| Date | November 2020 | Marks available | 6 | Reference code | 20N.1.SL.TZ0.2 |
| Level | SL | Paper | 1 | Time zone | no time zone |
| Command term | Explain | Question number | 2 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
BYOD at Xingu Academy
Some students at Xingu Academy have been allowed to “bring your own device (BYOD)” into school so they can use assistive technologies, such as speech-to-text, to support their learning (see Figure 3). Mayu Jimenez, the Head of Learning and Teaching, has seen the benefits for these students. A number of other teachers believe there will be benefits if the school becomes a BYOD school. However, before a decision can be made, Alejandro Gandolla, the Head of IT, has been asked to investigate whether the school would be able to cope with the demands of the increased number of devices.
Figure 3: Assistive technologies
Identify two pieces of information that would be used to identify a device on the IT network.
Identify the steps used by speech-to-text software.
Digital citizenship is included in Xingu Academy’s IT acceptable use policy.
Explain why it is important that students at Xingu Academy are both competent users of digital technologies and good digital citizens.
Discuss whether Xingu Academy should become a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) school.
Markscheme
Answers may include:
- MAC address
- IP address
- User’s credentials, such as username
- Computer name
Award [1] for identifying each piece of information the IT department would use to identify the device on the IT network, up to a maximum of [2].
Answers may include:
- A student speaks a word / microphone used to capture voice.
- The software converts the analogue word to digital sound.
- The software converts sound to text based on a database of sounds.
- The word is matched (against the words in a database) to see if it is a valid word.
- If the word is found in the database…
- a word is presented on screen.
- If the word is not found in the database…
- a wrong word / the closest match / software makes a suggestion / an error message appears.
Award [1] for identifying each step that the text-to-speech software uses up to a maximum of [4].
Answers may include:
Reasons for being competent users of digital technologies:
- To be able to use digital technologies to support their learning.
- To be able to use software tools appropriately to maximize their efficiency.
- To develop a set of transferable skills they can take beyond school.
- To be able to access a wide range of online resources.
- In order to take responsibility for their personal devices – ensure they are in working order and keep hardware and data secure. In a BYOD school, technicians may not be able to support all these diverse devices.
Reasons for being good digital citizens:
- Understand that being able to use the digital technologies is not sufficient to ensure the opportunities they bring are harnessed.
- Appreciate that a number of ethical decisions occur when interactions with the digital technologies occur.
- Accept that they should be responsible for their actions when interacting with digital technologies and that some actions could have potentially negative consequences, such as employers judging prospective students by their social media profiles. So, it is important to teach students how to create online personas that project a positive and constructive image.
- See the need for good digital citizenship as no more than an extension of their own physical citizenship.
- Accept that the boundary between digital and physical citizenship can be blurred and ensure that these dual roles can be reconciled.
- Students must respect other users and be aware of the impacts of irresponsible online behaviour, e.g., cyber bullying.
- Students need to be aware of legal issues – illegally downloading games/music, crimes such as hacking/identity theft. Illegal games/hacking tools could be brought to school on their own devices.
- Students require digital literacy to wisely use the vast amount of information on the internet.
- Students need to understand that there is a digital divide – within the school/community/world – that may be accentuated at a BYOD school where some students own the latest technology. Children could put pressure on parents to buy newer devices.
- Students need to be aware of digital health issues – good ergonomics, risks of internet/game addiction.
- Students need to be aware of the need to protect their data using passwords/backup.
Answers may include:
Reasons why Xingu Academy should become a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) school:
- There will be a significant reduction in the cost of IT hardware that can be passed on to other teachers and learning needs (such as more staff) (systems).
- The IT support team may not need to be so large but will need to support a wide range of devices, including the latest technology as well as old technology (systems).
- Students may find that they do not have to learn the software used by the school, as they have similar (or better) software installed on their device (systems).
- Students are already familiar and comfortable using their own technology so they can focus on the lesson (systems).
- Students can choose their own device type, more comfortable learning on certain devices (systems).
- Students’ personal mobile devices tend to be more cutting-edge, so schools can more easily stay up to date with technology – but this could present problems (digital divide/technical support) (systems).
- With BYOD, students are more likely to continue learning outside school hours (values).
- Students will be more organized with all their notes and assignments all in one place (as opposed to having them on different computers and devices in different places at school and home) (values).
- Students can store their data on their own personal devices, so Xingu Academy is not responsible for data storage (systems).
- BYOD allows opportunities for more personalized learning where students can excel at their own pace (values).
Reasons why Xingu Academy should not become a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) school:
- Some teachers may not be comfortable with the new BYOD approach and may see it as technology for technology’s sake (values).
- Some teachers may not be familiar with the software on a student’s device (systems).
- The school network may not have the capacity to deal with the increased number of devices on the network (systems).
- Some students will be advantaged, as they can afford much better devices than others, some may not be able to bring in a device – children may put pressure on their parents to upgrade their devices to keep up with their friends. Digital divide issues.
- Teachers may find it harder to monitor a student’s digital behaviour (systems).
- Some schools monitor students’ screens – this will raise issues if monitoring software must be installed on students’ personal devices (systems, values).
- The IT support team may have to install network peripherals, such as printers, onto the students’ devices (systems).
- The increased levels of access may lead to security concerns (systems).
- Students bringing their own devices to school may increase the possibility of theft.
- Applications may not be universal across all platforms, making it difficult for teachers to assist (systems).
- There may be more work for the IT department if they must support students’ personal devices.
- Students sometimes may forget to bring their device or charge it.
In part (c) of this question it is expected there will be a balance between the terminology related to digital systems and the terminology related to social and ethical impacts.
Keywords: education, networks, BYOD, device, trust, authentication, security, VPN, cloud, change, power, spaces, systems, values, ethics
Refer to SL/HL paper 1, part c markbands when awarding marks. These can be found under the "Your tests" tab > supplemental materials > Digital society markbands and guidance document.
Examiners report
Syllabus sections
-
22M.1.SL.TZ0.4a.i:
Identify two types of image file.
- 21N.1.SL.TZ0.1b.i: Explain why Rajesh downloaded films rather than streaming them when he was travelling.
-
18N.1.SL.TZ0.2a.i:
Identify two advantages of using text messaging to communicate.
-
18M.2.SL.TZ0.3:
Compare and contrast the effectiveness of the approaches outlined in Source C and Source D towards the responsible use of mobile devices.
-
19M.1.SL.TZ0.2a.i:
Identify two types of digital media that could be used to show the potential tracks of Hurricane Irma.
-
19M.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Should we completely automate journalism?
Some of the news articles that you read are written by automated journalism software. This software uses algorithms and natural language generators to turn facts and trends into news stories.
Narrative Science, a company that produces automated journalism software, predicts that by 2026 up to 90 % of news articles could be generated by machine learning algorithms.
Discuss whether it is acceptable for news articles to be generated by automated journalism software.
-
17N.1.SL.TZ0.2b:
Many schools block access to social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. However, other schools are investigating two different options:
- Monitoring the network to view what websites the students are viewing.
- Giving different ages of students different levels of access to social media sites.
Analyse these two options.
-
18N.1.SL.TZ0.3a.i:
Identify two types of digital media ACP could use on its website.
-
18N.1.SL.TZ0.3b.i:
Explain why each image has its resolution reduced before it is uploaded to ACP’s website.
-
21M.1.SL.TZ0.1a.i:
Identify three characteristics of open-source software.
-
19N.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Automated medical image analysis
EBBZS IT, based in Groningen, the Netherlands, intends to develop a system using artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors at Joelstraat Hospital interpret medical images.
Due to the high resolution* of the digital images (see Figure 4), EBBZS IT claims the AI system will be able to learn from these images to assist doctors when diagnosing patients’ illnesses.
EBBZS IT also claims the AI system will be able to cope with the significant increase in the volume of patients and the increased complexity of their symptoms and conditions.
Figure 4: Examples of digital images used in the AI system
[National Institutes of Health: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Human_ brain_development_1wk-3mo-1yr-2yr-10yr-T1W-MRI.PNG]
* resolution: the detail an image holds. It can be measured in pixels per centimetre.
Discuss the claim by EBBZS IT that the diagnosis of patients’ illnesses should be based on the information provided by the AI system. -
21M.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Fake news
We see and hear news every day and trust that the information provided is accurate. That belief may soon end.
Artificial intelligence (AI) software is now being developed that can produce fake video footage of public figures using recordings of their own voices. Using as little as one minute of user-generated content (data), it can reproduce a particular person’s voice. The developer of this software demonstrated the results by using the voices of Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama in a computer-generated conversation.
Once a person’s voice has been reproduced, a fake video can be created by processing hundreds of videos of the person’s face. Video footage of politicians are often used, as there is so much data available online.
Law professor John Silverman commented that, as humans we tend to believe what we see, and the increased number of tools to make fake media that is unrecognizable from real media is going to prove a major challenge in the future.
Discuss the claim that companies who develop software that can create fake videos of politicians should be accountable for the fake videos posted by users of their software on social media platforms.
-
19N.1.SL.TZ0.3b:
There are two possible methods for ensuring students use the TailorEd online learning system responsibly. They are:
- restricting access to sites that may be considered inappropriate
- educating the students about acceptable use.
Analyse these two methods.
-
18M.2.SL.TZ0.4:
Mobile devices provide many benefits for children but can also be used inappropriately. Some groups claim it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children use their mobile devices responsibly, while other groups claim that responsibility lies with other stakeholders, such as schools.
With reference to all the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree that parents should be responsible for ensuring their children develop safe and healthy habits for mobile device usage?
-
19N.1.SL.TZ0.2b:
Two methods for informing tourists about wildfires in Kinakora National Park are:
- short message service (SMS) texting/text messaging
- posting information on the Kinakora National Park website.
Analyse these two methods.
-
18M.2.SL.TZ0.2:
Suggest two reasons why there has been a significant decrease in in-person communication with teenagers between 2013 and 2019 in Source B.
-
19M.1.SL.TZ0.1c:
Umair has decided on a strategy to develop his software and Braille keyboard by using crowdfunding and open-source software.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy.
-
19M.1.HL.TZ0.5:
How to appropriately interact in an online environment
Increasing numbers of parents are claiming digital technologies that monitor online activities are the best way to protect their children from offensive content. A number of companies, such as mSpy and Qustodio, have developed online monitoring apps.
Other parents claim it is not necessary to monitor their children’s online behaviour, preferring to encourage their children to develop the knowledge and skills to make appropriate choices.
Parents can consider two different interventions to ensure their children use the online environment appropriately:
- Monitor their children’s online behaviour using apps
- Encourage their children to develop the knowledge and skills to use the online environment and make appropriate choices.
With reference to real-life scenarios, evaluate these two interventions.
-
17N.1.SL.TZ0.2c:
Many citizens have raised concerns about the surveillance of their web browsing history or the censorship of selected websites by their national government.
To what extent is it appropriate for national governments to use surveillance and censorship to control citizens’ access to websites?
-
18N.1.SL.TZ0.3b.ii:
Explain why each image is watermarked before it is uploaded to ACP’s website.
-
18N.1.SL.TZ0.3c:
Some people feel uncomfortable about having their photographs taken and posted on a public website.
To what extent is it acceptable for ACP to take photographs of participants, post them online, and sell them without asking their permission?
-
21M.1.SL.TZ0.2b:
The increasing use of cloud-based applications and online collaborative tools has led to Orams Academy introducing an acceptable use policy for students and teachers.
Explain three reasons why Orams Academy decided to introduce an acceptable use policy.
-
21M.1.SL.TZ0.3c:
To what extent do the benefits of using Lyrebird’s voice-cloning software outweigh the concerns that may arise from its use?
-
19N.1.HL.TZ0.5:
Sharing dashcam* footage with police
Many police departments have started campaigns to encourage members of the public to upload footage of possible offences committed by drivers to police websites. The police are looking for footage of activities such as dangerous driving and driving whilst talking on a cellphone/mobile phone.
Members of the public can create an account on the police website to upload footage from their dashcam (see Figure 3). They can also upload their dashcam footage anonymously.
The police claim that using dashcam footage uploaded by the public will help reduce the number of accidents caused by dangerous driving.
Figure 3: An example of a dashcam
* dashcam: a video camera mounted in a vehicle to record activity on roads
Discuss whether this dashcam footage should be used by the police as part of their strategy to reduce the number of accidents caused by dangerous driving. -
20N.1.SL.TZ0.4b.i:
Explain why the avatar developers would create avatars that do not look like humans.
