Teaching Impacts of Technology: Global Society from Coursera

In this course you’ll focus on how technology-enabled communication is changing geopolitics and, more broadly, how technology is connecting our world and changing lives. This will be done through a series of paired teaching sections, exploring a specific “Impact of Computing” in your typical day and the “Technologies and Computing Concepts” that enable that impact, all at a K12-appropriate level.

This course is part of a larger Specialization through which you’ll learn impacts of computing concepts you need to know, organized into 5 distinct digital “worlds”, as well as learn pedagogical techniques and evaluate lesson plans and resources to utilize in your classroom. By the end, you’ll be prepared to teach pre-college learners to be both savvy and effective participants in their digital world.

In this particular digital world (global society), you’ll explore the following Impacts & Technology pairs --

Impacts (Freedom of Speech): Internet in third world countries, censorship, and social media

Technology and Computing Concepts: VPN, how Internet censorship works, metadata, tor

Impacts (Life Made Easy): Internet changing the way we live, travel, autonomous vehicles

Technology and Computing Concepts: Internet of things, how self-driving cars work

Impacts (Keeping Your Information Secure): two-factor authentication, PINs, Patterns, fingerprints, apple ID

Technology and Computing Concepts: DDoS attacks and Botnets, man-in-the-middle attacks, dangers of public Wifi, phishing, ransomware, bitcoin

In the pedagogy section for this course, in which best practices for teaching computing concepts are explored, you’ll learn about the principles of the computer science advanced placement exam, how it assesses students, and how to prepare your students for this critical exam.

In terms of CSTA K-12 computer science standards, we’ll primarily cover learning objectives within the “impacts of computing” concept, while also including some within the “networks and the Internet” concepts and the “data and analysis” concept. Practices we cover include “fostering and inclusive computing culture”, “recognizing and defining computational problems”, and “communicating about computing”.

What's inside

Syllabus

Course Orientation

Welcome! Are you interested in teaching about the impacts of the technology you use everyday? To learn more about the computation and computing concepts that underlie those technologies? We'll be using a problem-based approach to explore interesting ways to teach concepts of networks and the internet, data and analysis, and even algorithms and data representation. Finally, we'll evaluate, critique and improve a TedED activity around the ethical choices facing designers of self-driving cars.

Freedom of Speech

Have you ever thoughts of technology as a support or amplification of free speech? No need to get a news program or journalist to "get your story out there" when you can tweet! But not everyone on the planet has equal access to the internet or apps that enable people to share their viewpoints. We'll look at a range of technologies related (in some way!) to this including: VPN, cell phone batteries, and internet connectivity at the global scale.

Life Made Easy

How has technology made your life easier? One thing I love is that travel, including traveling outside of my home country has gotten a LOT easier -- just because I can use my smartphone to find information and directions when I am abroad! But there's other ways global, ubiquitous access to the internet and cheap computational devices is changing our lives. Super hot things right now are "the Internet of Things" -- and specifically self-driving cars. Let's learn more about them!

Keeping your Information Secure

As our individual data generation and collection grows, so does the collective amount of data stored in the world. Controlling access and maintaining the privacy of our data -- especially as we use our myriad of devices in places far outside our own homes over wireless connections -- is critical. We'll also toss in here the concept of having a secure form of money -- bitcoin!

Impacts of Computing & Pedagogy

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores the impact of computing on global society, making it highly relevant to learners interested in a social sciences or humanities degree

Taught by instructors Beth Simon, who has a strong track record on teaching computing concepts in the K12 context

Focuses on teaching skills and knowledge related to impacts of computing and computer science aligned with the CSTA K-12 computer science standards, making it relevant in an academic context

Incorporates multi-modal learning materials, such as videos and readings, making it suitable for various learning styles

Explicitly states its relevance to the Computer Science Advanced Placement exam, making it useful for learners preparing for this critical exam

Reviews summary

Needs improvement: basic content

According to students, this course may be too introductory for their tastes, even if it is designed for children. Basic videos and elementary content are some ways learners describe the lectures and materials, and while they may be great for young audience, they may not be difficult enough for students looking for a challenge.

Basic and elementary

"Too elementary, too general videos even if for kids"

Career center

Learners who complete Teaching Impacts of Technology: Global Society will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Security Analyst

Security Analysts identify vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks, and develop and implement security measures to protect against attacks. A course on information security would be useful preparation for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Analyst

Network Security Engineer

Network Security Engineers are tasked with protecting an organization’s computer networks and systems from unauthorized access or attacks. A course that explores technologies that keep information secure would be useful preparation for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Network Security Engineer

Data Scientist

Data Scientists are tasked with extracting insights from vast amounts of data by applying machine learning techniques, statistics, and other computational methods. A course on data analysis would be useful preparation for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Information Security Analyst

An Information Security Analyst must understand and implement security measures to protect an organization's computer networks and systems, including how to protect information transmitted across the internet.

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Ethical Hacker

Ethical Hackers are white-hat hackers who are hired to test and breach corporate security systems to identify vulnerabilities so that those vulnerabilities can be fixed before a malicious hacker breaches the system.

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Database Administrator

Database Administrators are tasked with installing, configuring, and maintaining databases. Courses on data analysis, data management, and database design may be useful preparation for this role.

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Computer Systems Analyst

Computer Systems Analysts study an organization's current computer systems and procedures, and design and implement improvements to those systems. Courses that introduce computer science concepts, such as data structures, algorithms, and software design, can be useful preparation.

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Information Technology Consultant

Information Technology Consultants help organizations improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their IT systems. Courses that introduce computer science concepts, such as data structures, algorithms, and software design, may be useful preparation.

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Computer Network Architect

Computer Network Architects design, implement, and maintain computer networks. A course that introduces networking concepts can be useful preparation for this role.

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Web Developer

Web Developers design and develop websites and web applications. Courses that introduce computer science concepts, such as data structures, algorithms, and software design can be useful preparation for this role.

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Cryptography Engineer

Cryptography Engineers design and develop cryptographic algorithms and protocols to protect information from unauthorized access. A course on cryptography may be useful preparation for this role.

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Privacy Engineer

Privacy Engineers design and implement systems and processes to protect user privacy. A course on data privacy may be useful preparation for this role.

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Software Developer

Software Developers design, develop, test, deploy, maintain, and modify software applications. Courses that include the study of computer science concepts, such as data structures, algorithms, and software design, are useful preparation for this role.

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Cloud Architect

Cloud Architects design, build, and maintain cloud computing systems. This role requires knowledge of computer networking, operating systems, and virtualization technologies.

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Intelligence Analyst

An Intelligence Analyst is primarily responsible for collecting, analyzing, and evaluating information relating to security in support of military operations or law enforcement activities. Courses that explore the implications of global communication technologies, and how to maintain information security, are useful preparation for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Intelligence Analyst