Big Idea 5.1 Beneficial and Harmful Effects

Blog reviews

  1. Powerful laptops
Overview Benefits Harms
Powerful laptops or pcs may seem like a good thing at the very beginning, however, it does present many issues. Firstly, it presents the issue of a large power draw, harming and drastically increasing electricity costs. Secondly, it allows for much faster cracking of passwords, stealing of data, and many more issues. Allows for faster rendering, more processing power, solving of problems that otherwise couldn’t be solved Large power draw, efficient password cracking, exploiting of servers and services
  1. Ad Blockers
Overview Benefits Harms
Add blockers are used to block unwanted ads from websites. However useful this may be, there are a few obvious flaws. Some include that small companies will lose money from this, as their source of income (ads) are completely blocked. Allows for more focus on work and projects etc, as there are no ads distracting you. Loss of a significant portion of income for companies.
  1. Tik Tok - Dopamine issue
Overview Benefits Harms
Tik Tok is hard wired to deliver as much Dopamine as possible, in the shortest amount of time possible. This results in loss of attention for the user when doing everyday tasks. As the app conditions their brain on an constant overload and influx in information and entertainment, when doing a task that does not have this same information overload, the user will experience severe boredom and a lack of stimulation. Provides entertainment for the user, relieves stress, etc. Results in a loss of attention when doing mundane tasks

Big Idea 5.2 Digital Divide

How does someone empower themselves in a digital world?

The best way to empower yourself in a digital world is steer clear from things that may harm self confidence, or may put you in danger. For example, try not to spend too much time on the toxic environment of social media. Another thing is to try and stay away from talking about specifics online, such as your age, name, gender, and many more.

How does someone that is empowered help someone that is not empowered? Describe something you could do at Del Norte HS.

Someone that is empowered can help someone that is not empowered by helping them to learn about the dangers of internet, how to secure themselves from outside threats. You can also guide them about basic internet etiquette that way they don’t become the bullier, as well as the victim. At del norte, there are already many clubs relating to this topic, such as cybersecurity clubs, CyberAegis, and many more.

Is paper or red tape blocking digital empowerment? Are there such barriers at Del Norte? Elsewhere?

Yes, the idea that the only way to prevent the negative effects of internet is to stay off of it as well as the idea that social media is always bad are some types of red tapes blocking digital empowerment. These barriers are shown at Del Norte, as shown with the extremely restrictive access to parts of the windows pcs at school, where in reality it would be a good idea to allow students to be exposed to these security options. Elsewhere, many parents are under the impression that all social media is bad, however, if you learn to use social media properly, it isn’t always bad.

Project Approval

Think of 3 beneficial effects of your projects

  1. Ease of access for connecting with other classmates
  2. A great way for students to evaluate their own position in a school
  3. Allows for educated choosing of classes for your next trimester or year.

Think of a potential harmful effect of your project

  1. A possible harmful effect of my project is the insecurity you might feel if your position in the school isn’t very good.

What are pros/cons on internet blockers at router and lack of admin password on lab machines at school?

Pros Cons
Prevents inexperienced students from messing with sensitive settings The people who don’t know about advanced settings will never know, while the people who do feel restricted
Prevents students from visiting inappropriate sites or getting distracted by games Many websites that may be useful are also blocked, such as independent blogs that may have valuable information
Creates a overall more focused environment Creates a confined environment

What concerns do you have personally about the digital divide? For yourself or for others.

Some concerns I have for the digital divide is the restriction of opportunities for people without good laptops. I personally have a decently powerful laptop at home, however, for others this may not be true. Some people may not have a powerful enough laptop to, for example, run video editing programs. This prevents them from attending digital media classes, completely restricting them from going down a path that may have been very appealing to them. Another example is practicing red teaming or ethical hacking. As it is the best practice to run all pen testing software and exploits on a virtual machine, some laptops may not support this virtualization or may not have the power to run a machine with enough power to support a heavy virtual machine running on top of the host os.