Ms. Medlin

Bronx High School of Science

Film as Literature

Fall 2004

Webquest #1

Follow up Assignment to “Minority Report”

“George Orwell’s prophecy really comes true, not in the twentieth century but in the twenty-first century. Big Brother is watching us now, and what little privacy we have will completely evaporate in twenty or thirty years because technology will be able to see through walls, through rooftops, into the very privacy of our personal lives, into the sanctuary of our families.”

Steven Spielberg

There are multiple steps to this assignment. The culminating assignment is a 2-4 page paper that discusses whether the privacy of the individual is being chiseled away as society becomes more technologically advanced. The stand you take on this issue will be influenced by your research on current social policies regarding privacy and current technology. You will look at the intended use of a specific technological item and the potential or actual infringement on privacy and other civil liberties in addition to any cases or issues that have risen in regards to the technological advancements made in the 21^st century and invasions of individual/public privacy.

1. Research the issue of whether technology in the 21^st century is less of a testament to the intelligence of our society, but more of an example of how our individual privacy decreases as government access into our lives increases. You can use the websites and links listed in the Resources section below as starting points for your research. As you conduct your research, begin to think of questions that you can ask in regards to the relationship between sophisticated technology and possible infringements in the privacy of the individual.

2. You will synthesize your research using the 6-step PPA

Worksheets and the websites provided in the Resources section:

1. Define the Problem

2. Gather evidence

3. Identify causes

4. Evaluate a Policy

5. Develop Solutions

6. Select the best solution

***The information gathered using each worksheet will be compiled by you and included in your abstract. I will not collect the worksheets, but I will expect to see the necessary information in your abstract.

3. Using the information you have gathered and the questions/concerns that you want to address in your paper, write a one page abstract that outlines the issues you want to address in your longer paper.

4. Once you receive your abstract with comments from me, you can begin working on your longer paper. The due date for this paper will be announced in class.

Your paper is to be typewritten using size 12 font (any font as long as it is legible, double-spaced, given a title and cover page, along with a report cover.

THE SIX WORKSHEETS YOU NEED TO COMPLETE DURING THE PRELIMINARY STAGES OF YOUR RESEARCH CAN BE ACCESSED BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW. IN ADDITION TO THE WORKSHEETS, THERE ARE LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES THAT YOU MAY FIND USEFUL IN COMPILING THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT.

1. TIPS (PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST)—LINKS TO WORKSHEETS:

• Define the problem
• Gather evidence
• Identify causes
• Evaluate a policy
• Develop solutions
• Select best solution
• Student Resources (this link takes you to other links that you may find helpful)

2. GENERAL SEARCH ENGINES:

www.google.com www.altavista.com www.yahoo.com

3. The following sites provide information on issues such as National I.D. cards, cameras in schools, the purpose of barcodes, purpose of social security cards, etc.

http://people.howstuffworks.com/social-security-number.htm

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/upc1.htm

http://www.privacy.org/pi/activities/idcard/idcard_faq.html

http://www.ipc.on.ca/scripts/index_.asp?action=31&P_ID=14821&N_ID=1&PT_ID=11351&U_ID=0

http://www.cato.org/tech/tk/010928-tk.html

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,191857,00.html

4. You should also read the United States Patriot Act, which you can find by typing in U.S. Patriot Act in the search bar of any search engine.

The following rubric will be used to evaluate and assess your final papers. Please study it closely to determine the quality of work I expect from you on this assignment.

Research Report: Security at What Cost?
Teacher Name: Ms. Medlin
Student Name:     ________________________________________
CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
First Draft	Detailed draft is neatly presented and includes all required information.	Draft includes all required information and is legible.	Draft includes most required information and is legible.	Draft is missing required information and is difficult to read.
Organization	Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings.	Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs.	Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed.	The information appears to be disorganized. 8)
Paragraph Construction	All paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence.	Most paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence.	Paragraphs included related information but were typically not constructed well.	Paragraphing structure was not clear and sentences were not typically related within the paragraphs.
Quality of Information	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.	Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
Mechanics	No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.	Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors	A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors.	Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
Thesis Statement	Students argument is clearly expressed in a well-written thesis statement that encompasses ideas student will address in the report.	Thesis statement is clear and reader can understand what student's argument is, but thesis statement can be stronger.	Reader must determine for themselves what student's argument is from the information included in the first paragraph.	No thesis statement present.
Date Created: Oct 25, 2004 02:59 am (CDT)

New York State Standards that this Web quest meets are listed below:

English Language Arts

Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding - As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2 - Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary expression - Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3 - Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation - As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4 - Language for Social Interaction

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction - Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

Math, Science, Technology

Standard 5 - Technology

Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.

Standard 7 - Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

Conclusion

This web quest will challenge your ability to conduct research and formulate questions. The goal of this project is to encourage you to look at any issue, idea/topic from multiple perspectives in order to come up with a solid opinion that is grounded in fact. This opinion, supported by your research can help you make well-informed decisions which all come together in formulating effective policy.