Video/Note-taking Activity - Tracking the Trackers

Gary Kovacs: Tracking the Trackers

Ted Talks - 2012

Note-taking
Taking notes is an essential academic skill that you will develop throughout your time in school. At first it can be very difficult. With practice, however, it will become "second nature." That is, it will be something you can do easily and without thinking.

Access the talk here or simply search the title. Use English subtitles.

1. Listen to the talk and take notes. Try to outline the speech, including main ideas and important details. Do your best. You will not have time to write everything down - no one can do that!

2. Review your notes for 5-10 minutes. This is the most important step in this exercise. Use your memory of the talk and, with your pen or pencil:

• Add the important details or information you did not have time to write 
• Explain main ideas, write down detailed definitions as you remember them
• Edit your notes, change them
• Clarify your notes. 
• Identify questions or "gaps" in your knowledge of the information. 

Perhaps you did not have time to write something down. Or maybe you did not understand something on your first listen. Use this time to check your understanding and identify questions you may have about the speech.

3. Listen again. Check against your notes. "Fill in" the holes of your understanding.

4. Write down a few questions. These questions can be about anything. Does anything need to be clarified? Has the speaker left out something important? Are you curious about something the speaker said and want to know more? Imagine you are in the room and you are going to ask the speaker a question. What would you ask?

• Some example questions from our in-class discussion: What exactly is "collusion"? How exactly do businesses make money by tracking us? What does the speaker mean by "the internet is forever"? Is it ethical to track people on the internet without their consent? Young children? The speaker says we should take action. What action should we take?

5. Optional writings

• Choose one or more of your questions and answer them in an essay.
• The speaker discusses some of the pros and cons of internet tracking. In a short essay, develop an argument or opinion on the subject. Support your argument with information from the video.

6. Further reading. A quick google search yielded a few extra links which I'll include below. If you have enough time, access a variety of sources (articles, videos, lectures, etc). This way you learn about different perspectives on the issue and your knowledge is more complete.

• http://www.wordstream.com/articles/google-privacy-internet-privacy
• http://online.wsj.com/public/page/what-they-know-digital-privacy.html
• http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078835/t/online-privacy-fears-are-real/