Copyright

This week's module had us look at a website designed to teach students about Cyber Safety and Cyber Ethics, including copyright issues. I chose a website from PBS Kids to review because I have used other games and interactives designed by PBS and loved them! PBS Kids' stuff is usually geared towards younger learners (who I am also geared towards) and has fun graphics and interactions. Below is my review of the Digital Ethics website:

Webonauts - @http://pbskids.org/webonauts/

What is great about this website is that it is designed as a game with younger learners in mind. Students are interacting, making choices, and observing what is happening in cyberspace. The design of the interactive has a good balance between being instructive and fun. The language is age-appropriate, which is somewhat of a rarity in cyber ethics activities for lower elementary students. I like that it sets up further cyber safety conversations between students, teachers, and parents. The PBS Webonauts Academy was designed for 8-10 years olds. It was produced by designers at PBS Kids. The interactive game has students take on the role of a new Webonaut in the Academy. Their character is helping a sweet alien race, the Bamdudes, fight a villain who is trying to steal the Bamdudes legendary cookie recipe. Through built-in interactions and choosing responses, students learn about cyber safety (identity), bullying, and trusting “rumored” information. The website also contains a resource page for both teachers and parents with tips on how to apply this to a classroom or to reinforce at home what was taught in the game. I would use this in a primary classroom during computer lab time. I would have students go through the Webonauts Academy individually and at the beginning of the year before they were given free-choice options for lab time. After each of our computer lab days, I would have a cyber safety topic pulled from this interactive and ask class questions to generate a discussion like, “What kind of words did Static say to the Bamdudes? How did that make them feel?” This will help reinforce what the activity is teaching students and give them a chance to apply it to their Web behaviors. At the end of the activity, students are given the opportunity to print a certificate of completion. There is also a quiz on the PBS teacher website that asks questions relating to cyber ethics. I would have students print out a copy of their certificate showing that they completed it and also complete either the PBS quiz or a quiz that I had made to make sure they know basic, and important, cyber ethic policies. I would also have students and their parents sign a cyber ethics class policy that I created specifically for our class’ computer use. All of these things would be done before students are allowed to use the computers in my classroom or library.
 * My Comments **
 * Content **
 * Classroom Use **
 * Assessment **