The Discussion Board (DB) is part of the core of online learning. Classroom discussion in an online environment requires the active participation of students and the instructor to create robust interaction and dialogue. Every student is expected to create an original response to the open-ended DB question as well as engage in dialogue by responding to posts created by others throughout the week. At the end of each unit, DB participation will be assessed based on both level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion.
At a minimum, each student will be expected to post an original and thoughtful response to the DB question and contribute to the weekly dialogue by responding to at least two other posts from students. The first contribution must be posted before midnight (Central Time) on Wednesday of each week. Two additional responses are required after Wednesday of each week. Students are highly encouraged to engage on the Discussion Board early and often, as that is the primary way the university tracks class attendance and participation.
The purpose of the Discussion Board is to allow students to learn through sharing ideas and experiences as they relate to course content and the DB question. Because it is not possible to engage in two-way dialogue after a conversation has ended, no posts to the DB will be accepted after the end of each unit.
Assignment Details
There are many advantages to living in a modern information society. Many Americans enjoy the benefits of online shopping, working from home, and social interaction on Internet-based social media. However, there are numerous computer-based threats to people's privacy.
For this assignment, you will make use of an application developed as part of the University of Southern California's Spatial Sciences Institute graduate program. You will need to access a site that was developed for the educational purpose of demonstrating to the public privacy concerns using a social media tool like Twitter.
Click here to proceed to the Web site.
(GeoSocial Footprint, n.d.a)
You are now in a position to enter the name of a Twitter account in the text field labeled Twitter Username, pointed to by the arrow in the above graphic. For example:
@stevewoz
@ClaytonMorris
@HoffmanRobert
Entering a Twitter account username will display a map showing the location, date, time and tweet. You should see something similar to the following graphic.
(GeoSocial Footprint, n.d.a.)
Clicking on any one of the day/time slots will display the location where the message was posted along with the specific message.
Discuss the following:
• Discuss with the class your thoughts regarding privacy with respect to social media sites.
• How concerned are you about your individual privacy and your online activities?
• How are your personal data protected by companies that collect customer data?
• As an individual, what steps do you take to maintain your individual privacy?
• How would you know if your individual privacy had been violated?