The teaching profession has seen plenty of changes in recent years. Flexible seating, project based learning, classroom technology — every trend means something new for teachers to learn and incorporate into lesson plans. But more than anything else, the internet has shaped the modern classroom. Like the rest of us, students now interact with the online world for a startling percentage of their waking hours. Teachers have long played a key role in showing students how to interact safely with the real world, and they’re now tasked with teaching students how to safely navigate the digital one.
Be Internet Awesome
Our partners at Google have created a series of tools to help. Through the Be Internet Awesome program, Google’s built a digital world called “Interland” to teach K-6 students about everything from safely communicating online to dealing with cyberbullying. The game is accompanied by an ISTE-aligned curriculum for teachers, free slide decks for each of the lessons in the curriculum, and more resources to help teachers navigate this complex and ever changing subject.And the best part? K-6 teachers can earn $100 for their next DonorsChoose.org classroom project by getting started with Interland (we recommend starting with Kind Kingdom)— and another $50 for telling a colleague down the hall. Check out the full details in our help center.
Five Ways to Explore Be Internet Awesome
The curriculum is broken down into five key themes:
- Be Internet SMART teaches students to share and communicate responsibly and thoughtfully in the digital world.
- Be Internet ALERT shows students how to identify scams and understand what’s real and what’s fake online.
- Be Internet STRONG helps students create strong passwords and secure information
- Be Internet KIND gives students the tools to fight cyberbullying and set a positive example.
- Be Internet BRAVE keeps the dialogue open between kids and adults when they encounter something iffy online.
All of these are essential skills for 21st century kids. October is also National Bullying Prevention month, so you may want to kickoff the Be Internet Awesome program with the “It’s cool to be kind” lesson. We’re so excited to team up with Google’s Be Internet Awesome program to give teachers the tools they need to help students be awesome digital citizens.
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