Blog 6
During my digital explorations this week, I came across many resources that I want to spend more time evaluating. The one that stuck out the most to me is Google’s Be Internet Awesome program. This program is listed on AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching & Learning 2018. AASL provides a thorough description of this program:
Be Internet Awesome offers elementary school students a path to digital citizenship and a way to become smart and safe users of the Internet. They will enjoy participating in the game Interland, and traversing Reality River, Mindful Mountain, Tower of Treasure, and Kind Kingdom to learn the fundamentals of online ethical use and safety. Additional resources for parents and educators are included. Grades 2-5.
The additional resources mentioned in the description include a very well-planned and detailed curriculum guide for teaching digital citizenship and online safety. This guide includes all the resources that any librarian or classroom teacher would need to teach this unit, including worksheets and activity guides. There are also links for slide presentations that can be used with each learning unit and printable posters that can be hung as constant visual reminders for students. Parent communication samples and family guides are additional helpful features that can be sent to school families so that they know what students are learning and can reinforce digital citizenship at home.
The Be Internet Awesome program aligns with ISTE standards and AASL standards in the shared foundations of Inquire, Explore, and Engage, making it a great tool for librarians. There is also a gamification aspect to this program as it includes a game called Interland. Interland allows students hands-on practice of their new digital safety skills through a fun and engaging game. You can learn more about this game in this video from Google:
Another thing that I like about the Interland game is that it was designed with student safety in mind; students do not have to log-in to access the game and Google does not store student data. One downside to this is that progress in the game is not saved. Other positives are that it is device agnostic and the game can be shared and assigned through Google Classroom. The program and game are intended for grades 3-6 but the curriculum guide states that it can be adjusted to be appropriate for most grades.
I am excited about the comprehensiveness of this program and look forward to using it soon with my students. I tried the game and found that it aligned well with the material in the lessons and was fun. I am now proven to be “awesome in Internet Kindness.” Thanks Google!
This looks great! I forwarded your blog to my Computer teacher. I think he will love this resource. My favorite resources are the ones that do not require a login, especially for young children! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTiffany Anderson
Hi Kristi,
ReplyDeleteThis looks like an amazing tool to use with students in the library! I love how it doesn't store data, which is something you can share with parents who are hesitant to let their students use technology because of that factor. I will definitely look into this game, especially if I end up in a primary or elementary school library. Students are into video-gaming and technology, and any way you can squeeze in an educational aspect is a win.
I really do love this post, and the concept, and the device/material you used to help further learning and help student, teacher, and librarian/teacher. This is a really great resource it seems to me as I am really interested in how to guide students, especially those underage (which most k-12 students are) in an effort to help them learn how to use the internet safely and not stumble upon (a former website, perhaps still in use) information and other materials that we as instructors may not feel safe for them to use. I really appreciate your way of implementing videos and technology to help us further understand the material and your commentary on this material.
ReplyDeleteThis tool sounds awesome! I work at a high school and internet safety is a daily struggle. Students are so willing to download information and share their personal information online as if it's no big deal. This site might be useful for them to understand the importance of safety online. I will definitely be sharing this with my district. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGood Evening Erin,
DeleteI can imagine how much of a issue electronic devices can be in a high school setting because, even on an elementary we have major issues with our students. Students have access to so many devices including their personal cell phones and you are right, they don't care anything about posting or sharing personal information on social media or any other sites. Some of our students have even gone as far as downloading VPNs to access social media websites. Internet safety will forever be a challenge in any school setting. I am happy to see that there are still resources out here that can help mitigate this issue.
Good Evening Kristi,
ReplyDeleteIronically, we just had a lesson on internet safety. Our main source was youtube, but I know that the students are going to be really excited when I introduce this tool to them. I also like the fact that the website gives viewers the option to leave helpful feedback to expand this program. This program sounds similar to a website that I introduced to my students when I was the computer lab facilitor which was called, netsmartz. It also has games and kid-friendly videos that would draw kids of all ages attention while teaching them lessons on internet safety. This is definitely a helpful tool that I plan to use with my students in the library. Thanks for sharing.