Tasks

21.1 Review

• Review and Discuss means of protecting oneself from Malware, Hacking and related issues.
• Users can control the permissions programs have for collecting user information. Users should review the permission settings of programs to protect their privacy.
• Authentication measures protect devices and information from unauthorized access. Examples of authentication measures include strong passwords and multifactor authentication.
• A strong password is something that is easy for a user to remember but would be difficult for someone else to guess based on knowledge of that user. 
• Multifactor authentication is a method of computer access control in which a user is only granted access after successfully presenting several separate pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism, typically in at least two of the following categories: knowledge (something they know); possession (something they have), and inherence (something they are).
• Multifactor authentication requires at least two steps to unlock protected information; each step adds a new layer of security that must be broken to gain unauthorized access. 

Note to Teachers on the Ethical Issues Rotation Activity

This activity is designed to provide a short introduction to the wide variety of issues that arise from today’s tech.  An alternative or reinforcing activity is to have students do a more in depth research of the issues that are brought forth by one computing innovation.

The Analyzing Impact of Computing activity that is part of the AP Explore Teachers Resource provides a good template for such a research project. If you did not complete it in Year 1, you should do so now.

21.2 Ethical Issues in Computer Science

• Note: Computer and tech ethics should be a constant discussion throughout your course.  This activity is designed to reinforce these discussions.
• Find the Ethical Issues folder and make copies of all the documents (Shared Activities Folder >Year 2 Theory > Ethical Issues).  
• This activity can be handled in a number of ways:
  • Used Shared Documents among all the students and control their access
  • Have students submit individual documents by choosing from the shared docs
  • Use the docs as discussion points rather than formal written work
• Skim through each issue as a quick group discussion. There are 15 issues so this will take some time, even at the superficial level, so I sometimes split this up over the course of a few classes.
  

21.3 Discuss/review the following general concepts about Computer Ethics:

• Computing innovations can be used in ways that their creators had not originally intended:
  • The World Wide Web was originally intended only for rapid and easy exchange of information within the scientific community. 
  • Targeted advertising is used to help businesses, but it can be misused at both individual and aggregate levels.
  • Machine learning and data mining have enabled innovation in medicine, business, and science, but information discovered in this way has also been used to discriminate against groups of individuals.
• People create computing innovations.
• The way people complete tasks often changes to incorporate new computing innovations.
• Not every effect of a computing innovation is anticipated in advance.
• A single effect can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful by different people, or even by the same person. Some of the ways computing innovations can be used may have a harmful impact on society, economy, or culture.
• Responsible programmers try to consider the unintended ways their computing innovations can be used and the potential beneficial and harmful effects of these new uses.
• It is not possible for a programmer to consider all the ways a computing innovation can be used.
• Computing innovations have often had unintended beneficial effects by leading to advances in other fields.
• Rapid sharing of a program or running a program with a large number of users can result in significant impacts beyond the intended purpose or control of the programmer.

21.4 Complete Issue Zero - Digital Divide together as an example:

Introduce the concept of the Digital Divide

• Watch Bridging the Digital Divide [3:41] - focusing on the Digital divide within developed countries

• Watch Digital Divide (4:10) - focusing on the Digital divide between rich and poor countries
  

Discuss/review the following AP CSP Essential Knowledge Statements

• Internet access varies between socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic characteristics, as well as between countries. 
• The “digital divide” refers to differing access to computing devices and the Internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics. 
• The digital divide can affect both groups and individuals.
• The digital divide raises issues of equity, access, and influence, both globally and locally.
• The digital divide is affected by the actions of individuals, organizations, and governments.

21.5 Model their Upcoming Assignment

For each issue, they are to do three things:

1. Read the background info and the ethical question.  The question is always related but to the background info but sometimes in an indirect way.
2. Find a news article or commentary dedicated to the issue.  
3. Then provide the following information about the issue in general or about the specific ethical question:
   • Student names
   • New fact/statistic relate to the issue
   • Someone else’s opinion - preferably a direct quote
   • Your opinion(s)
   • Website source

21.6 Student Activity - Ethical Issues Rotation

Here is how I implement these lessons in my classroom:

• Students are paired up
• I assign each partnership 1 issue/document, assigning it by number.  (Group 1 will complete Issue 1.)  I used the ‘Shared Docs’ approach so there is a cell in a table that each group will use.  IE, Group 1 will always put their answers into slot 1. Group 12 will always put their answers into slot 12.
• Students get exactly 15 minutes to complete their assigned issue.
  • They should be encouraged to negotiate and build consensus in their answers but could include separate answers if consensus is not reached.
• Groups then rotate to the next issue in order and again are given 15 minutes.
• (continued next class)

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Continue to Unit 2: Day 7 »