“Safety is the most basic task of all. Without sense of safety, no growth can take place. Without safety, all energy goes to defense.” ~ Torey Hayden
Students at every grade level use the internet in a variety of ways. They may do research as part of their assigned classwork or homework, complete assignments online, or—as they did in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic—attend classes via Zoom. Most also use the internet in their lives away from school, too.
Alludo’s mission is to create dynamic online learning environments for teachers, and we consider student internet safety to be part of that mission. We’ve included a variety of activities related to safe internet use in our content catalog for that reason. Because we know internet safety is a priority for every school district, here’s what you need to know to create an internet safety lesson plan for your students, with an example to get you started.
Teaching internet safety to students isn’t difficult but it requires careful planning and an understanding of how to help kids grasp the importance of digital safety. Here are some things that may help educators inform students about safety online:
These tips can help you engage students in and out of the classroom by getting them onboard with digital safety and teaching them about the real-world consequences of not being safe online.
Teachers, staff, and administrators should all understand why it’s essential to teach students about internet safety.
Here are some numbers that illustrate why internet safety must be a priority for educators and administrators:
These statistics reveal that kids are not as informed about digital safety as they should be and that teachers and parents need to do a better job of keeping kids safe online.
Kids can only adhere to safety guidelines if they understand those guidelines and how they apply to what they do online. Teachers can and should help students grasp the importance of safety.
Teaching online safety helps kids be good digital citizens and can be connected to good citizenship overall. Just as we all have responsibilities as citizens in our lives, we also have responsibilities online.
On a related note, kids are already learning about personal responsibility and etiquette in their lives, and internet safety is a part of that. Kids need to learn what behavior is appropriate in which context.
Statistics reveal that nearly half of all students in the United States have been targets of cyberbullying. All schools have rules about bullying and many have augmented those with rules related to cyberbullying, but schools must do their best to prevent cyberbullying from occurring in the first place.
Teaching kids about safety includes helping them understand the role they play in keeping the internet safe for others.
An internet safety plan is a plan that helps kids engage in critical thinking and use safe habits when they are online, with an eye toward helping them become good digital citizens.
The nature of internet safety plans has changed over time. In the beginning, kids tended to get a long list of online Dos and Don’ts to follow without necessarily understanding the “why” behind the list. Today, the focus is more on teaching kids to think for themselves because we understand that many online dilemmas are nuanced and don’t easily fall into a good vs bad scenario. It’s not as simple as having kids use secure passwords or teaching them about stranger danger.
Keep in mind that kids of different ages should have safety plans that are tailored to their maturity level and capabilities. You shouldn’t give a kindergarten student the same safety plan as a sixth grader, or give a sixth grader the same plan as someone in high school.
Be Internet Awesome is a Google program to help kids behave safely and be confident online.
The program teaches the fundamentals of good digital citizenship and online safety. It includes an internet code of conduct for kids that could serve as a framework for any internet safety plan. The code includes guidelines for sharing information, identifying scams, storing data, being kind, and informing adults when something that makes them uncomfortable happens.
Be Internet Awesome comes with curricula and lesson plans to bring online lessons into the classroom. We have included it in the Alludo Content Catalog.
To help you understand what might go into an internet safety plan, here’s an example of a basic internet safety plan for middle school or junior high students:
An internet safety plan should spell out the details about each topic covered and provide kids with guidelines to help them navigate related situations. As students get older, safety plans should build upon what they’ve already learned while introducing them to more complex topics.
Here at Alludo, we strive to bring internet safety to the classroom by offering lessons and activities related to digital citizenship and safe internet use.
The Alludo content catalog contains hundreds of cybersecurity and internet safety topics that school districts can use to build unique courses that suit their needs. We’ve also created programs that you can use, including our K-12 Cybersecurity Training Awareness program, designed to help your district meet security compliance standards and protect student, staff, and district data.
Internet safety for students is essential in every school district and classroom. Teachers and administrators should work together to create age-appropriate lesson plans to help kids be good online citizens and stay safe whenever they’re on the web.
Are you ready to prioritize internet safety in your school district? Alludo Learning can help! Click here to get your free trial of our professional development platform, Madagascar, with Google’s Be Internet Awesome course pre-loaded for your convenience.