Digitalization and sustainability: the impact of ICT on the environment
Description
Do you know the conditions under which the materials used to make your smartphone were extracted? Have you ever wondered where "the cloud" is and what energy powers it to store the millions of data points needed to stream movies, send emails, or chat? Are you aware of the environmental impact of artificial intelligence? Do you know where your devices end up once you dispose of them?
Over the past 50 years, the world's population has doubled, while the consumption of ICT devices has increased sixfold in the same period. Despite their undeniable advantages, ICT devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers, video game consoles, etc., are not neutral; rather, they have a serious environmental impact through their design, production, consumption, and subsequent disposal as electronic waste.
In this unique MOOC course, you will learn in a dynamic and interactive way not only what the material impact of your favorite devices is, but we will also teach you how to buy and enjoy this technology sustainably.
Furthermore, whether you are a teacher or work in any type of organization, or are simply considering disseminating this content in your environment, in the fifth module we will show you and accompany you to develop educational proposals in order to promote the digital competence of your students or target audience and to implement these measures within your sphere of influence.
What you will learn
- The environmental impact of ICTs in their design, production, consumption and subsequent disposal in the form of electronic waste.
- Your ecological footprint in the use of ICT devices.
- The way to enjoy your favorite ICT devices sustainably.
- If you are a teacher or work in an organization, we will support you in developing educational proposals to share with your students or target audience in order to promote sustainable ICT use.
- You will gain ideas to implement a more sustainable use of ICT devices within your organization.
Requirements
Although of great interest to the general public who use technology, this MOOC course is especially attractive to the following audiences:
- Teachers of any level and educational modality who want to improve both their digital competence and that of their students.
- Members of any type of social or environmental organization who want to transmit this knowledge to their target audience.
- Staff from any type of organization who want to implement a more sustainable use of ICT within their organization.
- Students of degrees and master's degrees related to Educational Sciences, Communication Sciences or Environmental Sciences.
Faculty
Fernando Tucho Fernández
Rey Juan Carlos University
With a PhD in Communication, he is a tenured professor of Journalism at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. He is a member of the ImpacTIC research group and the creator of the Ecology and Media , which studies the environmental impact of ICTs. He is also the President of Aire Comunicación – the Association of Media Educators. The environmental impact of ICTs is one of his main lines of research, resulting in the publication of several academic articles on the subject, presentations at national and international scientific conferences, and various outreach activities.
Javier González de Eusebio
José María García de Madariaga
Rey Juan Carlos University
He holds a PhD in Information Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is currently a tenured professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid (URJC), where he has taught various courses related to digital technologies in the Faculty of Communication Sciences since November 2002. His research has focused on the influence of digitization on social communication processes in general, and on journalism and citizen participation in particular. He also has journalistic and outreach experience in various fields of new information and communication technologies. He is a member of the ImpacTIC research group.
Miguel Vicente-Mariño
University of Valladolid
Professor and Director of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Valladolid. He holds a PhD in Audiovisual Communication from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the same university, and a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Since 2015, he has been the Deputy Director of the Working Group on the History of Communication Research at the AE-IC (Spanish Association for Communication Research). He has numerous publications and a distinguished academic and research career. He is a member of the ImpacTIC research collective.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of audience might be interested in taking the MOOC?
What can it be used for?
What certification do I get if I complete it?
You will be able to obtain the MOOC completion certificate once you have completed all the required course activities. The certificate will confirm your successful completion of the MOOC and will include the total number of hours.
How can I register?
To enroll in this course, simply log in or create your account and then click on the Start.
Which browsers are compatible with a URJC MOOC?
Current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer version 9 or higher.
What happens if I have to drop out of a MOOC? Will I be able to re-enroll in a future edition of the same MOOC and/or another MOOC in the future?
Enrollment and participation in a URJC MOOC is free. There are absolutely no academic penalties for dropping out. You can enroll in the same MOOC and/or others (as long as they are still being offered) at a later time.
When does my MOOC start and end?
This MOOC is designed to be self-paced. You don't need to start at a specific time, although a learning pace of one topic per week is recommended.
How do I pass the course?
At the end of each module you will be assessed with a test on the basic concepts learned, and in the last module you will have to prepare a short final paper.
RAC credit validation
If you are an undergraduate student at Rey Juan Carlos University, you must register for the course using your university account (@alumnos.urjc.es) to receive RAC credits upon successful completion. Credits will not be awarded to students who completed the course using an account other than their URJC account or who are not currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program.
🙋 You won't need to request the recognition, as it will appear automatically.
- 5 Sections
- 55 Lessons
- 25 Hours
- 1. The origin of ICT devices: planned obsolescence and mining of natural resources11
- 1.1Obsolescence in ICT devices
- 1.2Types of obsolescence
- 1.3What do we talk about when we talk about sustainability?
- 1.4Minerals and ICT?
- 1.5I have dirt on my phone!
- 1.6Mining to manufacture our devices: a dangerous activity
- 1.7How to fight planned obsolescence and the influx of blood minerals?
- 1.8Combating planned obsolescence and illegal mining of natural resources
- 1.9Allies for fairer technology
- 1.10Exam
- 1.11Additional material
- 2. Who manufactures our ICT devices?11
- 2.1The manufacturing of ICT devices (general overview)
- 2.2What's wrong with the electronics industry?
- 2.3Transforming our world: Sustainable Development Goals
- 2.4The environmental impact of ICT device manufacturing
- 2.5High toxicity and information concealment
- 2.6The rebound effect or Jevons' paradox
- 2.7Fighting for a fairer manufacturing industry. Interview with Electronics Watch
- 2.85 points for sustainable ICT consumption and a fair electronics industry
- 2.9Digital sufficiency: sustainable digitization
- 2.10Exam
- 2.11Additional material
- 3. Consuming ICT11
- 3.1The environmental impact of ICT consumption
- 3.2Doing the math: digital or analog?
- 3.3The impact of the network: some interesting facts
- 3.4This video is harmful to the environment
- 3.5A cloud of dust and smoke: data centers and artificial intelligence
- 3.6Not everything is fiction: sustainability in film
- 3.7How to implement sustainable consumption of ICT devices?
- 3.8Practices for sustainable ICT consumption
- 3.9Ten Commandments for Sustainable Cinema
- 3.10Exam
- 3.11Additional material
- 4. Electronic waste11
- 4.1Electronic waste
- 4.2The era of garbage
- 4.3Slow violence according to Rob Nixon
- 4.4Electronic waste recycling: formal and informal recycling methods
- 4.5The iceberg metaphor
- 4.6The health and environmental impact of illegal landfills
- 4.7General recommendations for combating electronic waste
- 4.8What to do with electronic waste?
- 4.9Good practices for sustainable ICT consumption: Circular economy?
- 4.10Exam
- 4.11Additional material
- 5. Education for digital sustainability: educational proposals to bring sustainability closer to the use of ICTs11
- 5.1Are you digitally competent?: The Common Framework for Digital Teaching Competence
- 5.2A critical digital citizenry
- 5.3Deconstructing imaginaries: a proposal for the analysis of a media text
- 5.4Analysis and evaluation of good practices
- 5.5Slow media: rethinking media
- 5.6Interview with Joan Ferres
- 5.7The importance of emotions in our relationship with screens and how to address it educationally
- 5.8Proposals for sustainable ICT consumption
- 5.9Exam
- 5.10Your Media Literacy Proposal
- 5.11Additional material
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