CurrentEvents_LRTTW.png


Use this post from The Learning Network to engage students in reading, thinking, talking about a current issue.


Introduce Unfamiliar Vocabulary

    • Display the word, and ask students if they know what it means.
    • Explain its meaning, and give students some examples.
    • Tell students they'll be reading an article that talks about "aggregate data."
AGGREGATE
1. Forming whole......................................................................................................................................
  • collected together from different sources and considered as a whole
ADJECTIVES: collective, total, combined, sum

2. Resembling rock: geology describes a mixture of minerals or rock fragments that resembles rock.



Introduce Topic and HOOK Students


Display the opening scenario in the blog post. Ask students to turn and talk to a partner and then share out with whole class:
  • "Facebook has swelled to an estimated 845 million users, who typically share everything from their last name to their favorite movies — even phone numbers and e-mails. What users may not realize is that advertisers then use this information to customize what ads appear on a user’s page. What sort of impression do you think advertisers and companies might have of you, based on how you use Facebook and search engines like Google?" (Altavena)


Read & Discuss Blog Post or Entire Article

Read aloud the rest of the blog post.

Pose the question at the end of the blog post to students. Give students an opportunity to talk in small groups about their response to the question. Let groups share out, and lead a whole class discussion.
  • "From the Post: Tell us what you think of the use of digital data by advertisers and other companies. When you use Facebook, Google and other sites, do you see ads that are directly targeted to what you are interested in or have recently searched? Do you think it’s ethical or unethical for creditors to, in effect, stereotype users and make decisions based on aggregate data? What rules, if any, do you think should govern how companies collect and use personal and aggregate data?" (Altavena)


Ask Individuals to Respond

Click the link below to display online poll. Students use their cell phones to text a reply. Be sure to click the correct link as only 40 responses are allowed from each poll.
  • Display the poll by clicking on the appropriate advisory listed in table below.
  • Students text their answers to the number displayed:
    • The second # goes in the TO field.
    • The first # has to be part of the message.
    • Their response is limited to 160 characters, but each student can respond as many times as he/she likes.
  • Students' responses display automatically as they submit them.

Baker/Goodwin
Ballard/Qualls
Gillmore/Butler
Harmon/Smith
Moran/Jeffery
S.Pickett/Rowell
A. Pickett/Keller
L.Barnett/Sturdivant
Walter/Hogan
Armstrong/Barnett
McCord/Board
James
Sharp/Crossett
Sparks/Howard
Summers/Wells
Stave/Labert
Harber
Hubbell/Childress
Morrow
Miller
Jones/Brokaw
Roepcke/King
Earnheart/Staggs
Butler/Treadway



Altavena, Lily. "What Story Does Your Personal Data Tell?" The Learning Network Blog. NYTimes.com, 7 Feb. 2012. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. <http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/what-story-does-your-personal-data-tell/>.