Free Friday: Digital Citizenship

Ever since my students I completed the "Webonauts Internet Academy" by PBSKids together a few months ago, they have been hooked. Every time they earn free choice time in the computer lab, the first activity they choose to return to is the Webonauts. However, there are quite a few good resources out there for teaching digital citizenship or promoting awareness of Internet safety that I'd like to share today.

Retrieved from pbskids.com

I've made a brief list below of resources that teachers of young learners might find helpful in establishing the foundational skills behind digital citizenship with their students:

Webonauts Internet Academy - Building on a previous Teachable Moment on the importance of teaching secure password strategies at a young age, the Webonauts Internet Academy takes students through a futuristic world as a webonaut in training. The "missions" are all related to identifying things that seem suspicious or out of place, as well as how to use specific techniques to protect oneself online. I love the ability for students to gain new knowledge while simultaneously engaging in hands-on application.

NetzSmart - Engaging video and activities are sure to capture your young learners attention! There are videos, games, and e-books available on this site created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that only require 5-10 minutes out of the day. The cartoon characters, bright colors, and appropriately paced content is best for the youngest of learners!

KidSmart - Developed by Childnet International, this site is geared for those learners getting ready to leave the realm of early childhood. It's content is grouped by components of digital citizenship like safe searching, sharing files, mobile devices, etc. We might not think of our young learners as engaging in all of these topics but the matter of the fact is they need to be prepared to engage safely before they have access to such tools and resources!