Search Signals: Understanding Your Top Hits

Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Subject Area

Digital Literacy and Computer Science

Grade(s)

8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

An infographic and explainer video break down some of the often-invisible ways that search engines —and people — make recommendations; then students hunt for these “search signals” to rank and evaluate real examples.

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Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 8

DLCS18.8.14

Analyze current events related to computing and their effects on education, the workplace, individuals, communities, and global society.

UP:DLCS18.8.14

Knowledge

Students know:
  • technology will always have positive and negative effects on others; it is important to examine the benefits and costs associated with implementing new technology.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • analyze current events related to computing.
  • analyze the effects of current events related to computing on education, the workplace, individuals, communities, and global society.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • it is important to examine the benefits and costs associated with implementing new technology.
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.

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.

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

Other

License Type

BY-NC-ND

Resource Provider other

Newseum
https://newseumed.org/tools/lesson-plan/search-signals-understanding-your-top-h…

Accessibility

Text Resources: Content is organized under headings and subheadings
Video resources: includes closed captioning or subtitles

Approved Date

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