Eray Başar - Course Coordinator
Eray is a member of the Digital Citizenship Department at the EUN. He works mainly on the youth participation and project assessment tasks of the Better Internet for Kids project, among others
Child Online Safety: What Educators need to know
BIK
Welcome to the MOOC Child Online Safety: What Educators need to know
On this page
In today’s society, digital technologies are woven into the fabric of daily life, becoming an integral part of various aspects from entertainment to education, finances to businesses, shopping to social life, and virtually everything else in between. As such, the use of digital technologies and the internet comes with a plethora of opportunities, but it also poses many risks and challenges. While it is important to start education at home, teachers and school administrations, as well as those working in non-formal education settings, also play an important role in empowering students how to use such technologies safely, ethically and responsibly.
Moreover, the issues revolving around the use of digital technologies by young people are also high on the European Commission's (EC) agenda with topics such as mental health, cyberbullying, persuasive and addictive design, and protection of young consumers receiving particular attention. As such, these topics will be covered in detail in this MOOC by the Better Internet for Kids project. The course will provide background information and understanding of specific risks and challenges that the children and young people face online. It will also explore the ways in which teachers and schools can help to protect and raise awareness among their pupils tackle these challenges.
You can follow the course at your own pace. We will open one module at the beginning of each week, and there are only a few deadlines you need to pay attention to (those for the quizzes and/or the peer-review activity).
Join us in the Facebook group or share your thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) using the hashtag #ChildOnlineSafety,#BIKMOOC.
Learning objectives
- To understand the importance of providing the youth with a safer and better internet in the context of the European strategy for a better Internet for kids (BIK+).
- To learn about the opportunities as well as the risks and challenges that young people may face in their online experiences.
- To learn about strategies to tackle the most prominent risks and challenges online such as cyberbullying, adverse effects on well-being and mental health, persuasive and addictive deign in online platforms and services, as well as protection of young consumers online particularly in gaming environments.
- To raise awareness of, and signpost to resources for teaching online safety in schools.
- To raise awareness of the BIK+ strategy and Insafe network, as part of the network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) in Europe, and associated resources.
Prerequisites
The course will target primary and secondary school teachers of any subject, particularly those who are new to the profession or have limited knowledge of the topics covered in the course. It will also benefit other educational professionals and stakeholders, such as heads of schools, school support staff, professionals working in non-formal education settings, and policymakers interested in this topic.
Modules
- Module 1: Mental health and well-being opens on 03/02/2025
- Module 2: Cyberbullying opens on 10/02/2025
- Module 3: Persuasive and addictive design opens on 17/02/2025
- Module 4: Consumer protection opens on 24/02/2025
Certification
In order to receive the certificate, the participation in the quizzes will count for 5%, and the learning scenario together with the peer reviews will count for 95%. The overall passing grade is 95%.
The final deadline to complete all activities is 12 March, 23:59 CET.
Note to teachers from Portugal: You can get your successful participation in a European Schoolnet Academy course formally recognised as a valid continuous professional development, and thereby acquire the relevant number of training hours, by sending your certificate to the Conselho Científico e Pedagógico de Formação Contínua (CCPFC) at Rua do Forno, nº 30, 1º andar - apartado 2168, 4700 - 429 Braga, Portugal. For more information, please contact the CCPFC.
Note to teachers from Emilia-Romagna: Per i docenti della regione Emilia-Romagna iscritti alla piattaforma regionale https://iscrizioni.istruzioneer.it/ è possibile ottenere, oltre all’attestato rilasciato da European Schoolnet Academy, anche l’attestato rilasciato dall’Ufficio Scolastico Regionale per l'Emilia-Romagna (Servizio Marconi) che attua un'azione di facilitazione ed accompagnamento a questa attività. Maggiori informazioni al link: https://bit.ly/EuroSmooc21.
Note to teachers from Ireland: It may be possible to count the completion of this course as part fulfilment of any discretionary CPD hours, subject to your school management's approval. Therefore, please enquire with your school management if your participation in this course can be formally recognised.
Course Staff
Gareth Cort - Course Moderator
Gareth works as an online safety consultant as part of the Digital Citizenship team at European Schoolnet, developing educational materials for youth, educators and parents/carers. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is a qualified primary school teacher.
Behind the course
With funding provided by the European Commission's Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), the joint Insafe and INHOPE network of Safer Internet Centres collaborates to deliver a safer internet, promoting safe, responsible use of the internet and mobile devices to children, young people and their families, and working to identify and remove illegal content online, in line with the EC’s Better Internet for Kids Strategy. Visit the Better Internet for Kids portal for further information.
Disclaimer
This course is produced by European Schoolnet on behalf of the European Commission as part of the Better Internet for Kids initiative with active involvement from Insafe network members. This MOOC is provided in good faith with regards to the validity, accuracy or comprehensiveness of the information contained within it, but please note that the views expressed are not necessarily the views of the European Commission or any partner organisations. Please note also, the authors have no control over third-party references and linked sites, and any referenced links may be subject to change over time.
All content on this course unless specified otherwise is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License