Better e-Safe than Sorry

Difficulty level : Intermediate

Level : From 13 to 16
Key competencies : Civic / Digital / Literacy / Mathematical / science / technology and engineering

Subject areas : Citizenship / Foreign Languages / Informatics / ICT / Social Studies / Sociology
Download project kit PDF

Both inside and outside our schools, we all use ICT. We use them to post messages, write blogs, create slideshows, share pictures, produce videos, conduct research, write emails, etc. But, do we know how to use the Internet safely? The aim of this kit is to raise awareness of online safety in our schools.

In this kit pupils will learn about online safety issues, research those issues, survey their peers to discover their practices, produce materials on what they discovered and try to raise online safety awareness in their school.

Introduction of partners

Create working groups

Teachers organize pupils into international teams: two pupils from each country in each group (so if there are three countries, there will be six pupils in each group). These groups will be used throughout the project.
Example tool: Framapad; Google Docs

Who are you?
Teachers create a forum on the TwinSpace with one thread per international group.

In their international group thread, pupils post messages to introduce themselves to the other member of their teams. They should also ask each other about their use of internet, for example, how much time they spend on social media and what they know about internet safety, privacy and personal information that you put online.

Students then create a short presentation of their team with the information they have gathered including pictures of team members. This presentation is embedded in a TwinSpace page, so that everyone can get to know the different teams.
Example tool: Google Docs Slideshow, Libre Office Impress, Piktochart

Discover ICT in my school

Each school has to create a short video, presenting the equipment they have at their disposal in their school (multimedia room, laptops, WiFi, tablets etc.) and explain what the approach to online safety is in their school. This content is then uploaded on to the TwinSpace.

Then pupils should then comment on each other’s video, what is different? What surprises them? What would they like to implement in their own school?
Example tool: Windows Movie Maker, YouTube Channel, Padlet

Orientation

The Internet is great!

Teachers create a forum on the TwinSpace with one thread per international group. They also create an online word cloud using AnswerGarden for each group.

Pupils are asked to go to their group’s word cloud and add a least three words that reflect what they like about the Internet.

When all group members are done, one member of the group should save the group work and publish it on the TwinSpace. Pupils then look at the word clouds and comment on them in the TwinSpace forum thread.
Example tool: Answergarden

Are we esafe?

Each pupil answers an online survey about online safety (created by the teachers). The goal is to discover how the pupils use the internet and online tools. It could include questions like “How much time per day do you spend on digital devices”, “How many app/text messages do you send per week?”, “Have you indirectly experienced cyberbullying (e.g. a friend who was being bullied)?”, “Have you read/or are you familiar with your school's ICT policy?” etc. Teachers then make a poster that summarizes the results of the whole project (with relevant country stats if appropriate) and upload it on to the TwinSpace.

Teachers create a forum on the TwinSpace with one thread per international group and then in class, teachers organize discussions about the survey results. Pupils should identify the key issues raised by the results. A summary of the discussion is captured by the pupils and published in their group thread, so that they can share what they learned with their partners.
Example tool: Framapad; Google Docs; Piktochart

Communication

Collaboration

COLLABORATION:

Pupils work within their international groups to create a research paper slideshow about one online safety issue. All activities below can be used to create the slideshow.

Online research paper slideshow template

Teachers provide each group with a research paper slideshow template that can be collaboratively edited using Google slideshow. Here is a suggested template:

Template:

Cover page:
• Title of Research Project
• Picture representing the topic chosen
• Names of those conducting the research

Page 2: Introduction
• Why did you as a group choose this subject/topic?
• What is the research question you decided to address?

Page 3: Information
• Find background information, history and facts about the problems or questions in your research topic which you would like to answer. When looking for information on the Internet, do not just copy and paste.
• Capture your assumptions at the outset of the project: what do you expect to gain/achieve from this research… a better understanding of what?

Page 4: Data collection and results
• Set out the context in which you will gather your data for example, at different schools, pupils of a certain age, pupils who are friends, etc.
• Compile and present the results, do not simply paste graphs from Google forms though, but also write the results in text.

Page 5: Conclusion
• Analysis of your results and what conclusions you can draw from this.
• In what way does this answer your research questions? Do the results confirm or refute your initial assumptions; do they give you new insights?

Page 6: Evaluation
• Do you need more research to draw stronger conclusions on the topic? What would you do differently if you or someone else was going to do this research again? What tips/advice do you have?
• What did you learn as a group and individually from this research project?
• How was the collaboration between you and your eTwinning colleagues and your classmates?

Page 7: Bibliography
• Compile all the sources, online and offline that you used as part of this research.

Example tool: Google Docs Slideshow

What do we want to work on?
According to the previous activity “Online survey about online safety”, some online safety issues may have been raised. Those could include:

• Social Networks
• Smartphone Use
• Video games
• Cyberbullying
• Plagiarism
• Sexting

Each group should choose a topic they all agree to work on. They could use the TwinSpace forum to discuss and reach their decision.

In “Page 2: Introduction” each group should write what topic they have decided to work on and explain why they chose it. They should also decide the research question they want to focus on and write it on the cover page.

Let’s gather information
Pupils research the online safety issue they’ve decided to work on. They should search for information linked to the topic they are researching. They need to complete “Page 3: Information” and “Page 7: Bibliography”.

I’m a data analyst.
Then the groups need to research what the practices are among their schoolmates and partner school. They have to produce their own online survey and get people to respond. That means that within each group, pupils have to agree on what type of questions they are going to ask and how they are going to ask them (yes or no, multiple choice etc.).

Pupils create promotional posters displayed across the school to encourage pupils to participate in the survey.

When the responses are in, pupils analyse the results and do some simple graphs or infographics and text (quotes from their peers) to summarize their findings. This information can then populate “Page 4: Data collection and results” of the slideshow.

Each group should compare page 3 and 4 of their research paper and then should be able to answer to their research questions and complete “Page 5: Conclusion and recommendations”.

Example tool: Google Docs Forms

COMMUNICATION:
Pupils will use the research paper they have created to provide materials that can be shared.

Experts talks
If possible, teachers could organize an online meeting in which each international team present their research paper slideshow to the other teams: what did they research? What did they find out?
Teachers need to keep in mind that they may be time zone differences between the countries involved. They should also test the connection beforehand to make sure everything works.

Example tool: Live section of the TwinSpace

If an online meeting is not an option, here is another idea: each group presents their research paper slideshow to their own class, film it and post it on the TwinSpace.

Example tool: YouTube

Raising online safety awareness in our schools
In class, teachers animate a debate about what has been learned through the research paper presentations. Then, pupils create posters to raise online safety awareness. Those posters are displayed across the school and uploaded on TwinSpace.

Example tool: Piktochart

Evaluation & Assessment

Research paper evaluation
Groups should complete “Page 6: Evaluation” of their research paper. They need to provide some feedback on their own work: what would you do differently if you or someone else was going to do this research again? What tips/advice do you have? What lessons have you learned from the project?

Goodbye messages
At the end of the project pupils write a short goodbye message including ONE thing they have learned during the project and a piece of advice they will implement when using the internet from now on.

Example tool: Padlet

Survey for pupils
Pupils respond to an end of project survey created by the teachers including questions like: “Did you enjoy taking part in a project with other countries?”, “Which task did you like the most?”, “What skills did you improve as a result of the project?” etc.

Example tool: Google Docs Forms, Frama Form

Survey for teachers
Teachers respond to an end of project survey asking them for their level of satisfaction, any difficulties that came up during the project and ideas for future collaboration.

Example tool: Google Docs Forms, Frama Form

Follow-up

Documentation:
All project activities are uploaded in TwinSpace and can be made public. Activities run on external tools can be embedded or linked to within the TwinSpace.
Clear explanations of activities as well as presentation of results are placed in subpages.

Dissemination:
The project and its results can be shared with parents and the wider school community. This can be done through displays for example, the online safety awareness posters, assemblies or sharing news of the project’s progress and its results on the school’s website.

A parents meeting could be organized where pupils could present what they have learned throughout the project, as the topic of online safety may interest parents.

Pupils could also present what they have learned through the project and give advice to their schoolmates by going to other classes.