Data Connectivity
1. Objectives
- Students are aware of the most common types of network connections and can name some of their features.
- Students observe and understand the meaning of different network connections, like mobile data, wireless connection (Wi-Fi) and wired network and their importance in our everyday life.
- Students understand the basic functions of devices required to make a working network connection (cellular network signal, Wi-Fi symbol).
- Students can name the pros and cons of different network connections, such as portability, speed, reliability and other factors that can cause disturbances.
2. Keywords
- Mobile data:
- Mobile data can be found and used on your cell phone. Mobile data is a network connection that allows you to access the internet on your cell phone, even if you are nowhere near a wireless connection. When using mobile data abroad, however, there might be limitations to it or you might see a mark-up on your phone bill after generous use abroad. You can use mobile data for playing games, watching videos, surfing the net, answering emails or all of the above. Video playback quality alone can affect the amount of data usage. You should check with your family to see how much mobile data you can use on your phone to avoid additional costs.
- Wireless network, Wi-Fi:
- Wi-Fi is a wireless network that connects your devices at home wirelessly, which saves you from using long cables. Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. Its alternative is a cable network, sometimes referred to as Ethernet.
- Wired network:
- A wired network connects your devices to an internet connection through a cable. These kinds of cables are traditionally used for landline phones and cable television. You can also use newer and faster optical fibre cables, or a combination of the two. Wireless internet connections may vary in speed. A fixed broadband is usually more reliable than a wireless network. It is more suitable for more demanding use, like downloading large files or gaming.
3. Questions for discussion
- What different devices can you use to access the internet? (for example: a cell phone, a computer, a television, and some household appliances can connect to the internet as well)
- What could these words mean: mobile data / wireless network / wired network? (the teacher will then hear the students’ answers and correct them using the ‘keywords’ section if needed)
- Do you know what network connections are used in your home? (for example: mobile data, Wi-Fi or a wired network)
- Have you ever connected to a Wi-Fi network using a cell phone, a computer or a tablet? (student answers)
- Which public places usually let you use a wireless connection, a Wi-Fi, free of charge? (for example: libraries, schools, cafes)
- Why would you want to have a data limit on your phone that only let’s you use a certain amount of mobile data? (It helps avoid unwanted extra phone bill charges and you won’t get in trouble with unpaid bills.)
4. Digital tasks: Data connectivity
During class the students will get to know the planet of the small Blob aliens and help them repair a base station that’s needed to form an internet connection, which was destroyed by a meteorite. While doing so the students will learn three different ways to connect a device to the internet.
5. Class assignments
Physical Education: Router Tag (similar to a game of fruit salad)
Fruit salad is a traditional game to play outside. You can use the game of fruit salad to demonstrate how a router operates. You can either play using trees and use the trees as routers, or go to any open space and use, for example, marker cones to indicate routers. The trees or marker cones act as routers and the students will be the information moving between them.
How the game will proceed:
- All participants will be divided into three groups: kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes (units of digital information).
- Each participant will choose a “router” to start from.
- One person will be selected to be the caller and call out: “Kilobytes go!”.That’s when the group of kilobytes will all switch routers with each other and the caller will try to take a spot at one of the free routers.
- When the caller calls out “All information go!” everyone will switch routers with each other and the caller will try to take a spot for themselves at one of the free routers.
- The one person left over with no spot at any router will be the new caller or “it”. There must be one less of the routers than there are participants for the game to work.
Environmental education: Network connectivity: Basic information
In this attachment we go over some basic concepts to do with network connectivity and list some household appliances that can function with a wireless connection.
Art education: Designing a smart home
In this attachment the students will draw different appliances onto the smart home that would function using a wireless network.
Network connectivity: Claims and discussion
This attachment is meant to be completed after the digital tasks. In this attachment we look at some claims regarding network connectivity. As a more creative task, you can ponder what everyone’s day would look like without the internet.
ATTACHMENTS:
Network connectivity: Basic information 1
Network Connectivity: Basic information 1 Answers
Network connectivity: Basic information 2
Network connectivity: Basic information 2 Answers
Designing a smart home Answers