Description
Unit Background
Digital technologies, namely mobile devices, are an integral part of youth culture. Adolescent youth access digital places, where they express themselves and socialize, through their cell phones and tablets. An estimated 88% of teens own a cell phone (PEW 2015). Students need to be aware of the risks and responsibilities associated with communicating through digital networks. The widespread adoption of mobile technologies among young adolescent youth justifies the need for online personal safety education and empowerment. First of all, mobile devices are portable, thereby increasing the access to online communities and contacts, and the frequency in which online communication occurs. Secondly, the mobile activities of young people are hidden from plain view; therefore, adult supervision is difficult to achieve. Thirdly, online activity takes place through a screen. Digital communication creates an illusion of privacy and safety as young users do not consider the public nature of the Internet, nor think through the real world impact of online actions. Finally, the ever changing preference for social media apps and other forms of online communication among adolescent youth can pose a challenge to supporting adults. Adults want to support students but often feel that students know more about the technologies that they use to communicate. Students, therefore, need to be empowered to make careful and responsible choices when using technologies to communicate with other people.
Unit Overview
In this unit, students will study the realities of participating in online communities and practice strategies to protect their safety and identity. Students will understand their responsibilities, and the responsibilities of online services and parents, in protecting online personal safety.
This Online Personal Safety unit is comprised of five lessons. Combine all five lessons into one longer session, or implement each lesson separately. Be sure to complete all five lessons to ensure that students are equipped with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to protect their personal safety online.
A Reference Page for students on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is provided.
Unit Contents
- Lesson 1 – Introduction to Online Personal Safety
- Lesson 2 – Protecting Online Identity
- Lesson 3 – Safeguarding Online Accounts
- Lesson 4 – Safe Communication Skills
- Lesson 5 – Online Safety Review and Action
Unit Objectives
Upon successful completion of this unit, students in grade 6 will be able to:
- List the types of personal identifying information
- Create safe screen names and strong passwords
- Discuss rules and laws that protect the privacy and safety of people under age 13
- Describe the role of trustworthy adults in protecting the safety of young people
- Assess the risks of providing personal information online
- Recognize the tactics that unsafe online contacts use to persuade young people into engaging in risky and provocative online behavior
- Demonstrate safety strategies to protect online personal safety
- Use media to present an online safety strategy (iDrive Agents in Training)*
Set-Up & Preparation
- Set up a method to display correlating PowerPoint slideshows for each lesson.
- Print one copy of each Student Handout per student for correlating lessons.
ISAFE authorizes the distribution of instructional materials in online learning environments (i.e. virtual classrooms) within the same subscribing school or school district.
Set up student access to the Power Point presentation based on the technology arrangement in your classroom (e.g. computer-based delivery, projector, or online classroom environment).
Lesson Plan 1 - Grade 6 Introduction to Online Personal Safety
Students engage in dialogue about their experience in various online communities and discuss the role of parental supervision. They compare online communities with public places in the real world; give an example of a site, game, or app used to communicate with other people; describe the activities that take place in an online community, and discuss the importance of adult supervision.
Lesson Plan 2 - Protecting Online Identity
Students recognize the importance of protecting their identity by engaging in class discussion. They list types of information that reveal personal identity; identify three risks to online personal safety and security; assess screen names for safety; create safe screen names, and weigh the pros and cons of online anonymity.
Lesson Plan 3 - Safeguarding Online Accounts
Students recognize the risks of having a weak password. They state the attributes of a strong password; define four techniques used to decipher passwords; describe three threats to online security and safety; explain the importance of protecting online accounts, and practice creating strong passwords.
Lesson Plan 4 - Safe Communication Skills
Students investigate the tactics of unknown online contacts. A scenario illustrates how an unsafe online contact can gather information and interact with individuals to lure them into unsafe situations. Students identify the types of private information; distinguish grooming tactics in a given scenario; determine the boundaries of safe online communication, and develop personal safety guidelines.
Lesson 5 - Online Safety Review and Action
Students demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and understanding about protecting personal safety. They complete an iDrive Empowerment Activity that demonstrate safety strategies to protect online personal safety, and present an online safety strategy that incorporates media.