By Caroline Dupuis
Education Consultant
RÉCIT local, English Montreal School Board
Julian Taylor
Librarian, English Montreal School Board
While digital safety (or cybersecurity) is a familiar topic, it’s crucial to revisit it as society and technology evolves. It is well understood that strong passwords are essential, along with being kind online, protecting personal information (including geolocation), safeguarding devices, and being cautious with ads. However, the question remains whether these practices have been fully internalized. Many concerns persist and have been relevant for years. As everyone is learning while technology expands, including AI, what are the issues that need to be prioritized and what can be done to support students to develop healthy cybersecurity practices? This article explores key areas for educators to prioritize and suggests engaging classroom activities to cultivate these habits.
Challenges and Opportunities
The ever-growing number of online tools offers tremendous potential for learning and creativity, as well as levelling the playing field for students with special needs. The flip side is that using these tools opens our students and ourselves up to being vulnerable; the more we “put out there,” the higher the chances of us being victims of fraud, identity theft, and cyberbullying. Therefore, how to strike a balance?
Privacy and Information Sharing
Online platforms often seek extensive user information, typically for their own benefit. Users are prompted to share as much personal information as possible to stay connected, access services, or to seek praise/fame. Keep in mind, each piece of information shared increases vulnerability to attacks or overexposure. While access to online tools allows for creative self-expression, it often comes with hidden costs, such as advertising, the expansion of one’s digital footprint, and the potential misuse of shared information. Therefore, it is crucial to apply critical thinking and share only the minimum amount of information necessary.
Local governments, along with others worldwide, are working to clarify what is safer and/or allowed. In this context, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Loi 25 – Nouvelles dispositions protégeant la vie privée des Québécois (Bill 25 – Updated Requirements Protecting the Privacy of Québec Residents) provide a solid foundation. The upcoming guidelines from the Québec Ministry of Education (Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec) for the use of generative AI in Québec classrooms will further advance these efforts. These guidelines will assist in decision-making regarding the appropriate and safe use of online tools in educational settings.
Core Cybersafety Ideasfor the Classroom
BE A GOOD DIGITAL CITIZEN
Respect is the foundation of responsible online behaviour. This includes mindful screen time, considering the impact of online actions on oneself and others, and seeking permission before sharing personal information. These elements will contribute to our well-being as well as safeguard the well-being of others. How do I feel after scrolling mindlessly on social media? Can I share your work, picture or other online? These are the kinds of questions that should be instinctive.
CHECK THE FACTS
Share-worthy information is often identified, particularly when it evokes a strong emotional response. Try to pause and consider; can I trust what I just read/ saw? When was it posted? Who posted it? What is its purpose? Am I being used by others to push their own “agenda”? What could I do to verify the information? Fact checking is a skill developed over time and requires regular practice. Explicitly teaching and modelling the critical assessment of information can go a long way to help our students. CTRL-F (ctrl-f.ca) is a great resource to support you and your students in this endeavour.
BUILD STRONG PASSWORDS
Create a different password or, better yet, a passphrase for each online account. A passphrase is made up of unrelated words (upper and lower case letters) and numbers e.g., Closet2beachMUG5. Longer is better; make sure there are at least nine characters. Different passwords mean more safety. If one is leaked, only the information shared with that provider will be vulnerable, while your other accounts would remain safe. It is possible to test creating strong passwords with an online password checker (e.g. password.kaspersky.com).
Alternatively, using a third-party sign-on option (such as “sign-on with Google or Microsoft”) can be a viable choice. However, these service providers often require access to information stored in Google or Microsoft accounts. It is important to ensure that no non-essential information is inadvertently shared. It is advisable to always use a work account when accessing online tools for professional purposes.
PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
Keep personal information private. Check the privacy settings of each tool. Some settings are set to public by default, while others are set to private. See what is possible and make decisions accordingly. The only way to know how our information is used is via the terms of use and the privacy policy.
Additionally, it is advisable to limit the number of online accounts in use. Unsubscribing from and deleting accounts that are no longer needed reduces vulnerability. The more online accounts that exist, the greater the potential risk.
BE CAUTIOUS
Remain vigilant against scams, viruses, and malware. While it may be preferable to keep devices until they are no longer functional, it is recommended to recycle those that can no longer be updated, as they are more susceptible to viruses, malware, and hacking. Another aspect to consider is the impact of cookies on digital footprints. Cookies can assist with website navigation and tracking progress, but they also pose a risk by recording online browsing activities. It is important to review the terms of use for online tools to understand what cookies are employed and how they are utilized.
Online App/ Tool Selection
If there is a new online tool, requiring the creation of an account, that you would like to use, especially with your students, you may want to consider the following points before you start, including:
- Does this new tool bring an added pedagogical value to learning?
- If the tool is only a substitution for pen and paper or an already available tool, it might not be worth the risk of sharing yet more personal information online.
- Does it allow me to save data in the cloud? Where is the location of the cloud storage (ideally, this should be in the same geographical location as your school board)?
- Age requirements; what is the minimum age to use the service?
- Type of information needed by the site.
- Does it require more than two identifiable pieces of information about the students?
- Do they share any information with third parties?
- Who owns the material created?
- Does the user maintain sole ownership of their creations?
- How can the service exploit the user’s creations for its own purposes (e.g., marketing)?
- Are there advertisements?
- In all cases, you should seek parental permission.
It is best to only use platforms that are approved by your school board. Don’t know which ones are? Talk to a pedagogical consultant.
Strategies for the Classroom
Given these considerations, how can students be equipped with the skills and reflexes needed to become safe digital citizens? What strategies can be employed to integrate the learning of these skills seamlessly into the curriculum, rather than treating them as another add-on to the curriculum? Here are some engaging activities:
- Inquiry Escape Game: Create an escape game for an inquiry lesson. The class “hunts” for information about a topic within the curriculum. Through such an activity, teachers can get students to adopt good practices to find information via an Inquiry Process Model. Students will have to determine what and where to search for information, as well as determine if the information found can be used.
- Literature Circles: Ask students to pick a story in which characters are dealing with issues related to digital life such as online self-representation, cyberbullying, social media, online gaming, online influencers, etc. Librarians can help curate a list of titles that are age-appropriate for the students. Do you think the characters’ actions are keeping them safe or putting them at risk? What would you recommend in addition to, or instead of, their current actions?
- Online Communication: Getting students to interact in a closed online environment such as Google Classroom may be a good opportunity to discuss ethical behaviour and empathy. After explicitly teaching how to provide peer feedback with prompts such as “I really liked this part of your work because…” and “I think it may be even better if…”, invite them to comment on two other students’ work submissions.
- Public Service Announcement (PSA): Have students create PSA posters or videos to raise awareness about a specific cyber threat.
Here are additional suggestions inspired from a conversation with Gemini (Google conversational AI tool):
- Digital Footprint Art: Have students trace their footprint on paper and decorate it with logos of websites, apps, and games they use. Discuss what a digital footprint is and how to manage it positively.
- Password Superhero: Create a class superhero whose power is strong passwords. Brainstorm characteristics of strong passwords and have students create their superhero passwords.
- Social Media Dilemmas: Present real-life social media scenarios with potential cyberbullying or privacy issues. Have students role-play how to handle the situation safely and responsibly.
- Cybersecurity Debate: Divide the class and have them debate a cybersafety issue (e.g., free access risks vs. benefits). This encourages research, critical thinking, and communication of complex topics.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is a continuous journey with room for nuance. At times, it falls within grey areas and other times it is very clear. Equipping students with the skills to navigate online environments safely and responsibly empowers them to leverage technology for positive learning and creativity.
The Digital Competency Framework (2019) offers structured guidance on how to incorporate various aspects of digital technologies in everyday life and in education, specifically the following dimensions: Ethical Citizenship, Technological Skills, Information Literacy, and Critical Thinking. Furthermore, the Culture and Citizenship in Québec program progressively incorporates some of these concepts.
By prioritizing these areas and employing engaging activities, educators can foster responsible digital citizens who thrive in our ever-evolving online world.