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National Program, New Curriculum Aim to Help Keep Kids Safe Online.

February 13, 2002, Wednesday

Education Technology News

Teachers can get free lesson plans to explain to children how they can keep safe online through the offshoot of a nationwide initiative sponsored by the federal government and the private sector called the Stay Safe Online.

The initiative, sponsored in part by the Department of Justice, encourages all Americans, including children, to be safe online.

"Citizens don't realize how much damage can be done by people using your computers remotely without you knowing it," said Dick Clarke, special advisor to the president for Cyberspace Security. "This campaign will enlighten and empower consumers to take action."

As part of the campaign, the National Cyber Security Alliance and CyberSmart! School have created the CyberSmart! Curriculum. It includes 65 original K-8 standards-based lesson plans organized in five units: Safety, Manners, Advertising, Research and Technology (SMART).

"We encourage schools to consider the CyberSmart! Curriculum because it covers all aspects of reasonable and effective technology use in a package that is easy for all teachers to use in the classroom," said Ann Flynn, director of education technology at the National School Boards Association (NSBA). "We applaud CyberSmart! for taking the initiative to address appropriate computer and Internet use with a professionally developed curriculum."

To get the free curriculum, go to www.cybersmartcurriculum.org. For information about the Stay Safe Online campaign, go to www.staysafeonline.info. Contacts: Mala Bawer, Cybersmart!, (908) 221-1516, ; Ann Flynn, NSBA, (703) 638-6722, www.nsba.org.