Lesson 13.1: Digital Citizenship and Online Safety
Welcome, superheroes! To be a true hero of the digital world, you need a special toolkit to help you stay safe and be a positive force for good. Today, we’ll build that toolkit together.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of your training, you’ll be able to:
- Explain what a “digital footprint” is and why it’s important to be thoughtful online.
- Create a super-strong, easy-to-remember password.
- Know the #1 rule for what to do if you see something online that makes you feel weird or uncomfortable.
- Help create a class promise to always be kind and safe online.
Your Superhero Training Plan
Your Digital Footprint (15 minutes)
- Let’s imagine we’re walking on a muddy path. We’d leave footprints, right? The internet is similar! Everything we do online leaves a digital footprint.
- We’ll talk about why we want our footprints to be positive and kind. The key is to THINK before you click!
- Let’s brainstorm: What are some examples of positive footprints we can leave online?
The Secret Password Workshop (15 minutes)
- Your secret identity is important! A strong password is like a lock on the door to your superhero hideout.
- We’ll learn the secret recipe for a strong password: make it long, mix it up (letters, numbers!), and make it something you can remember but is hard for others to guess.
- Your mission: Create your own new, super-strong password on our practice worksheet. (Don’t share it!)
The Most Important Rule (15 minutes)
- We’ll look at some simple online situations. Some are fun, but some might feel a little weird.
- We’ll learn the most important superhero rule of the internet: If you’re not sure, or if something makes you feel uncomfortable, STOP and ask a trusted adult for help.
- We will practice what to say and who our trusted adults are (parents, teachers, family members).
Our Superhero Pledge (5 minutes)
- Let’s work together to create a simple promise for our class.
- This will be our Digital Citizenship Pledge, a list of rules we all agree to follow to keep our online community safe and fun for everyone.
Your Superhero Toolkit
- A fun way to show a “digital footprint” (maybe with paint or chalk!)
- Worksheets to practice creating super-strong passwords
- Simple “what would you do?” scenario cards
- A big poster for our class’s Digital Citizenship Pledge
How to Earn Your Cape
- How you participate in our discussions about making safe and kind choices online.
- Password Power: Can you explain the recipe for a strong password? (Don’t share yours, though!)
- Your signature on our class pledge will show you’re ready to be a superhero digital citizen!
New Tech Words to Master
- Digital Citizenship: Being a responsible, respectful, and safe member of the online community.
- Digital Footprint: The trail of “footprints” you leave behind online with your posts, comments, and clicks.
- Password Security: The practice of creating strong passwords and keeping them secret to protect your information.
- Privacy: Controlling what information you share about yourself online.