Internet safety is even more important today than ever. With SPAM, Phishing, and inappropriate file sharing occurring every day we need to best prepare our students for the digital world we live in today. There are many ways to do this. One fun and easy way to introduce the most pressing issues is with Google’s Be Internet Awesome. This is a game based activity that covers the general rules to start the discussions of online safety. Give it a try and start helping your students Be Internet Awesome!
Be Internet Awesome!
What “ Be Internet Awesome” is All About:
- There are tons of resources available here for teachers and parents. Check them out in the “Resources” link at the top right.
- Slide Decks, IT Help, Direct Link for Google Classroom, Teacher Courses, Posters, Certificates & Badges, Papercraft Activity, Parent Guide
- This is game-based and rewards points as well as certificates upon completion. It will keep students’ attention and share important safety tips.
- Topics Covered:
- Explore some of the Google Slides (you will want to install the Pear Deck Add On) and other teaching and parent resources.
- If you want to record completion of each level you can use this shared Google Sheet:
Get Students Playing and Learning:
- The easiest way to start is to send your students to the following link: beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en/interland
- There is no signing in, but the site does save progress (single-user in Chrome).
- Have them explore the games and play.
- One major tip...They must read the prompts. Some of the games can be challenging at first. Don’t let them get frustrated. They do need to listen/read the prompts and pay attention. Everything is explained. Once they get the hang of it, they will do very well.
- If their device seems to be lagging, have them click the gear in the bottom right corner and turn off HD Graphics. This will require fewer resources and run better (especially on Chromebooks).
- Make sure they complete a world before moving to the next. This will ensure they don’t have to keep redoing everything.
- Once they complete a level, they can download a certificate (PDF) and move on to the next.
- When they come back later their progress is saved (as long as they were the only ones signed into their Chrome Account (non-shared devices).
- In the top right of the screen, they will have an icon once they complete the world. You can see this to verify they completed the game. They can also download PDF Certificates of their achievement.
Have your students play and learn! Not only will they be safe online, they will
Be Internet Awesome!
If you want these directions in a document, click HERE!