School Security

Learning.com Adds Internet Safety to Technology Curriculum

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 04/13/10

A company that sells software to help schools teach technology literacy to K-8 students has developed a module specifically focused on teaching Internet safety. Learning.com, which offers EasyTech, recently announced EasyTech Online Safety, with grade-appropriate content designed for K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. The curriculum is designed to help schools comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which requires recipients of federal technology funds through programs such as E-Rate to comply with Internet filtering and policy requirements.

The new program was developed in collaboration with Patricia Agatston, co-author of Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. The curriculum provides teachers with interactive lessons, discussions, and activities that cover cyber bullying, proper online behavior, keeping personal information safe, safe texting, inappropriate content, avoiding online scams and gambling, and file sharing, among other topics.

The application includes a journaling feature to allow students to reflect on what they're learning. The company also provides parent guides in English and Spanish to support the school-to-home connection.

"Our district was struggling to determine how we were going to meet the online safety instruction requirements for E-Rate," said Ellen Pitrelli, director of technology at Longwood Central School District in Middle Island, NY. "I was extremely excited to discover that EasyTech, a solution we've used for years to integrate technology literacy into core content, now includes online safety curricula and completely meets the mandates set by E-Rate."

The new module can be purchased separately or as part of EasyTech.