ISSUES
: The Internet of Things
Assignments
42
Assignments
Brainstorming
Ö
Ö
In small groups, discuss what you know about the
Internet of Things.
•
What does the term ‘Internet of Things’ refer to?
•
What kind of things are included in this
definition?
Research
Ö
Ö
Talk to a relative who is in their 50s, or older. Find out
how technology has changed since they were your
age. Ask about their first experiences of using the
Internet. Make some notes and create an engaging
presentation to share with your class.
Ö
Ö
Conduct a survey among your year group to find
out what people consider to be the most important
technological innovation of the last ten years. Is
it smartphones? E-readers? Netflix? Create a bar
chart to display your findings.
Ö
Ö
Research the harmful effects of blue light and write
a bullet point list of your findings.
Ö
Ö
Conduct a survey amongst your friends and family
to find out how many people of different age groups
have experienced being trolled online.
Ö
Ö
Read the article
How Facebook and Twitter changed
missing child searches
on page 32 and do some
research to find out about other ways social media
has positively impacted upon society.
Design
Ö
Ö
Create a ‘how-to’ guide for an older person who has
just bought a smartphone. Introduce them to some
apps you think they might find useful, and explain
how they work.
Ö
Ö
Choose one of the articles from this book and
create an illustration that highlights the key themes
of the piece.
Ö
Ö
Design a guide for parents that explains the dangers
of in-app purchasing, and how to avoid receiving
unwanted costly bills.
Ö
Ö
Create a campaign to raise awareness of the effects
of being trolled and abused online. Your campaign
could take the form of posters, YouTube videos,
website banners or Facebook adverts. Write 500
words about how your campaign will work and
include illustrations to demonstrate your concept.
Oral
Ö
Ö
“Children today would be better off without the
Internet.” Divide your class in half and debate this
statement, with half arguing in favour and half
arguing against.
Ö
Ö
In pairs, discuss what you think the age of consent
for social media platforms like Facebook and
Twitter should be. Feedback to your class.
Ö
Ö
What impact has the Internet had on people’s
privacy? Discuss in pairs.
Ö
Ö
Do you believe it is OK for parents to spy on their
children’s online search history? Discuss this
question in pairs and create a list of reasons why it
is OK and why it is not OK. Share with your class.
Ö
Ö
Create a PowerPoint presentation that will persuade
your headteacher of the benefits of allowing pupils
to bring their own devices to school.
Ö
Ö
In small groups, think about some of the difficulties
older people might experience in a more
technology-based future. List some things they
might struggle with. For example, online banking
or apps that allow you to pay your car parking fee.
Reading/writing
Ö
Ö
Imagine that you live in a village where you cannot
access super fast broadband. Write a letter to
your local MP explaining why it is important for the
residents of your village to have their broadband
upgraded.
Ö
Ö
Try locking your smartphone in a drawer for at
least three hours one evening this week. Make
some notes about how you feel during this time.
Are you anxious? Is it difficult to leave the phone
there and resist checking it? What are you thinking
about? Write a summary of your experience and
share with your class.
Ö
Ö
Write an article for your school newspaper
exploring the impact of technology on young
people’s quality of sleep.
Ö
Ö
Imagine you are an Agony Aunt/Uncle and that
someone has written to you with fears that their son/
daughter is addicted to using their smartphone.
Write a helpful reply.
Ö
Ö
Choose a film or television series that explores
issues of artificial intelligence and write a review
of its key themes.
Ö
Ö
Read
China has made obedience to the State a
game
on page 31 and write a short-story exploring
what it might be like to live in a futuristic British
society where a toll like Sesame Credit exists.
