3 Tips for Helping Students Navigate ESafety
As technology advances, our lives increasingly occupy online and digital spaces. These digital environments can be both exciting and beneficial. However, we also know these spaces to be dangerous without proper caution and safety measures in place. Students must understand eSafety to navigate the internet effectively, efficiently, and safely. To do so, students must demonstrate the ability to manage their own digital footprint and only trust secure online spaces. In this article, we provide tips to help students navigate eSafety and stay safe online.
Tip 1. Digital Footprint Management
Introducing students to the importance of digital footprint management is crucial for navigating eSafety. A digital footprint is the trail of information someone leaves behind when they use the internet. This type of management includes a thorough understanding of privacy settings and content publishing. To demonstrate the concept of digital footprints, students may act out scenarios to visibly showcase their trail of information.
Tip 2. Facilitate Discussions
Facilitated discussions help students navigate eSafety. Discussions should encourage students to share ways they stay safe online. Students may also talk about the importance of online privacy. As a collaborative activity, create a list of classroom rules and expectations that draw from student discussion points. This can also support an eSafety pledge for staying safe online. Post these materials in the classroom to remind students of the importance of safety in online spaces.
Tip 3. Gamify
Gamification is a great strategy for making any topic more immersive in the classroom. By gamifying the learning process, students are more likely to actively engage with eSafety learning material. For example, introduce eSafety as a game that rewards students for correctly identifying the do’s and don’ts of eSafety. This approach can be helpful for taking a serious complex topic and making it fun and interactive. This is just one example of how the topic of navigating eSafety could be gamified for students.
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