This curriculum unit is a comprehensive, competency-based instructional tool designed to integrate the basic skills of reading, writing and computing, and the higher order skills of thinking, reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making. Its overall purpose is to teach students how their movements are tracked on the Internet and why. The goals of this unit are to provide students with the opportunity to:
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Learn the basic components of online profiling
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Learn about the mechanisms used to gather information and how they can control it
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Learn the importance of reading and understanding privacy policies
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Develop an awareness of agencies that have been set up to protect privacy rights
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Develop an awareness of legislative issues.
The above goals will be accomplished by having the students access the Internet to view the cookie and web bug files that are used for profiling purposes, learn how to change cookie settings, evaluate privacy policies that they will get from the Internet, expand their Internet vocabulary and improve their collaborative problem-solving and critical thinking skills.. The students will also receive reading assignments and complete worksheets to further their understanding of existing laws and practices that are dealing with the privacy issue as it pertains to the Internet.
Everyone should understand that even when you browse the Internet in the privacy of your own home, some one could be watching your every move. No, they are not right there in the room with you looking over your shoulder, but every site that you visit, download or post messages to is being monitored. There is a saying “caveat emptorlet the buyer beware.” It is time to apply that phrase to cyber-technology“browser beware.”
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