Digital Citizenship Curriculum Starting in August!
Dear Parents,
When our kids are young, we do our best to help them get the most out of the Internet while protecting them from the risks and downsides of the online world. As children mature into teenhood, our role shifts to helping them learn to make their own safe and thoughtful decisions as they navigate their digital lives.
At Northwest Christian Academy, we believe in partnering with parents and preparing our students to:
• Think critically and evaluate websites, email, and other content online.
• Protect themselves from online threats, including bullying and scams.
• Get smart about sharing: what, when, how, and with whom.
• Be kind and respectful toward other people online, including respecting their privacy.
• Ask for help with tricky situations from a parent or other trusted adult.
This year, these efforts will include Be Internet Awesome, a multifaceted program designed to teach kids the skills they need to be safe and smart online. One of the resources, Interland, is a browser-based game that makes learning these skills interactive and fun – just like the Internet itself. Developed by Google in partnership with educators, researchers, and online-safety experts at The Net Safety Collaborative and iKeepSafe.org, Be Internet Awesome provides fun, age-appropriate learning experiences built around five foundational lessons:
• Share with Care
• Don’t Fall for Fake
• Secure Your Secrets
• It’s Cool to Be Kind
• When in Doubt, Talk It Out
Smart, safe technology usage can enable students to help drive their own learning and help our school function better. We believe the Be Internet Awesome program will mark an important step toward our goal of ensuring that all our students at NCA are learning, exploring, and staying safe online, both inside and outside the school walls.
We’ll be happy to share more information about this new program, including introductions to some of the resources your student will start using in class, but we also invite you to check out the resources for families that are available at g.co/BeInternetAwesome. We encourage you to ask your student about what activities they are participating in and continue the conversation at home – and who knows, you just might pick up a few privacy and security tricks yourself!
Sincerely,
Northwest Christian Academy
