Navigating Online Privacy

Description:

This goal of this project was to create a learning experience for teens who are interning at the Brooklyn Public Library, through Librarians of Tomorrow. The project had to focus on digital literacy in some aspect, be age appropriate and have the potential of being adapted into real use.

The resulting program is a brief introduction to data privacy for teenagers. The teens learn about what social media platforms consider personal data and the open their personal pages to learn about privacy settings, terms of use agreement and how these platforms have labeled them. They discuss the differences between major social media outlets and decide on their personal preferences in relation to different situations.

Project from: Pratt Institute, INFO 673: Literacy and Instruction

Methods

For this project I had to create a needs assessment, a project abstract and portfolio, and then conduct a class presentation and a self-assessment. Through out all of this I had to keep in mind projected outcomes in user based planning, design and evaluation, and demonstrate a knowledge of the needs of the audience and the resources available through the library. I begin by investigating a local Brooklyn Library branch in my neighborhood and conducted a phone interview with, Matt Cole, the Teen Librarian there. After gaining insight into the programs and space available I began to do research on data privacy, and how it relates to teens. This was a topic that I was personally interested in and felt I could confidently locate, assess and use information on. The largest struggle I had with this project was content, many teens use social media and have a general understanding of what their personal data looks like. After doing research into previously conducted lessons on digital privacy, I decided to focus less on things like the technical readings of terms of use and more on the larger implications of personal data. I then created a lesson plan and power point that was submitted and selected to be used for the Librarians of Tomorrow internship program.

My Role

I am the sole creator of this project.

Learning Outcome Achieved

User-Centered Focus

Rationale

This project demonstrates my understanding of the current and relevant issues pertaining to a specific age group in relation to online data privacy. It reflects my knowledge of the topic as well as the community with which it was created for. The presentation and activities in the project take into account the knowledge level and needs of the audience and apply a situated lesson to best fit their perspective and take into account the location of the lesson. Through research on the topic and the demographic, I was able to create a user-centered class that expands upon knowledge the is already in place and fulfill needs of the audience.