Achtung teachers: RFID curriculum has arrived!

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[img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/section/learning/teacher/lesson.gif[/img] Achtung teachers: RFID curriculum has arrived! Saturday, April 29, 2006

A California public school teacher recently sent us this NY Times "Daily Lesson Plan" designed to "educate" kids about the benefits of tracking people and things with RFID.

Since adults are pretty unconvincable on RFID (consistently, around 65% oppose RFID on privacy grounds) the spin-meisters have begun targeting our kids, instead. This reminded me of something Liz and I wrote in Spychips.

The "Nightmare Scenario" chapter opens with RFID godfather Kevin Ashton discussing predator and prey relationships, explaining how RFID helps the lions better identify, capture, and eat the zebras. I transcribed a section of a video where someone in a crowd of business executives asks Ashton what it's going to take for society to accept RFID and ubiquitous tracking.

This excerpt from the book takes it from there:

Without skipping a beat, the always cool-as-a-cucumber Ashton tells gathered pro-RFID executives, "We will have to die."

After awkward laughter from his audience, Ashton clarifies the seemingly outrageous statement. Our generation, he explains, will never fully embrace a world where everything can be tagged and tracked. It's just too new. But the next generation will.

Adolph Hitler understood this dynamic well, saying:

"When an opponent declares, 'I will not come over to your side.' I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already.' What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community."

So while the average adult has never even heard of RFID, the spychip industry, the media, and government schools are colluding behind the scenes to brainwash our children into not only accepting, but defending the brave new tracking world they are working to create.

-Katherine Albrecht

ID Please! Developing a Plan For an RFID-Enabled Technology Author(s) Jennifer Rittner, The New York Times Learning Network Bridget Anderson, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City Thursday, March 16, 2006

Grades: 6-8, 9-12 Subjects: Civics, Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology

Interdisciplinary Connections

Overview of Lesson Plan:In this lesson, students share opinions about the technologies used to identify them and monitor their activities. They then develop plans for new uses of RFID-enabled technologies to share with the class, and write essays persuading readers to use their proposed technologies.

Review the Academic Content Standards related to this lesson.

Suggested Time Allowance:1 hour

Objectives:

Students will:

1. Share opinions about technologies used to identify and monitor people.

2. Learn about radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by reading and discussing the article "Study Says Chips in ID Tags Are Vulnerable to Viruses."

3. Develop a plan for a new use for RFID-enabled technology and present it as a poster.

4. Write a persuasive essay that addresses the issues raised in class work. Resources / Materials:

-pens/pencils -five large poster boards prepared as directed in the Warm-Up -classroom board -copies of the article "Study Says Chips in ID Tags Are Vulnerable to Viruses," found online at (one per student) -resources for investigating technologies and their uses such as special interest publications, science journals, library resources and computers with Internet access

Activities / Procedures:

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Before class, prepare five posters with the following headings: "School," "Airport," "Online Retailer," "Government Building," and "Bank." In class, arrange desks in small groups and place a poster at each grouping. As students enter the class, have them work together to respond to the following prompt on their posters (written on the board): "What technologies do you depend on to identify yourself as you enter or conduct business in this location? How might these institutions use identification technologies to monitor your activities within their facilities and beyond?" After a few minutes, have students share their responses with the class. Ask them if they believe that technologies designed to monitor the activities and/or movements of people and/or goods should be considered an essential area for further development and application, and why.

2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Study Says Chips in ID Tags Are Vulnerable to Viruses" , focusing on the following questions:

a. How are radio frequency identification tags, or RFIDs, currently used? b. What development have researchers discovered about them? c. Why did researchers think this was not possible? d. How are RFID tags an improvement over bar codes? e. What debate has the chip innovation started and why? f. Why is the new development a cause for additional concern? g. If the researchers have not identified specific flaws, why do they continue to express concern? h. How might the researchers' knowledge of computer viruses and worms inform their study? i. How might those wishing to use a chip for malicious purposes use a common software error to their advantage? j. Why might money be in factor in determining the ability of others to use chips for malicious purposes? k. What other security problems has Peter Neumann identified? l. What are industry professionals doing to address the problem? m.How might attackers use encryption techniques to subvert a chip's intended purpose? n. What example do the researchers offer to support their proposal for additional protections and why might that be particularly relevant today? o. Why might a person wish to subvert pricing or misidentify a pet?

3. Explain to students that they will work in groups to develop a plan for a new RFID-enabled technology that they think will become essential for individuals and/or society as a whole. Begin by presenting a broader definition of RFID, as provided on the Vrije Universiteit researchers' Web site (). As a class, brainstorm the various areas of human interaction that might benefit from RFID technology, and note student responses on the board. The list below offers some ideas for consideration and may be used to prompt students. Have each group choose an idea from the list they brainstormed to investigate further.

Students will develop their plan as a poster and oral presentation to the class, responding to the questions listed below (provided as a handout for easier student access). They should include any visuals such as illustrations, photographs, graphs, and charts that might illuminate their plan.

AREAS FOR RFID DEVELOPMENT

Human populations (Alzheimer's patients, senior citizens, disabled people, prisoners or former prisoners, children, mental patients, general population) Animals (pets, livestock, wild animals, zoo animals) Commerce (store check-out counters, online shopping, credit cards) Communications (regular mail, packages, e-mail) Transportation/Navigation (global positioning systems, public transportation cards, toll taking machines) Sensitive goods (prescription drug packages, arms and arms-making materials, gems and jewelry) Miscellaneous (automobiles, luggage, movement of other goods)

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

THE TECHNOLOGY -What would you monitor and why? -Where would the RFID chip be located? -What technology would be used to track the chip? -What back-up might be in place in case the technology were to break down? -What security concerns might arise with the use of this technology? SOCIAL CONCERNS -Why would this be a useful technology? -What are the potential benefits to the individual? What are the potential benefits to society? -How would the information be used and by whom? -Who would be responsible for monitoring (i.e., an individual, a commercial entity, a governmental agency)? -Would the person being monitored be aware? -How might you protect the device from malicious use? Toward the end of class, have students present their posters to the class.

4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Individually, students write a one to two page paper that persuades readers to use the technology they proposed in class. Have them consider the following questions (provided as a handout for easier student access):

-If the technology you developed were to be implemented tomorrow, how might it become an essential part of daily life? -How will it improve the way people live? -What are the potential benefits to individuals and society? -How might you address the concerns of citizens? -How might you consider potential disadvantages? -What potential privacy issues might you consider? -What kind of protections would you try to develop to prevent malicious use?

Present papers in a later class.

Further Questions for Discussion: -To what degree, if at all, do you want to know about the people or organizations that are monitoring your movements or activities?

-How might the widespread use of technologies to monitor human activities affect the way people behave in public and/or in private?

-To what degree should official agencies, such as federal or local governments, banks or financial institutions, or companies and retailers be permitted to monitor your activities either with or without your knowledge? Evaluation / Assessment: Students will be evaluated based on participation in the opening exercise, thorough completion and presentation of their plans, and effectual persuasive papers.

Vocabulary: microchip, surveillance, vulnerability, replicate, exploited, malicious, buffer, allocated, constraints, counterfeiting, disabling, encryption, subvert, contamination, smuggler

Extension Activities: 1. Produce a How-It-Works poster on the computer technologies mentioned in the article, such as microchips, RFID, viruses, worms, open-source operating systems and buffer overflow. Share posters with the class.

2. Create an illustrated timeline on the history of technological developments that might have been or currently are considered controversial (such as gun powder, nuclear fission, cloning, surveillance technologies or RFID). Investigate once development further to discover the essential questions surrounding its invention. Address who, what, where, when, why and how. Why was it considered controversial? Present a short report of your findings.

3. Write a story in which a character is monitored by or is monitoring others using a surveillance technology such as RFID. Investigate different ways of exploring the theme using humor, suspense and/or drama. Submit stories to the school literary journal for publication.

4. Investigate one example of a court case or legislation concerning an RFID technology. How might the rights of citizens be affected by the development and/or use of these technologies? What questions arose in the debates surrounding the technology? What was the outcome? What changes, if any, were made to the way the technology was developed, implemented or regulated as a result of the debate? Present the main points of the argument along with your reflection on the issues in an oral presentation to the class.

Interdisciplinary Connections: Economics - In the article, Peter Neumann states that cost is a factor in the adequacy of security. To what degree, if at all, should cost be allowed to affect quality? What role might cost play in the manufacturer's decisions about quality? What role might cost play in the consumer's decision to purchase the item? Should there be a standard of minimum quality for the production of RFID technologies (like the "Energy Star" standard for appliances regulated by the EPA)? Is there a difference between a regulation and a standard? Write a two to three page paper that responds to these questions.

Journalism - How might your technology proposals be received by the general public? Further develop your plans and present them in a public setting, like a technology expo, to the school. Develop a set of questions for a survey designed to gauge viewers' reactions to the plans. Which do they think are most feasible? Which might be most essential or have the greatest benefit to individuals and/or society? Conduct the survey during the expo and write an article based on your findings. Submit articles to the school newspaper for publication.

Media Studies - Develop a marketing strategy for the technology you developed in class.

Teaching with The Times - Read the Circuits section of The Times every week for one month and clip one article about a new and noteworthy technology for everyday life. If this technology were to be commonly-used among the population at large, how might life be different? Write a reflection that responds to this question. At the end of the month, write a reflection that summarizes the main issues that arise. To order The New York Times for your classroom, click here .

References: Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility () offers an explanation of the standards that regulate the development of technologies within its domain. Communications for the Association for Computing Machinery () will publish the research on RFID viruses in its May 2006 issue. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers () provides news and information about the research and development of new technologies. Related Times Articles High Tech, Under the Skin () reports on new microchip implant technologies.

Academic Content Standards: This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado. Grades 6-8 Technology Standard 3 - Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual. Benchmarks: Knows that scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences; Knows that technology and science are reciprocal; Knows ways in which technology and society influence one another Language Arts Standard 1 - Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes compositions that speculate on problems/solutions Civics Standard 25 - Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights. Benchmarks: Knows what constitutes personal rights; Understands the importance to individuals and society of such personal rights as freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of expression and association, freedom of movement and residence, and privacy Grades 9-12 Technology Standard 3 - Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual. Benchmarks: Knows examples of advanced and emerging technologies; Knows that mathematics, creativity, logic, and originality are all needed to improve technology; Identifies the role of technology in a variety of careers Language Arts Standard 1 - Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes persuasive compositions that evaluate, interpret, and speculate about problems/solutions and causes and effects; Makes informed judgments about nonprint media Civics Standard 25 - Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights. Benchmarks: Understands the importance to individuals and to society of personal rights such as freedom of thought and conscience, privacy and personal autonomy, and the right to due process of law and equal protection of the law; Understands how personal, political, and economic rights are secured by constitutional government and by such means as the rule of law, checks and balances, an independent judiciary, and a vigilant citizenry

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