Grade by Grade
B. Life Systems · Human Organ Systems

Technology and Our Health: Helpful and Harmful

B1.2 A2.2 A3.1 A3.3About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can describe technologies that help diagnose, treat or protect body systems.
  • I can describe technologies that can harm health if used too much or carelessly.
  • I can evaluate a technology by looking at it from different perspectives.
  • I can explain how coded devices affect people's health and everyday lives.

Words to know

technology
A tool, device or system that people design to solve a problem.
diagnose
To find out what illness or injury a person has.
X-ray
A picture of the inside of the body, made with invisible rays that pass through soft tissue but not through bone.
ultrasound
A way of seeing inside the body using sound waves that are too high for us to hear.
MRI
A machine that uses a strong magnet and radio waves to make detailed pictures of the inside of the body.
pacemaker
A small device that helps a heart beat at a steady rate.
perspective
The way a person sees something, based on their needs and experiences.

Seeing inside without opening

A hundred and fifty years ago, a doctor couldn't see a broken bone without surgery. Today, a hospital can take a picture of your bones in seconds. Technology has changed health care. But some technologies we use every day, like screens and earbuds, can also harm our bodies if we're not careful.

An empty hospital X-ray room with an X-ray machine above a padded table.
An X-ray machine lets doctors see bones inside the body in seconds, without surgery. AI-generated image
TechnologyBody systemHow it helps
X-raymusculoskeletalshows broken bones (and some lung problems)
ultrasoundmany (heart, kidneys, organs)shows organs moving, using sound waves
MRInervous and othersdetailed pictures of the brain, spinal cord, joints
stethoscopecirculatory, respiratorylets a doctor hear the heart and lungs
pacemakercirculatorykeeps the heartbeat steady
inhalerrespiratorydelivers asthma medicine right into the airways
insulin pump and glucose monitorblood sugar (pancreas)check blood sugar and give insulin
dialysis machineexcretoryfilters the blood when the kidneys can't
hearing aid, cochlear implantnervous (hearing)help people hear
prosthetic limb, artificial jointmusculoskeletalreplace a missing limb or a worn-out hip or knee
helmets, car seatsnervous, musculoskeletalprotect the brain and bones in falls and crashes
Some technologies that help body systems.

Canadian contributions

  • In 1950, engineer John Hopps of the National Research Council, working with doctors Wilfred Bigelow and John Callaghan in Toronto, built one of the first pacemakers. It was big and sat outside the body; today's pacemakers are about the size of a matchbox or smaller and go inside the chest.
  • Telehealth: video and phone visits help people in remote and northern communities, including many First Nations and Inuit communities, see a doctor or nurse without travelling far.
wire1950: big, satOUTSIDE the bodypacemaker(matchbox-size)Today: small, goesINSIDE the chest
Pacemakers then and now. The 1950 pacemaker was big and sat outside the body; today's are about the size of a matchbox or smaller and go inside the chest.

Technologies that can harm

Some technologies are helpful in one way and harmful in another. It depends on how and how much we use them.

  • Screens (phones, tablets, games, TV): too much time can mean less exercise, and screens close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep.
  • Earbuds and headphones: loud volume for a long time can damage the hearing parts of your inner ear for good.
  • Cars and buses: help us get places, but exhaust adds to air pollution, and riding everywhere means less walking.
  • Vaping devices: the vapour contains nicotine and chemicals that harm the lungs and heart (you learned about this in Grade 4 Health).
  • Medical X-rays: very helpful, but they use radiation, so doctors take them only when needed and use as little radiation as possible.

Looking from different perspectives

To evaluate a technology, look at it through different people's eyes:

  • the patient or user,
  • a doctor or nurse,
  • family members,
  • someone living far from a hospital,
  • the people who pay for it (families, governments),
  • the environment (energy, waste).

A helpful tool is a PMI chart: Plus (good points), Minus (bad points), Interesting (questions or ideas).

PPluscounts stepsand heart ratemotivates movingcan warn about afast heartbeatMMinuscosts moneycollects personaldata (privacy)can cause worrybecomes e-wasteIInterestingcould it help afaraway doctor?how accurateare the readings?
A PMI chart for a fitness tracker: Plus (good points), Minus (bad points), Interesting (questions). Filling all three columns helps you evaluate fairly.
Worked example

Let's evaluate a smartwatch fitness tracker

Use a PMI chart and different perspectives to evaluate a fitness tracker.

  1. Plus: it counts steps and heart rate, which can motivate people to move more (user). It can warn about an unusually fast heartbeat (doctor).
  2. Minus: it costs money that some families can't spend (family). It can make some people worry too much about numbers (user). It collects personal data, and companies might share it. Old devices become electronic waste (environment).
  3. Interesting: Could it help a doctor check on a patient who lives far away? How accurate are the readings?
  4. How code matters: sensors measure the pulse, and the device's code turns measurements into numbers and alerts. If the code has a mistake, the numbers can be wrong.

A fitness tracker has real benefits but also costs, privacy and accuracy concerns. It is a tool, not a doctor.

Just for fun

Why did the smartphone need glasses?

It lost all its contacts!

Hands-on activity

Technology health audit

You need: paper, a pencil, a family member.

  1. Walk through your home and list 10 technologies. Examples: thermometer, bike helmet, smoke alarm, earbuds, tablet, microwave, first-aid kit, eyeglasses, car seat, toothbrush.
  2. Sort them into Helps health, Can harm health, and Both (depends on how it's used).
  3. Choose one from the Both group and make a PMI chart, including at least three perspectives.
  4. Make one healthy tech rule for your family (for example: screens off one hour before bed, or earbuds at no more than half volume).

Grown-up note: do not let your child handle electrical cords, outlets, or anything hot; listing and observing is enough.

Your turn

1

Name a technology that helps doctors see a broken bone.

2

How does a dialysis machine help a person whose kidneys don't work?

3

Give one way earbuds can harm health and one way to prevent it.

4

What does a pacemaker do?

5

What does PMI stand for?

6

Why do doctors take X-rays only when needed?

More practice: warm-up

1

Which technology uses sound waves to see inside the body?

2

Which device delivers asthma medicine?

3

Name one safety technology that protects the brain.

4

Can screens be both helpful and harmful?

5

What technology helps people hear?

More practice: on your own

1

How can telehealth help a family in a remote community?

2

Why might a screen at bedtime affect your health?

3

Look at a bike helmet from two perspectives.

4

How did pacemakers change from 1950 to today?

5

A car helps a family get to a hospital. Name a harmful effect of cars on health.

Challenge

1

A video game makes you dance to play. Evaluate it with a PMI chart.

2

An insulin pump runs on code. Why is it important that the code is tested very carefully?

3

Choose one technology that helps one body system and one that harms the same system. Explain both.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which technology shows a broken bone most quickly and simply?

2.

A dialysis machine does the job of the...

3.

Which is a harmful effect of a technology?

4.

In 1950, John Hopps and doctors in Toronto helped build an early...

5.

To evaluate a technology fairly, you should...

6.

A fitness tracker turns sensor readings into numbers using...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: technologies can diagnose, treat and protect body systems, but some can harm health depending on how they're used. Evaluating means weighing benefits and harms from different perspectives.

How to help at home:

  • Do the technology audit together and agree on one family tech rule.
  • Share your own perspective (cost, safety, time) during the PMI chart.

Common difficulties:

  • Calling a technology simply "good" or "bad". Push for both sides and for who is affected.
  • Forgetting that code inside devices can affect health (accuracy, privacy).

Safety: keep children away from cords and hot appliances during the audit.