As part of the National Science Foundation-funded Internships in Public Science Education (IPSE) program, we have created a classroom activity that encourages middle school students to think about the interactions between technology, individuals, and communities. Good and bad, the effects of technology on society are important, real-world issues. In accordance with national teaching standards, the activity described in this article allows middle school teachers to orchestrate discussion among students about scientific ideas and to challenge students to accept responsibility for their own learning. Students use their critical thinking skills to explore the impact of technology not only on their own lives, but also on the lives of others in their community. The activity incorporates language arts, social studies, and science standards into a curriculum and can be successfully incorporated into units about atoms or molecules, or units designed to fulfill the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) Science in Personal and Social Perspectives content standard. The full activity is available online at no charge and can be easily modified to fit a variety of curriculum needs. The lesson plan is targeted at middle school students and should last one hour or one class period.