Lesson: Top Secret (7-8)

Introduce

EXPLAIN to students that they are going to go through an online story that covers key ideas about privacy and personal information. Tell them they will follow the story of Chris and Mariah, as well as some of their siblings, parents, and teachers. They will be asked to  decide what the characters should do next at various points in the story, or to judge actions the characters have taken. They will have three options for each question, and they will be given feedback on their responses. In some cases there will be no right or wrong answers.

Teach 1: Play Top Secret

REVIEW the Key Vocabulary with students.

GUIDE students to access Top Secret. The questions and responses are listed on the Story Transcript Student Handout, which you can refer to while students are going through the tutorial. You may also send the Handout home with students to review after they are finished.

Teach 2: Debrief on Top Secret

ASK: Have students name some of the consequences of personal information getting out of one’s control that they know about, either from Top Secret or elsewhere. Sample responses:

• Identity theft
• Unwanted contact because of too much public information
• Hurting someone’s feelings
• Embarrassment
• Hurting your reputation
• Ruining relationships

REMIND students that they have learned a lot about how public the Internet is, about the benefits of the culture of sharing, and the risks of over-sharing.

Wrap Up & Assess

You can use these questions to assess your students’ understanding of the lesson objectives.

ASK: How important is it to manage your privacy on the Internet? Why?
Sample answers: Very important because it can impact safety, reputation, and relationships.

ASK: What information is safe to make public online?

Sample answers: It depends on the content, context, and audience. One should be very careful about sharing personally identifiable information, such as address and Social Security number, and personally embarrassing information, such as embarrassing photos or secrets you don’t want to make public.

ASK: When someone shares his or her personal information with you, what responsibilities do you have?

Sample answers: One should feel very responsible to others both offline and online. Students should know that the risks of spreading private information about others online are  oftentimes greater than offline because of the nature of public information.

REVIEW three major takeaway points with students:

• The Internet is a very public place, and you should therefore tend to your digital footprints as much as you can
• There are many benefits to the culture of sharing, but there are risks as well
• It is important to respect the privacy of others when you are online

Extension

EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Students write down secrets (general statements, no details) without identifying themselves. They then place the secrets in a hat and the teacher randomly draws them. For each piece of information, students must explain: (1) how someone would feel if that  information became public on the Internet, and (2) what the consequences might be for that person.