To commemorate Safer Internet Day 2018 and reiterate its commitment to make the web a safer place for everyone, Google has announced its collaboration with NCERT to integrate a course on Digital Citizenship and Safety in Information and communication technology curriculum.
Students from Classes I to XII across 1.4 million schools in India will now learn how to become good and responsible digital citizens. In addition, Google has also created a curriculum for teachers, so that they can help students learn all about digital citizenship in their classrooms.
The programme includes a range of specific resources for kids, and educators, enabling them with the tools they need to learn and educate themselves on internet safety. The syllabus for online safety presented in the curriculum will be systematically graded and has been divided into four overarching themes — Being Smart; Being Safe; Being a Digital Citizen and Being Future Ready.
The curriculum is structured to match the intellectual and curiosity needs of different age group of the children. For example, in lower classes, students will focus on engaging with technology and learning the use of basic digital tools.
As they advance, they will be taught more advanced topics such as privacy, device management, intellectual property and reputation management. Finally, as they become ready to graduate as digital citizens, they will be prepared with online financial literacy and cyber crime concepts so that they are future ready.
Commenting on the collaboration with NCERT, Sunita Mohanty, director, Trust and Safety, Google India said: “While the Internet has made life easier for everyone and offers so many opportunities to explore, create and collaborate across all age groups, users online or those coming online for the first time, need to be aware of the possible negative experiences that they may incur on the web. This makes it important for us to start a dialogue on the dangers and threats they can be exposed to when surfing the net. Through our course integration, we aim to catch children young and teach them the essentials of staying safe, while exploring the online world.”