LEARNING OBJECTIVE

To describe the importance of managing privacy settings for apps and online platforms

HEALTH ED STANDARD

NHES 7: Students will demonstrate a variety of behaviors to avoid or reduce health risks to self and others

CASEL Competency: Self-management

KEY VOCAB

daunting, unnerving, capabilities, opt, enabled, default, conspiracy, geolocation

Lesson Plan: Is Your Computer Spying on You?

Two Choices interns went on the hunt to uncover the truth about online privacy. What they dug up might surprise you.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How much of my personal information can be found online, and how can I protect myself and my data?

 CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS

  1. What is malware, and how does the article suggest you protect yourself from it? Malware is software designed to damage, disrupt, or hack into your computer. One way hackers use malware is to watch you through your camera. The article says you should cover your laptop camera with a sticker, just in case. 
  2. What is Snap Map, and how does it work? Snap Map is a feature on Snapchat that allows advertisers and contacts to track your location. 
  3. How does the article suggest you set passwords that will protect your identity? You should have passwords that are a random mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Using a password organizer like LastPass can help you by generating them for you.

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 CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS

  1.  The article suggests that having geolocation turned on for your friends can be bad for your mental health. Why do you think that is? Possible answer: If you always know where your friends are, you might constantly worry about why you weren’t invited along, and this can cause anxiety. 
  2. How good are you with online privacy? Do you think you have the right settings in place on your devices, or do you need to make some changes? Give specific examples. Answers will vary. 
  3. Apps and programs sell your data and location to advertisers. Do you think this is an appropriate use of data, or do you think it goes too far? Explain your answer. Answers will vary.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

NHES 8

CASEL Competency: Responsible decision-making

 Students are using smartphones from a young age, and they might not be aware of the right settings to have in place. In this activity, students will prepare an instructional screencast video teaching younger peers how to MANAGE THAT DATA and keep themselves safe. 

DIGGING DEEPER

NHES 5

CASEL Competencies: Social awareness, responsible decision-making

Exactly WHERE DOES THAT DATA GO? In this activity, students will analyze the latest information about data and marketing to find out just how much of their information is used. After compiling their research, they’ll prepare a short presentation for the class.

Text-to-Speech