The Badge Archive

Computer Friends

Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Daisy Cybersecurity Basics badge requirements.

Info Needed for the badge requirements: A computer by itself cannot talk to other computers, search the internet, or download information. Computers are connected to each other through a computer network. The basic connections are made with wires. A wire can connect one computer to another, and all the communication and information goes through the wire.

Wireless connections are also common. Our voice travels through the air on sound waves we can’t see, but our ears can receive the sound, and we hear what someone else says. Information (or data) is sent through the air on specific waves we can’t see or hear, but a computer can have a receiver that “hears” or detects the information (or data). A wire connection needs a wire connected between computer 1 and computer 2 so they can send and receive data. A wireless connection needs a receiving device in both computer 1 and computer 2 so they can send and receive data.

Items needed

  • None

Instructions

  1. Scouts play a “whisper” game to learn how information is shared on a computer.
  2. Begin by explaining that computers can be like friends. They help us solve problems and do many things, such as watching movies, looking at photos, or answering questions.
  3. Discuss how we also share information with our computer “friends.”
  4. Have scouts stand in a circle and play a telephone game. Explain that they are all acting as computers passing along information. Start by whispering something about yourself, like your name and favorite food, to the first scout. They will then whisper it to the next scout, and so on.
  5. After the game, talk with scouts about how they felt if the message changed or got passed incorrectly. Discuss:
    • What happens if you tell a friend something you only wanted them to know, and they shared it with others?
    • What would happen if your computer shared information you wanted to keep private?
  6. Reinforce the importance of keeping information safe and private, both with friends and on computers.
Tia Kennard