Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Holborow, and welcome to Computing.

I'm so pleased that you've decided to join me for the lesson today.

We are going to look at the network of everyday devices that are connected to the internet, and how these devices may affect our privacy.

Welcome to today's lesson from the unit computer networks and data transmission.

This lesson is called the Internet of Things.

And by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain how devices share data in the internet of things or IoT.

And how this can have an impact on privacy.

Shall we make a start? We will be exploring these key words during today's lesson.

Internet of Things, IoT.

Internet of Things, IoT, a network of everyday devices that are connected to the internet and can communicate with each other.

Privacy.

Privacy, the protection of an individual's personal information and the control over how it is used.

There are two main parts to today's lesson.

We'll start by explaining the concept of the internet of things.

And then we'll move on to recognise privacy concerns of connected devices.

Let's make a start by explaining the concept of the internet of things.

The internet of things, or IoT, is a network of everyday things that gather data and communicate with other devices.

Aisha's got a good question.

What sort of things could be part of the IoT? Do you have any ideas? Maybe pause the video here and have a think.

Ah, the rest of Aisha's class have got some great ideas.

So Jun says a smart speaker.

Sophia says school security cameras, and Jacob says, what about a light bulb? Did you have any other examples? To be part of the internet of things, or IoT, a device must be connected to the internet.

So Aisha is correctly saying that this smartwatch is part of the IoT, because it is connected to the internet, and it can communicate with other devices.

Jacob correctly says that the other watch isn't as it's not on the internet.

The IoT allows connected devices to collect and share data.

Let's take the example of a school caretaker.

The school caretaker can check the temperature in the school whilst it's closed remotely.

They can then switch on the heaters remotely via their mobile phone.

This would then mean that the school is warm for when the pupils arrive in the morning Time to check your understanding.

To be part of the internet of things, a device must be connected to the internet.

Is this true or false? Pause your video here whilst you have a think.

That's right, it's true.

Without an internet connection, a device cannot communicate with other devices or share data.

Which three devices could be part of the internet of things? A, a smart watch.

B, a school security camera.

C, a calculator, or D, a baby monitor.

Pause your video here whilst you have a think.

Okay, let's have a look at which devices could be part of the internet of things.

We've seen previously a smartwatch can be.

A school security camera could also be connected to the internet.

Lastly, a baby monitor could be too.

Did you get all of those correct? Don't worry if not, you can always go back and make any corrections.

We are now moving on to the first task of today's lesson, Task A.

What I would like you to do is write the purpose of each IoT device in the table.

So on the left hand side we have some IoT devices, and then on the right hand side there's some space for you to write the purpose.

So we've got a smart lock, a security camera, smart blinds, a smart light bulb, and a smart thermostat.

Pause the video here whilst you complete the activity.

How did you get on? You're doing a great job so far.

So well done.

Let's have a look at some sample answers together.

So the first one in the table was the smart lock.

So the purpose of a smart lock is to secure a building without needing a key.

This means you don't need multiple copies of the same key and you can share access with people who need it.

A security camera.

It might be connected to the IoT so that security footage can be viewed remotely and via mobile phone.

For example, if any of you have a smart doorbell that has similar kind of features.

Smart blinds sense the level of light and raise and lower window blinds when it's the right time of day.

A smart light bulb can be used to remotely control lighting.

And lastly, a smart thermostat can be used to set the temperature of a room remotely.

Hopefully, you have some similar descriptions for the purpose column, but if you haven't, don't worry.

You can always pause the video here and make any corrections that you may need to.

For the second part of Task A, I'd like you to explain how a school might use IoT devices to reduce its energy use, and become more environmentally friendly.

Pause the video here whilst you have a think and complete the activity.

How did you do? Well done.

Let's have a look at a sample answer together.

Smart lights can connect to the internet and be programmed to turn on and off at specific times like at sunrise or sunset.

This means they don't need someone to remember to switch them on or off, saving energy even when people forget.

My children have smart bulbs in their bedrooms because they're like can make sure that they've remembered to switch off their lights.

Automatic heating thermostats connected to the internet can learn the school's schedule and heat classrooms only when they're needed.

They can also adjust the temperature based on the weather outside.

This means that maybe the school wouldn't be heated during school breaks, like half term or the summer holidays.

Smart metres connect to the internet and can automatically track how much electricity and water the school is using.

This information can be seen on a computer or a phone, and that might help the school to find ways to save energy and be more environmentally friendly.

Did you have some similar ideas? Perhaps pause the video here and tell me all about them.

Okay, you're doing a great job so far, so well done.

We're going to move on to the second part of today's lesson, which is recognising privacy concerns of connected devices.

Jun here has got a bit of a concerned face.

He looks a bit worried.

He's saying is sharing all this data online a bad idea? Sophia says, maybe, we need to be careful.

What do you think? Do you think sharing data online is a bad idea? Maybe pause the video here and have a think.

IoT devices collect and share information about you with or without your knowledge.

Examples include sound, video footage and your GPS location.

It's important to make sure you know what data is being collected.

To be able to respond to commands, a smart speaker needs to detect when a trigger word or phrase is said.

For example, Alexa or Hey, Siri.

This means that all sounds picked up by the microphone could be recorded and may be sent to the company that makes that device.

Even if you are happy with the data these devices are collecting, IoT devices can be hacked.

For example, if a building has a smart lock, a hacker could open the front door and gain entry without permission.

Make sure your data is stored securely.

Time to check your understanding.

What is a good piece of advice regarding IoT devices? Is it a, choose a device made by a company you trust? B, use only IoT devices inside locked rooms for security.

Or C, share data from your devices with anyone who requests it.

Pause the video here whilst you have a think.

Did you select a? Great work? A good piece of advice regarding IoT devices is to choose a device made by a company you trust.

Why does a smart speaker always have its microphone switched on? Is it a, because it's manufactured that way? Is it b, so that the company that made it can check you are not talking about committing a crime.

Or c, so it can detect when the trigger word is said and respond to your command.

Pause the video here whilst you have a think.

That's right, the correct answer is c.

The smart speaker always has its microphone switched on so that it can detect when the trigger word is said and respond to your command.

Okay, we are now moving on to the final set of tasks for today's lesson.

I'd like you to start by writing down a list of ways that IoT devices gather data.

Think about all the different ways that an IoT device could gather data.

Pause your video here whilst you complete the activity.

How did you get on with your list? You're doing a great job so far, so well done.

Here is a sample answer of some items. So IoT devices could gather data by recording conversations via a microphone.

Tracking your GPS location, recording health information such as your heart rate, recording video footage, logging when you access the device, and by using sensors, for example, a temperature sensor.

Did you have any other items on your list? For the next part of Task B, I'd like you to choose an IoT device and write down the benefits and privacy concerns of your chosen device.

Pause the video here whilst you complete the activity.

How did you get on? What device did you choose? I've taken the example here of a smartwatch.

So the benefits of a smartwatch is that it can track your fitness, for example, it can track how many steps you walk and where you went.

You can see the information and you can use that to improve your health.

For example, your watch may set you targets that you try to achieve during the day.

What are the privacy concerns of a smartwatch? Well, a smartwatch will share your GPS location, so people could potentially track you if they had access to that data.

For the final part of Task B, I would like you to describe how you could protect your privacy whilst using your chosen device.

So use the same device that you used for part two.

Pause your video here whilst you complete the activity.

How did you get on? You've done a great job today, so well done.

Let's have a look at my sample answer.

So you were asked to describe how you could protect your privacy when using your chosen IoT device.

So remember, my device from part two was a smartwatch.

So the things I could do to protect my privacy are I could choose a device from a company that I trust.

I could make sure that my data is stored securely.

I could make sure I know what data is being collected, and I could turn off the GPS on my watch when I don't need it.

So it doesn't always need to know where I am.

And lastly, I could make sure that the software on my watch is always updated, just in case there are any security problems that need fixing, and may have been addressed by a software update.

Did you have any of these ways for your device? Some methods will be similar across IoT devices.

Okay, we've come to the end of today's lesson, so well done.

You have done a fantastic job and have considered lots of different things during today's lesson.

Let's summarise what we have learned.

The internet of things, or IoT, is a network of devices that gather data and communicate with each other via the internet.

IoT devices can be very helpful.

For example, they can help you stay fit or secure in your home.

Using IoT devices involve sharing a lot of personal data.

So you need to be aware of what data is collected and who it is shared with.

I hope you'll join me again soon, bye.