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Data and Society 9-12 / Week 01 / Friday
5/6
Week 01 · What Is Data?

Friday

Impact Friday: Uses nobody planned
// From raw facts to information the Commons can act on
⏱ about 20 min

Friday: Impact Friday: Uses Nobody Planned

Councilor Mira stops by the workbench where the crew is planning. "Your survey sounds wonderful," she says.

"Some council members also want to use it to decide which hours to cut. If few people say they come in the morning, mornings might close."

Comet's smile fades. "But we made the survey to choose something to add, not to take hours away."

Wren looks thoughtful. "What do you notice? The same data could help some members and hurt others."

Nova dims her lights. "Would you like a hint?" she asks. "Ask who the data could affect, including people you did not plan for."

Councilor Mira nods slowly. "Data analyst, what should the council keep in mind?"

How computing changes what people do

Computing can improve, harm or keep the same the ways people do things.

The way people do tasks often changes to use new computing innovations.

People create computing innovations. Not every effect is expected, and one effect can help some people and harm others.

Uses nobody planned

Innovations get used in ways their makers never intended.

Data mining has helped medicine and science. It has also been used to discriminate against groups of people.

Responsible programmers think about unintended uses and their effects. Still, no one can foresee every use.

The crew built Commons Count to choose an addition. Using it to cut morning hours would be a use they never planned.

Made-up use of the Commons Count dataWho it might helpWho it might harm
Choose one thing to add nextMembers who want that additionMembers who wanted something else
Cut the morning hoursCouncil members who want a shorter dayMembers who can only come in the morning
Plan more evening workshopsMembers who love workshopsMembers who want quiet bench time
SPOT THE EFFECT
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
The crew made the survey to choose an addition. The council might use it to cut hours. What is that?
Closing mornings helps a shorter day but harms morning members. Which idea does this show?
Can a responsible programmer foresee every use of what they make?
Data mining has helped medicine and science. What else has it been used for?

Week review

Week reviewTrue or false?
Information is the facts and patterns pulled from data.?
A variable is anything you try to measure.?
Direct observation means asking people questions.?
Every effect of a computing innovation is known in advance.?
Computing can improve, harm or keep the same the ways people do things.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThese ideas are the base for every step of Commons Count.
OUR WEEK, IN ORDER
  • ?We met the council's question and told data from information.
  • ?We named the variables inside the Commons question.
  • ?We tallied a shelf by direct observation.
  • ?We read Keeper Ines's notebook for trends and connections.
  • ?We looked at uses of data nobody planned.
WHY THIS EXERCISEEach step builds on the one before, just like a real data project.
Using the survey to cut hours would be a use the crew never planned. Another word for unplanned is ____.
Data mining has helped medicine and ____.

What a first week, data analyst. Tomorrow's Mission Quest brings data home.

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