Learning Objectives
Students will be able to understand the impacts of data tracking on the individual.
- Students will use their critical thinking skills to understand how they are personally being impacted by the data tracking that occurs in their daily lives. They will also reflect on how these concepts benefit or impede their growth.
Recall from class
In this workshop, we went over a number of resources about the Collusion Tracker, Algorithms of Oppression, and Google.
The Collusion Tracker is an online browser extension that can be installed to become more informed of the trackers that are tracking a user’s data. This extension provides a succinct visualization of the trackers you experience daily.
Gary Kovacs: Tracking the Trackers
This video goes hand in hand with the Collusion Tracker as the Ted Talk speaker expresses the significance of the Collusion Tracker extension. Gary Kovacs, the previous CEO of Mozilla, expresses his concern over his young daughter’s Internet habits.
Algorithms of Oppression: Safiya Umoja Noble
This video is an introduction to Safiya Umoja Noble’s book Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. This serves as a case study to dive into the algorithms of Google searches and how they are problematic.
Homework:
After the debate that occurred in class, write up a response of what you thought was the most interesting point brought up from either stance. Then answer the following questions:
- In your opinion, which stance do you agree with? What is the most convincing point in your argument that makes you take this side?
- Have there been any instances where Google search results have given you a questionable result back? If yes, elaborate on the situation(s). If no, think of a situation that might occur and elaborate on why it would be problematic.
- Will you continue to use Google the same way after learning more about it?
