Connected and Protected: Educating Students on Online Safety

Presentation Outline: 1. Introduction and Objectives (5 minutes) Content: Brief overview of digital citizenship, online safety, and privacy in education. Engagement: Present objectives and set expectations. Use a quick poll or show of hands to assess attendees' familiarity with these topics. 2. The Importance of Online Safety and Privacy (10 minutes) Content: Discussion on why online safety and privacy are critical for students today, with real-world examples of digital threats (cyberbullying, data breaches, etc.). Engagement: Short video clip demonstrating risks students face online. Process: Audience reflection to share their concerns about digital safety in their schools. 3. Exploring High-Quality Resources and Lesson Plans (20 minutes) Content: Showcase of key resources and lesson plans on online safety, privacy settings, cyberbullying, digital footprint, and media balance. Engagement: Walkthrough of resources followed by a small-group discussion on how these can be applied in attendees’ classrooms. Process: Breakout discussions in small groups, using provided resources for adapting content to diverse student needs. 4. Hands-On Activity: Building a Digital Citizenship Lesson (15 minutes) Content: Participants will create a brief outline of a digital citizenship lesson, incorporating online safety, privacy, or media balance. Engagement: Interactive, device-based activity where attendees draft lesson ideas individually or in pairs. Process: Attendees will use devices to collaborate or work individually on a template provided. Volunteers can share their ideas for peer feedback. 5. Best Practices for Diverse Classrooms (15 minutes) Content: Discussion on adapting online safety lessons for students from diverse backgrounds, focusing on socioeconomic, cultural, and technological differences. Engagement: Case study analysis followed by group brainstorming on strategies to make digital citizenship lessons inclusive. Process: Peer-to-peer interaction through small group brainstorming and sharing insights. 6. Reflection and Action Plan (10 minutes) Content: Recap key takeaways and encourage attendees to create an action plan for implementing what they've learned. Engagement: Ask participants to share one actionable step they will take to enhance digital citizenship in their classroom. Process: Participants will write down and share their action plans with a partner or the larger group. 7. Q&A and Closing (5 minutes) Content: Open the floor for questions and wrap up the session. Engagement: Answer audience questions live. Process: Use a digital platform (e.g., chat or Q&A tool) for attendees to submit questions, ensuring inclusive participation. Engagement Tactics: Frequent peer-to-peer interactions through discussions and collaborative activities. Device-based activities, including polls, brainstorming, and lesson-building. Small-group discussions to adapt content to attendees' unique classroom settings. Real-time Q&A and reflection to ensure active engagement and understanding.

Here are several articles, books, websites, and experts that support the importance of online safety, privacy, and digital citizenship in education: Articles: "The Importance of Teaching Digital Citizenship" by Mike Ribble, ISTE Blog (https://www.iste.org/explore/digital-citizenship/importance-teaching-digital-citizenship) "Cyberbullying: What Teachers and Schools Can Do" by Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin, Cyberbullying Research Center (https://cyberbullying.org/cyberbullying-what-teachers-and-schools-can-do) "Privacy in the Digital Age" by George Washington University Law School, Journal of National Security Law & Policy (https://jnslp.com/2020/09/25/privacy-in-the-digital-age) Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/education) – Provides high-quality resources and lesson plans for teaching digital citizenship, privacy, and media balance. Cyberbullying Research Center (https://cyberbullying.org) – Offers research, resources, and guides on cyberbullying prevention and response. ISTE Standards for Educators (https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-educators) – The official ISTE page outlining standards for educators in digital citizenship and other areas. Google’s Be Internet Awesome (https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/) – A resource for teaching students how to be safe and responsible digital citizens.

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