Learning from loss
Total suggested time: 50 minutes
After students have listened to part 3 of the podcast, devote all or a portion of the next class to guided discussion.
Class discussion: Evaluating the model
Suggested time: 20 minutes
Spend the first portion of the next meeting answering the following questions as a class:
- When do you think the COVID Tracking Project should have shut down?
- What made the COVID Tracking project successful?
- Could the techniques of the COVID Tracking Project ever be replicated?
Class/group discussion: Expanding the model
Suggested time: 30 minutes
As a class or in small groups, task students with brainstorming what other types of topics the data collection model of the COVID Tracking Project could be used to track.
Whatever the topic, it should have at least three things in common with the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic:
- The issue is large in scale. That could mean multiple cities, counties, states or countries.
- It has systemic implications. Issues could involve human health, technology or some other topic with long-term societal consequences.
- It’s time sensitive. It’s something happening now that will continue into the future.
As a class or in small groups, answer the following questions.
- What data points about this issue would you expect to be tracked?
- What would it mean for the impacted community - and broader society - if that data was not tracked?
- How would you capture the data if it wasn’t available?
- How would you share that data publicly?
- How do you decide when to stop capturing the data?