Too often, discussions about technology centre on the negative impact it can have; rarely do we stop to consider its positive role.

There are so many great examples of technology being a force for good; sharing these can help pupils to see its potential. This in turn can encourage more of them, particularly girls, to consider a career in Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths).

Here are some of my favourite ways that tech is doing good in the world.

Wireless monitoring

Patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital are being monitored in real time, thanks to a wireless monitoring system developed by Isansys. On a practical level, the children aren’t attached to tons of wires, which makes life easier, especially for the youngest patients. Eventually, it might even lead to fewer people having to go into hospital. Find out more about the project here.

Be My Eyes

This little app allows you to “lend your eyes to the blind”. It’s such a simple idea, which is what makes it so powerful. The app connects blind people with sighted volunteers from around the world. The idea came to Hans Jørgen Wiberg - who is himself visually impaired - when he realised that direct video calls with sighted people could help people with visual impairments to complete everyday tasks they often struggle with. Find out more at here. 

Genes in Space

Even gaming can help do good in the world. Cancer Research has launched Genes in Space, which appears to be another app to occupy you on a dull commute, but each player is also taking part in medical research. As you fly through space collecting space dust, your are also identifying patterns and critical faults in real gene data. It is part of a wider movement, known as Citizen Science, which is about crowdsourced data analysis.

As the trailer for the game sums up: “You don’t have to wear a lab coat to help beat cancer sooner.” Find out more here.

Apps for Good

If any of these projects inspire your class, then guide them through the Apps for Good project, which is about identifying an issue in your local community and developing a prototype of an app to address it. When I did this with some Year 6 children, they tackled a variety of issues, from dog poo on the streets to the lack of open spaces to play in.

The important thing is to expose students to the power of tech when it’s put to good use - and to give them the chance to have a go at it themselves. Who knows what problems they might solve in the future?

Claire Lotriet is a teacher at Henwick Primary School in London. She tweets @OhLottie and blogs at clairelotriet.com