Week 11 – Internet of Things
Internet of Things
In the ninth grade, I was working on a project based on the Titanic. My mom dropped me off at the library, and I spent a few hours conducting research, taking notes from various books and encyclopedias and scanning photos. While I had encyclopedias at home, they were old and outdated – I had to go to the library to get the most current and accurate information.
Fast-forward to today – if I was doing the same project, I wouldn’t even have to leave my house. I could search the internet and find all the information I need. I can watch videos, read about the latest discoveries and download pictures… all without using one piece of paper. In fact, I could even share my research project with friends and family across the globe in seconds.
This is all reality thanks to the Internet.
Just the other day, I asked a work colleague where he’d like me to look for furniture for a new science room that is being built. His response didn’t include a single word – he gestured with his fingers a typing action, for me to search the internet, to Google it. This is powerful – if we need to learn something, we go find it directly on the internet. If you injure your shoulder playing baseball, you can go directly to WebMD and see if you can self-diagnose the issue. When I ask my students to find the various eco-regions in Texas, they just ask Siri.
I’m old enough to have witnessed the evolution of the internet, but many of you participating in bESTology and following the lessons were born into it.
Let’s go surfing and find out all about the internet of things.
Resources
The Worst Thing to Happen to Humanity
Research/Reflect/Brainstorm
Let’s begin by researching the history of the internet.
- When did the internet begin?
- Who invented it?
- What is the purpose of the internet?
What is your opinion on the internet? What are its pros and cons? How has it changed our society, our world?
Activity
Try find the answers to these questions. This involves search the internet to test your skills and see if you are internet savvy.
- How many people use the internet?
- What country has treatment camps for internet addicts?
- How many websites are hacked each day?
- When was the first webcam created?
- How many emails are sent over the internet per minute?
- How many electrons are required to produce a single email?
- When was the first tweet?
- When was the first YouTube video uploaded?
- How many people have never used the internet?
- Who originated the word ‘Surfing the Internet’?
- How many emails are sent in a day?
- How old is the internet?
- What is the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web?
- How many gadgets are going to be connected to the internet by 2020?
- How much money does online dating generate?
- What country has the best internet service?
- What country has the worst?
- What is the difference between the ‘Surface Web’, and the ‘Deep Web’?
- How much YouTube video content is uploaded every minute?
- How much does the entire Internet weigh?
BEST Connection
Imagine you are new to the United States from another country, and you’re interested in robotics and participating in robotics competitions. Conduct a search an internet search and see how many different robotics competition you can find.
Now, pick a country in which you’d like to live for a few years. Do some research on what robotics competitions are available to you.
Community Connection
Search for your community on the internet. Find some interesting news that has happened recently in your community.
If someone new to the area was moving into your community, what online resources would be available to them?
How does your community share news with local citizens? What about with local business and industry?
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy: create, explore, evaluate, generate, include, identify, list, observe, reflect, review,
Workforce Skills
Critical thinking, materials evaluation, reading comprehension, science, writing, research
My Personal Journal