Google uses gaming to teach kids how to be safe online

US – Be Internet Awesome is a new classroom curriculum designed to educate children about online threats such as hackers, phishing and trolls.

Google has created a suite of classroom resources in collaboration with teachers, YouTube videographers and internet safety experts that aim to teach safe online browsing habits to members of Generation I. The free-to-download support pack provides teachers and parents with guidance on how to help ‘students to be responsible digital citizens’.

An accompanying interactive online game called Interland enables children to explore four imaginary floating worlds, each of which features challenges that are related to specific threats they may encounter when browsing online. In Tower of Treasure, players race against a villain to collect alphabet letters and create a strong password, while in Reality River, players are presented with a series of multiple-choice questions designed to help them to identify who to trust online.

‘Building these skills in our students will require ongoing attention as new technologies pose challenges and opportunities for students both at home and at school,’ says Carolyn Sykora, programme director for the International Society for Technology in Education’s standards department.