ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 13 :

7) Compare and contrast fundamental data structures and their uses.

Examples: Strings, lists, arrays, stacks, queues.

[DLIT] (9-12) 35 :

29) Summarize the role of compression and encryption in modifying the structure of digital artifacts and the varieties of information carried in the metadata of these artifacts.

[DLIT] (9-12) 36 :

30) Evaluate the tradeoffs involved in choosing methods for the organization of data elements and the location of data storage, including the advantages and disadvantages of networked computing.

Examples: Client server, peer-to-peer, cloud computing.

We’re going to look at how our computers read and interpret computer files. We’ll talk about how some popular file formats like txt, wave, and bitmap are encoded and decoded giving us pretty pictures and lifelike recordings from just strings of 1’s and 0’s, and we’ll discuss how our computers are able to keep all this data organized and readily accessible to users. You’ll notice in this episode that we’re starting to talk more about computer users, not programmers, foreshadowing where the series will be going in a few episodes.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 1 :

R1) Identify, demonstrate, and apply personal safe use of digital devices.

[DLIT] (9-12) 17 :

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

a. Recognize user tracking methods and hazards.

Examples: Cookies, WiFi packet sniffing.

b. Understand how to apply techniques to mitigate effects of user tracking methods.

c. Understand the ramifications of end-user license agreements and terms of service associated with granting rights to personal data and media to other entities.

d. Explain the relationship between online privacy and personal security.

Examples: Convenience and accessibility, data mining, digital marketing, online wallets, theft of personal information.

e. Identify physical, legal, and ethical consequences of inappropriate digital behaviors.

Examples: Cyberbullying/harassment, inappropriate sexual communications.

f. Explain strategies to lessen the impact of negative digital behaviors and assess when to apply them.

[DLIT] (9-12) 18 :

12) Describe how sensitive data can be affected by malware and other attacks.

[DLIT] (9-12) 19 :

13) Compare various security measures of a computer system.

Examples: Usability, security, portability, and scalability.

[DLIT] (9-12) 22 :

16) Identify laws regarding the use of technology and their consequences and implications.

Examples: Unmanned vehicles, net neutrality/common carriers, hacking, intellectual property, piracy, plagiarism.

[DLIT] (9-12) 26 :

20) Evaluate strategies to manage digital identity and reputation with awareness of the permanent impact of actions in a digital world.

[DLIT] (9-12) 35 :

29) Summarize the role of compression and encryption in modifying the structure of digital artifacts and the varieties of information carried in the metadata of these artifacts.

[DLIT] (9-12) 36 :

30) Evaluate the tradeoffs involved in choosing methods for the organization of data elements and the location of data storage, including the advantages and disadvantages of networked computing.

Examples: Client server, peer-to-peer, cloud computing.

Unencrypted communication over the Internet works a lot like sending a postcard: it can be read by anybody along the delivery route. Communication is routed through intermediary computers and systems, which are connected to many more computers and systems. Encryption, or encoding information so it appears scrambled to anyone who doesn’t know the key, is a way to wrap a postcard in an envelope. While it can never be 100% secure, stronger encryption makes it harder for people to get to the contents.

The lesson elements in this module teach students about the privacy principle “Communication over a network, unless strongly encrypted, is never just between two parties”. They are designed to be independent and flexible, so you can incorporate them into any size lesson plan. Student resources are available at https://teachingprivacy.org/someone-could-listen/. 

Summary of Learning Objectives: Students can articulate how the multi-step, multi-party pathways of networked communication affect users’ privacy; students can identify and use more secure communication options.

Target Age: High school, college undergraduate.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Students can describe how intermediary devices, and the services that provide them, are involved in transmitting information from point A to point B on the Internet.
2. Students can explain how the interconnected, many-layered structure of the Internet affects the security and privacy of online communication.
3. Students can identify the difference between a private network and a shared network and can describe some of the potential risks of using a shared network.
4. Students can describe how encryption decreases the chances of outside parties infiltrating private communications and accessing private information.
5. Students can explain why their security depends (in part) on their own decisions and behavior.
6. Students can give some examples of common encryption protocols, identify what layer of an electronic communication each of those protocols protects, and describe how they would verify that those protocols were being used.