LAKE STEVENS MIDDLE SCHOOL
ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY
September 30-October 15,2007
Cyber Safety Fair – Viruses, Pop-ups and Spam – Oh My
Title: Viruses, Pop Ups and Spam, Oh My
Grade Focus: 6-8
Subject: English Language Arts
Integration Activity: Imaging or PowerPoint
Recommended Time to Completion: 3-5 weeks (2 classes per week)
INTRODUCTION
In this lesson, students are required to research the topic and produce a three –fold poster or a PowerPoint Slide Show for a Cyber Safety Fair. The fair will be like a trade show. Each group will have a table at the show and will display their information on either the poster or where there is sufficient equipment and power, using PowerPoint. Students should also prepare a single page handout with a summary of their information. This lesson can also be used independently of the Cyber Safety Fair concept. The lessons within the Cyber Safety Fair group can be used to assemble a very informative and interesting session for students, parents and/or the community.
PREREQUISITE EXPERIENCE: This lesson assumes the student has a basic knowledge and skills associated with research using the Internet.
TEACHER PREP TIME: minimal (about 1 hour)
If you have not worked with image editing software or PowerPoint, you will want to become more comfortable with these technologies. Review the Imaging and PowerPoint training videos available from www.NortelLearniT.org. Students can refer to these same videos when working through their project as needed. Teachers should also review the web sites in the Explore Section to become familiar with the topic area. This is a very broad area with lots of sub-topics. Consider how you might split them up.
PROJECT: Students will submit their individual posters or group PowerPoint presentations and participate in the Cyber Safety Fair.
ASSESSMENT / GRADING: An evaluation rubric has been provided.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP: Students should work in groups.
Viruses, Pop-ups and Spam – Oh My. Just like Dorothy and her companions in the Wizard of Oz, we are venturing out daily on our own yellow brick roads with dangers at every corner. No, not Lions and Tigers and Bears but threats that can ruin our computers, make us victims of fraud, cause us to lose our identities, and make us the target of predators and scam artists.
You are the new “Wizards” in this Oz of computer technologies and Internet. You probably have more computer experience than most people twice and three times your age. But do you practice Cyber Safety and do you keep up to new developments when it comes to Viruses, Pop-ups, Spam, Hoaxes, etc.? Do you know what Phishing , Cookies and image-based spam are? Do you know how to protect yourself and your family against these types of threats? Here is how you can help.
Your class will be presenting a Cyber Safety Fair. You assignment is to find out all you can about Viruses, Pop-ups and Spam (and other intruders) and prepare either a three-fold poster or a Power Point presentation or both. You will be provided with a table to display your poster or PowerPoint (where equipment and power are available). You will also prepare a one-page summary of your research in brochure or pamphlet form.
This is a very broad topic area and you may be asked to work in groups and provide a general overview and a focused investigation of one of the subtopics.
As you work your way through the web sites in the explore section, you should be collecting specific information about the following:
Viruses
Pop-ups
Spam
Hoaxes
Scams/Fraud
Identity theft
Cookies
For each of the topic areas above, you should find out what it is, what types or variations there are, how does it affect and infect your computer and how can you protect yourself against it. You will no doubt find other areas and are welcome to propose your own investigation of a topic to your teacher.
Try to find as much information as you can about these cyber intrusions. The following are suggestions but you should add to our classroom resource of materials. Review the Explain section to provide additional focus to your work. Your goal is inform others about this very important topic. You must record your findings using a word processor, making note of sites you would like to return to, great tips or charts, images, videos etc.
Includes good information about spam, popups, online
purchasing
http://www.atg.wa.gov/safetynet/consumers.shtml>
Excellentsource for ways to protect your self, firewalls, viruses etc.
http://www.aarp.org/states/wa/wa-news/stay_safer_on_the_internet.html
Somegreat information for kids and parents – categorized by
age
http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/default.aspx
Viruses
http://www.wiredsafety.org/internet101/viruses.html
r>Goodinformation – 8 excellent tips for Cyber security
http://www.staysafeonline.info/
Good overview and information all of our
topics
http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1168r>
Beforewe plan out your poster or PowerPoint, lets think about the one page summary and what you have learned during your research. You may want to provide a general overview of the topic or some general information about the topic followed by specific details about one of the topic areas.
Briefly describe each of the following and tell how each one affects a computer and its user:
Virus
Worm
Trojan
Popup
Spam
Hoaxes
Cookies
Phishing/scams/fraud
Identity Theft
Spam – email and Imaged_based
What are some of the best ways to avoid problems that involve intrusions when using peer-to-peer download sites, messaging programs, surfing and regular email.
Choose one of the topics above and complete a more detailed report. Remember that your poster or PowerPoint display should include some general topic information and a more detailed report dealing with one of the specific sub-topics. For each topic it is important to answer these types of questions:
What is it?
How does it work or do what it does?
Where did it come from (i.e. a little history if you can find it)?
Are there any statistics that show how often it affects computers?
What kind of damage can it cause (i.e. people, computers, relationships)?
How can you protect against it?
What can you do if you have already been victimized?
What advice do you have for parents when monitoring their kids computer use to avoid problems?
What sites should kids and/or parents consider visiting for more information? (make a list of your top 5 or 10)
POSTERS
Poster: If you have chosen a poster for your display, remember that good displays have eye-catching materials that draw people closer. You should focus on making a few very important points with great graphics and images. Do not use up all of your poster space with long passages of text in very small fonts. Your brochure or pamphlet can provide all of those details. A typical three-fold poster has plenty of room to display information.
BROCHURES
Each brochure should contain an overview of the topic and the specifics of one of the sub-topics. You should also include some web sites they can go to for more information.
Remember to proof read your work and submit it to the teacher for assessment and copying.
Present your work at the Cyber Safety Fair or in class. Be prepared as a team to answer questions.
PowerPoint: Review the materials found at www.NortelLearnit.org dealing specifically with PowerPoint presentations.
Create a slide outline for your presentation. Remember that people will be walking by and your presentation must encourage them to come closer. Sound, colors and graphics are all good for that purpose. Carefully plan out each slide. Do not put lots of small text on your slides. People will be watching it in groups standing around so the materials must “jump out” at them.
Present your work at the Cyber Safety Fair or in class. Be prepared as a team to answer questions.
Evaluation Rubric
Criteria
Unsatisfactory Needs Improvement Satisfactory
Exemplary
Research
Limited research, from limited sources
Somewhat well researched from somewhat varied sources. Well researched, from various sources Thorough research from varied sources presenting different points of view
Storyboard / planning
Limited planning evident
Some planning evident
Planning evident
Thorough planning evident
Content/Poster
Brochure Lacks detail Some detail Good detail Excellent detail
Technology Use to Demonstrate Understanding Technology use with little purpose Technology use with some purpose Technology use with purpose
Intuitive technology use with specific purpose
Overall Final Project Inconsistent and inappropriate aesthetics and technical functionality
Somewhat consistent and appropriate aesthetics and technical functionality Consistent and appropriate aesthetics and technical functionality Consistent, creative and appropriate aesthetics and technical functionality
Self-evaluation: Describe one thing you learned about Viruses and other Internet problems? Did you feel you learned something that you did not know previously? How did you feel about your contribution to the Cyber Safety Fair? What would you do differently next time? What were some of the comments at your booth?
Group evaluation: Evaluate the contribution of your team members to this project. You might want to agree on questions that could be evaluated on a scale of 5. You should look at the tasks assigned to each person and how well they completed them. You should look at how each of you cooperated and how the individuals in the group contributed at the actual Cyber Safety Fair.
Share, share share! You are the computer experts. You should share this information with friends and family members. Make sure that they won’t be caught with some nasty virus or get taken in by others.
Perhaps you could suggest moving your Cyber Safety Fair to the public library or a local mall for a day. Now that you have all of the materials it would be a shame to use them only once.
It would be very helpful to take your Cyber Safety Fair into a retirement home. Many of the residents are active computer users and coincidentally also happen to be frequent victims of scams and hoaxes.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, continue to visit the sites you have researched and keep your knowledge of this topic up to date. You are in the process of becoming a lifelong learner. This type of knowledge changes rapidly and it is important that you keep up.
