Brief description of the activity/assessment
Students watch/read the documentary “Do Not Track“. They can all go through the whole documentary, and reflect on it as an entire class or small groups. Students can pick one episode with its videos and readings and present it to the rest of the class with additional supportive research.
Instructions prompt – Step by step instructions for the students
1- Work in groups of 2-3 and choose one of the episodes of the Do Not Track documentary. watch and read the material, and look for at least 2 additional recent sources (1-2 years) on the same topic.
2- Prepare a 10 minute interactive presentation to share with your colleagues what you learned and teach them a hands-on skill to “take away” about the topic you focused on.
Ways to assess student work
Formative (graded)
Sample explanation for students about how this activity develops their digital literacies
‘Do Not Track’ is a personalized documentary series about privacy and the web economy. If you share data with us, we will show you what the web knows about you.
This documentary series will explore how information about you is collected and used. Every two weeks, we will release a personalized episode that explores a different aspect of how the modern web is increasingly a space where our movements, our speech and our identities are recorded and tracked.
We want to explore what this means to you, your family and your friends. From our mobile phones to social networks, personalized advertising to big data, each episode will have a different focus, a different voice and a different look.
What do they have in common? While you watch, they will use the methods and tools trackers use to track you. We want you to not only understand but experience what tracking means.
We want to help you understand the exchange of value when you volunteer information online. We want you to know when it’s happening without your permission. We want you to be in control, and we want to pique your curiosity.
During each episode of Do Not Track, you’ll be asked to volunteer some data about yourself. The more data you give, the more personalized your episode will be, and the more we’ll be able to include you in an ongoing conversation.
(from the About page)
Faculty support material
Check FAQ section of the About page.
Average preparation time for faculty
5 minutes to explain the assignment to students.
Average time it takes students to complete this activity
3-5 hours.
Necessary tools/technologies
A PC with internet connection and a browser.