitted in from over 50 countries on every continent.

By taking part in the challenge, young people are immersed in creative exercises with technology to provide solutions to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. In 2019/20 for example, children explored issues which affect their local communities, from climate change and deforestation, to water pollution and animal welfare.

Kids all over the world take part in workshops and hackathons which provide the hands-on experience of coding and prototyping with the micro:bit. They learn about the Global Goals and are encouraged to develop their ideas to solve problems with technology. For many young people, this is their first experience of getting hands-on with coding.

The entries submitted for the challenge in 19/20 offered a wide range of innovative prototypes and concepts, from solutions to protect sharks in Costa Rica, raise awareness of deforestation in the USA and reduce oil spillages in Nigeria.

Solutions to local issues

Young participants in Mauritius took their micro:bits to the beach where they learned about the environmental challenges facing their island. This helped to engage and inspire them to come up with creative ways to protect their habitat.

Once they explored the functions of the micro:bit in the classroom, each child created a prototype from cardboard as a solution to some of the environmental issues they had been exploring on the beach that day.

An 11 year old girl invented an alarm with the micro:bit which would sound if temperatures above 60c were recorded; this could then help to alert emergency services to potential forest fires. "She held a micro:bit for the first time at 8am on the beach... by 3pm she had programmed the device," said Tasneem Abbasakoor, a British Council Teacher in Mauritius.

Tashi, 11 years old, with her micro:bit fire alarm designed to protect against forest fires

By taking part in do your :bit, young people are able to see opportunities to make changes for the better on the local and global scale. Such as the school children in Singapore who designed and built a food waste reduction system in their school lunch hall. Or the young person who designed and prototyped a river waste monitoring system for their city in Brazil.

British Council support do your :bit activities in Mauritius

Inspiring girls

Lynn Lewis is a secondary school student in the US, and according to her teacher, she had never really seen herself as someone who is good with technology. Lynn decided to take part in the do your :bit challenge along with her classmates, and went on to develop and build a winning solution to raise awareness of deforestation.

Lynn Lewis - North American winner 2020

Her teacher Kurt Robinson, an Innovation and Arts Teacher in Massachusetts, saw how hard Lynn and her classmates worked to come up with solutions, and to keep trying even when things did not always work as expected.

"All of my students worked very hard on their projects and are very passionate about helping to make the world a better place. Lynn has never really seen herself as someone who is good with technology and I saw first hand the hard work and positivity she displayed when things didn't work out. I couldn't be happier that she was the one to win it and I hope it gives her the confidence to keep going." - Kurt Robinson

Access for all

The do your :bit challenge aims to broaden participation for those who might otherwise lack access to technology, so that more young people understand how the digital world works on a technical level. ​​

This is driven by the Foundation's objectives to enable and inspire all children to participate in the digital world with particular focus on girls and those from disadvantaged groups.

​​Challenge workshops offer young people the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience by getting hands-on with abstract code brought to life in creative physical computing activities.

Young Warao people take part in a coding lesson introducing the micro:bit

Workshops for young Warao people - an indigenous people from the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela - now living in Brazil, were organised by volunteer teachers to increase the children's access to education. Their lessons explored the challenges of life on land and under water with the Global Goals and introduced children to the micro:bit, taking their first steps into coding and creating with technology.

​​This group of 8-14-year-olds produced a working prototype alarm system using sensors on the micro:bit, to protect trees in response to the devastation of illegal deforestation.

The power of partnerships

Students in Malawi presenting their micro:bit inventions

In Malawi, do your :bit hackathon workshops and training were supported by Arm and delivered by British Council, mHub and Institute of Imagination, with 15 local teachers and 33 students from Mtandire village in Lilongwe taking part. Through these activities, the students created solutions to issues in their village using the micro:bit, with many children using a computer for the first time. Up to 100 of these innovations were then entered into the do your :bit challenge.

Global citizenship

Wilson Shum, CEO of SCALE InnoTech in Hong Kong, supported the challenge as a partner, organising Global Goals and micro:bit workshops for young people. As with all our partners, Wilson recognises that participation in the do your :bit challenge offers young people a valuable global and local perspective gained in the experience.

"We would like children to think that they are a part of a larger global community, and through the process of understanding and help solving problems from the Global Goals, they take ownership of the challenges ahead of them and learn to be a responsible global citizen." - Wilson Shum, SCALE InnoTech, Hong Kong.

One of the highlights for young people who participate in the do your :bit challenge is working together on solutions to help their local community and environment, while also being part of something truly global.

In a teacher survey run by Plan Ceibal - a major education charity in Latin America, the value of taking part is explained, "The workshop was a good experience for students from many different contexts to have access to an international level competition. This allows them to gain confidence and feel part of a global movement, and to understand what they do is not far from what other young people like them do in the rest of the world."

do your :bit returns

do your :bit returns in 2021 and is produced by the Micro:bit Educational Foundation in partnership with the British Council and World's Largest Lesson.

Find out more detail about 2021's challenge and how to enter here.

If you would like to find out ways you can support the challenge, get in touch here.

https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org ​
https://www.britishcouncil.org/work/partner/coding-mauritius
Related stories

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The do your :bit challenge is entered globally

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References

Sentance, S., Waite, J., Yeomans, L., & MacLeod, E. (2017, November). Teaching with physical computing devices: the BBC micro: bit initiative. In Proceedings of the 12th Workshop on Primary and Secondary Computing Education (pp. 87-96).

Küçük, T. (2023). Technology Integrated Teaching and Its Positive and Negative Impacts on Education. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 10(1), 46.

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·       Boyd, D. (2011). Social network sites as networked publics: Affordances, dynamics, and implications. In Z. Papacharissi (Ed.), A networked self: Identity, community, and culture on social network sites (pp. 39-58). Routledge.

·       Boyd, D. (2014). It's complicated: The social lives of networked teens. Yale University Press.

·       CNBC International (Hosts). (2023, Feb 17). Three decades after inventing the web, Tim Berners-Lee has some ideas on how to fix it [Audio podcast episode]. In Beyond the Valley. CNBC.

·       Jenkins, H., Ford, S., & Green, J. (2013). Spreadable media: Creating value and meaning in a networked culture. NYU Press.

·       Rheingold, H. (2002). Smart mobs: The next social revolution. Basic Books.

·       Vassilakopoulou, P., & Hustad, E. (2021). Bridging digital divides: a literature review and research agenda for information systems research. Information Systems Frontiers, 1-15.

·       Warschauer, M. (2003). Technology and social inclusion: Rethinking the digital divide. MIT Press.

·       Wildermuth, N. (2010). Empowerment: the real challenge of digital inclusion.

·       World Bank. (2016). Digital dividends: World development report 2016. World Bank Publications.

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Bruce (2023) explains how not all data is practical and how we do not get the full value out of the web, how we should operate more efficiently and how to make a significant difference. Berners-Lee (2023) discusses how there was a feeling of individual personal sovereignty. This gave power to the people but has gone wrong due to innovation. It’s become disempowering for the majoring of individuals. While technology has brought numerous advancements and benefits to humanity, it is not immune to misuse or unintended negative consequences.