Computing is everywhere, impacting all facets of our social, economic, and political life. From online political conversations to a changing media ecosystem that’s been revolutionized by technology, computing is part of the very fabric of our society. And the ways of approaching problems that come from computing as a field—Computational Thinking—often shape social issues, even when computing isn’t directly involved. The creation of maps—always a political act—leans on Computational Thinking practices of abstraction. The drawing of congressional districts—equally political—involves the development of formulas and algorithms. These processes, and many others that involve computational thinking, reflect and embed the priorities, assumptions, and, often, biases of their creators. As active citizens, students need to be able to see how these computational approaches play out both in platforms and policies in order to understand, rethink, and take action on an increasing range of social issues.
This building block highlights three integration practices:
C1. Explore political dimensions of maps, data, and representations
C2. Understand how algorithms are embedded in social and political issues
C3. Understand how computing shapes social and political life
As you complete this project, and others in this building block, consider the following questions for your own classroom instruction:
- What does it look like to apply computational methods to understand the impact of computing on society?
- Does understanding computing's impact on society support student Social Studies outcomes? How
The C1 practice of exploring political dimensions of maps, data, and representations can be divided into three discreet practices focusing on how to:
- Analyze and explore how maps, as a form of abstraction, represent and embed categorical distinctions within the context of political/geopolitical processes.
- Assess the perspective of and potential biases present in data visualizations to understand the viewpoint of their creators.
- Create alternatives to existing maps or data visualizations in order to highlight the political implications of representations.
Practice in Action
C1.1 Explore different world maps, comparing the Mercator projection with alternatives such as the Galls-Peters projection, and discuss the implications of having countries in the Global South represented in different sizes.
C1.2 Look at various data visualizations related to voting patterns, assess the strengths and weaknesses of each in terms of what they do and not address, the methodology through which they were produced
The C2 practice of understanding how algorithms are embedded in social and political issues can be divided into two discreet practices focusing on how to:
- Analyze social policies or governance structures that involve algorithms (e.g. rules for drawing congressional districts, funding formulas for schools, taxation schemes, etc.) in order to see their social, historical, political, or economic implications.
Propose a new social/political/economic policy that uses an algorithm (“proposing new societal configurations of algorithms”)
Practice in Action
C2.1 Consider how health departments use google searches to predict where flu outbreaks are happening and their social and economic implications.
C2.2 Analyze how congressional district boundaries are drawn on a state map, alongside voting data, to develop a method for calculating the amount of gerrymandering present on that map. Then draw congressional district boundaries in a way that is fairer (does not dilute the voting power, in a patterned way, of certain constituents or groups).
The C3 practice of understanding how computing shapes social and political life can be divided into three discreet practices focusing on how to:
- Analyze algorithms that drive computational systems (e.g. social media, resumé screening technologies, facial recognition technologies) in order to see how assumptions or biases can result in social, historical, political, or economic implications.
Propose changes to existing computational systems and analyze their effects on society.
Generate ideas for new computational systems and analyze their effects on society.
Practice in Action
C3.1 Explore sources (primary sources like reporting, or data) on predictive police patrolling and discuss the role this kind of algorithm plays in society
C3.2 Propose modifications to the newsfeed algorithm’s rules and discuss their effects on society