Classroom Resource

Is It Fair?

Subject Area

Digital Literacy and Computer Science

Grade(s)

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

In this lesson plan from Newseum, students use a video and graphics to help tune up their “fairness meters” to detect three key factors that can determine how objective or biased a news story is; then they analyze real-life examples.

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Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 7

DLCS18.7.R3

Assess the validity and identify the purpose of digital content.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.7.R3

Vocabulary

  • validity

Knowledge

Students know:
  • not all information shared is valid; some information is skewed to sway readers' opinions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • research information to confirm whether the given information is true and unbiased.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • individuals and/or groups can manipulate information to meet an agenda.
  • it is important to verify information.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 7

DLCS18.7.11

Demonstrate positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits when creating and sharing digital content and identify the consequences of failing to act responsibly.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.7.11

Knowledge

Students know:
  • safe, legal, and ethical habits to use when creating and sharing digital content and that failing to do so can have negative consequences.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • use safe, legal, and ethical habits when creating and sharing digital content.
  • identify consequences of failing to use safe, legal, and ethical habits when creating and sharing digital content.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • consequences exist for failing to use positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits when creating and sharing digital content.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 8

DLCS18.8.R3

Assess the validity and identify the purpose of digital content.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.8.R3

Vocabulary

  • validity

Knowledge

Students know:
  • not all information shared is valid; some information is skewed to sway readers' opinions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • research information to confirm whether the given information is true and unbiased.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • individuals and/or groups can manipulate information to meet an agenda.
  • it is important to verify information.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 09-12

DLCS18.HS.R3

Assess the validity and identify the purpose of digital content.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.HS.R3

Knowledge

Students know:
  • not all information found online is valid.
  • some information is shared online to promote an agenda.
  • all information has a purpose.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • assess the validity of digital content.
  • identify the purpose of digital content.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • not all information available digitally is accurate, valid, and/or unbiased.
  • some users/groups misrepresent information in an effort to skew perceptions.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 09-12

DLCS18.HS.11

Model and demonstrate behaviors that are safe, legal, and ethical while living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.HS.11

Vocabulary

  • ethics
  • digital world
a.
    cookies
  • virus
  • malware
  • packet sniffing
  • spyware
  • phishing
b.
  • browser history
c.
  • personal data
d.
    data mining
  • digital marketing
  • online wallets
  • personal information
  • data accessibility
  • passwords.
e.
  • cyberbullying
  • harassment
  • sexual communication
f.
  • online safety

Knowledge

Students know:
  • safe, legal, and ethical behaviors for online behavior.
a.
  • tracking methods are often used to improve digital tools and advertising.
  • hazards exist when unknown entities have access to a user's digital habits.
b.
  • methods to counteract the use of tracking.
c.
  • that often, end-user licensing agreements (EULA) are often written to protect the entity that created the digital tool, rather than the user of the digital tool.
  • that EULAs and terms of service agreements can grant access to the user's personal data.
  • that personal data can include images, posts, personal information (phone number, address, birth date, access to friends), and browsing data.
d.
  • often there exists an inverse relationship between online privacy/personal security and convenience.
e.
  • that inappropriate digital behavior can have physical, legal, and ethical consequences.
f.
  • that negative digital behaviors can have lasting consequences.
  • that some behaviors are illegal.
  • strategies to lessen the impact of negative digital behaviors and assess when to apply them.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • interact digitally while exercising safe, legal, and ethical behaviors.
a.
  • identify tracking methods used to gather data.
  • identify hazards that exist when tracking methods are used.
b.
  • list techniques to avoid tracking.
  • apply techniques to avoid tracking.
c.
  • interpret the terms of EULAs and terms of service agreements.
  • make an educated decision to agree to EULAs and terms of service agreements.
d.
  • weigh the risks of using a digital tool to one's personal security.
  • identify potential risks to using various digital tools.
  • evaluate a digital tool's security.
e.
  • identify inappropriate digital behaviors.
  • identify consequences of inappropriate digital behaviors.
f.
  • identify negative digital behaviors.
  • share strategies to to lessen the impact of negative digital behaviors.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • because the Internet can be such a persisting environment, it is vital to interact with safe, legal, and ethical behaviors.
a.
  • entities use tracking methods to make products more appealing to their users.
  • hazards exists when tracking data can be tied to individual users.
b.
  • privacy can be violated when tracking is used.
  • techniques exist to mitigate the effects of tracking methods.
c.
  • nothing is free—you often give up data to use digital resources for no charge.
  • it is important to educate yourself on EULAs and terms of service agreements.
d.
  • free digital tools can compromise one's privacy and security.
  • it is important to be aware of what one is trading for use of a service.
e.
  • inappropriate digital behavior can have physical, legal, and ethical consequences.
  • consequences of inappropriate digital behaviors can have life-altering consequences.
f.
  • digital identity is tied to online digital behavior.
  • negative digital behaviors can have lasting consequences.
  • some digital activity is illegal.
Link to Resource
https://newseumed.org/is-it-fair

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

Newseum

Resource Provider other

Newseum
Accessibility

Accessibility

Video resources: includes closed captioning or subtitles
License

License Type

Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

Custom License Type (URL)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses

Comments or Notes

Teachers will need to create a free NewseumEd account to access this resource.

Approved Date

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