Mobile App Design Emergency Videos

Student Instructions

Substitute teacher instructions.

1. Read the above short student instructions.
2. Show the video on the projector using the computer in the front of the room. The computer is usually connected with an HDMI cable and ready to go.
3. You can load the video in Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. (The Brainpop videos may require that you open two different browsers to avoid having to register for an account.)
4. Students should all pay full attention to the videos and not be doing other things on their computers or phones.
5. Encourage students to take notes.
6. After watching the video, students may spend the rest of the class period writing their
7. response to the videos.
8. In the afternoon class (only), you may show the video during the first hour, then they should spend at least an hour writing a response essay. If they wish to work on other project independently during the last hour, they may, but they may not use their phones, play games of any kind, or use the classroom computers to perform any activity not directly related to this class (such as watching videos, playing games, browsing shopping sites, or using social media).

1. The Merchants of Cool

PBS Frontline 2001 • 58 minutes

Hint. Merchants of Cool. In these videos, what is the product, who is selling the product, and who are the consumers who are buying the product? Be careful. The answers are not as straightforward as you might think.

2. The Persuaders

PBS Frontline 2004 • 55 minutes

Hint. The Persuaders. In these videos, what is the product, who is selling the product, and who are the consumers who are buying the product? Be careful. The answers are not as straightforward as you might think.

3. Generation Like

PBS Frontline 2014 • 53 minutes

Hint. Generation Like. In these videos, what is the product, who is selling the product, and who are the consumers who are buying the product? Be careful. The answers are not as straightforward as you might think.

4. Helvetica

Watch just one of these two videos. (They are the same.)

(English with Spanish subtitles)

(English with Spanish subtitles.) Watch only the first half, up to 1:20:00

80 minutes (1 hour 20 minutes)

Hint. Helvetica. Where did the Helvetica font come from, and why was it created? Why would this font be considered “not cool?” Why does it matter?

5. Algorithms: The Secret Rules of Modern Living

BBC Documentary • 58 minutes

Hint. Algorithms. What are the different algorithms mentioned in this video? What are they used for? Take special note that the algorithm may not be the same as the application for which the algorithms solves a problem. For example, a self-driving car is not an algorithm. A medical breakthrough is not an algorithm. But those might be applications for which algorithms can be used to create a better answer to a long-time problem.

6. Code Kids

CBC Documentary • 45 minutes

Hint. Code Kids. Why is it necessary that kids should learn to code? What are the benefits to the person who learns to code? What are the benefits to society?

7. Defeating the Hackers

BBC Documentary 2014 • 58 minutes

Hint. Defeating the Hackers. What are different ways that hackers are working? What are the different ways that society is trying to combat hackers? Have the stragegies (both hacking and anti-hacking) changed over the years?

8. Several Short Videos