Whether its protecting their safety, spotting scams, or taking an online course, all students can benefit from “digital citizenship” skills, says Common Sense, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that provides digital citizenship lessons as well as reviews of technology, media, and apps.

Designed and developed in partnership with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the research-backed, free lessons tackle real challenges and online dilemmas that students are likely to encounter, from cyberbullying to phishing and privacy. The ultimate goal is to equip young people with the skills and tools to be more discerning users of technology and better digital learners.

A 9th grade media-literacy lesson called Hoaxes and Fakes, for example, helps students learn to read what they see on the web “laterally” by showing them how to get off the page, check credibility, and find corroboration. Third graders learn how strong passwords can protect their privacy in Password Power Up, while second graders get a lesson in countering bullies in Putting a STOP to Online Meanness.

Filed under: K-12 Education News, Lesson Plans, Special Features, Web Resources

Tags: cyberbullying, cybersaftety, digital citizenship, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Internet Resources, Lesson Plans, online civics, Project Zero, Resources for Teachers, Web Resources