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Edscoop
Google wants to spread positivity online, stop cyberbullying
Written by Betsy Foresman
Oct. 9, 2019
In an effort to combat cyberbullying this October, Google has teamed up
with two nonprofits to teach kids how to spread kindness and positivity
online.
Cyberbullying is the number one online safety concern in the classroom,
according to research from Google, and both parents and teachers have
recognized that more needs to be done to teach kids to be safer, more
positive digital citizens. Playworks, a nonprofit committed to teaching
kids leadership skills through play, and DonorsChoose.org, an
organization that provides teachers with tools to support quality
education, have joined forces with Google’s ‘Be Internet Awesome’
program to tackle this issue.
“[Be Internet Awesome] is really designed to help teach kids the
fundamentals of navigating the internet,” Jessica Covarrubias, who
leads this program at Google, told EdScoop.
The program, which is targeted at children aged 6 to 11, addresses the
basics of internet conduct, like how to create secure passwords, spot
misinformation and communicate responsibly. But Covarrubias said her
favorite lesson teaches kids how to spread positivity and kindness
online.
“They forget that words online also have impact, whether negative or
positive,” Covarrubias said. “We’re teaching them the golden rule.”
The partnership between Google, Playworks and DonorsChoose.org is meant
to help spread awareness and impact of the resources available to
students, teachers and parents.
Real Players Don’t Bully, a campaign against bullying from Playworks,
shows kids the importance of practicing kindness and inclusion to
prevent bullying in the real world. Google is its digital partner.
“They’re focused on teaching kids to be positive offline, so we came on
as a partner to connect the dots and help teach kids how to be kind
online as well,” Covarrubias said.
The partnership with DonorsChoose.org helps spread awareness to
educators that there are resources available to help kids teach kids
kindness.
“We wanted to be able to help empower educators with the tools to begin
teaching kids about how to be kind online, and we wanted to be able to
help teach children, overall, this idea of being kind online,” she said.
This program is expected to make a big impact, reaching upwards of
4,000 classrooms and 40,000 students and will feature a series of
events with elementary school students around the country.
At each event, kids will learn the importance of positive behavior both
online and in real life through Google’s Be Internet Awesome lessons —
which cover topics like kindness, privacy and security — and an
interactive online game called Interland, which is designed to
reinforce key concepts of the program in a fun, engaging way.
By introducing these concepts at a young age, it helps kids to have
open conversations both inside and outside their classrooms about
appropriate online behavior and what to do when faced with challenges
online. “Our intent is to make this really embedded into their lives
wherever they are,” Covarrubias said.
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