Discovery Ed, Intel Partner on Digital Safety Initiative

Discovery Education and Intel Security have partnered on a three-year initiative, the Intel Security Digital Safety Program, designed to help students make safer decisions online. Educators and parents in the United States and Canada will also be able to participate in a sweepstakes contest, with grants and technology prizes, as part of the program.

The program will provide teachers with standards-aligned resources for students aged 8-11 years, such as self-paced lessons, on Internet safety and security. At the end of each module, students will earn a certificate of completion. Family resources for at-home access will also be provided.

Topics covered by program materials include keeping personally identifiable information private, creating stronger passwords and dealing with cyberbullies.

In its second year, the program will expand to include students aged 11-14 years. In the third year, the program will expand again to include students in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

"Teaching our kids to be safe and savvy online is one of the most important things we can be doing," said Michelle Dennedy, chief privacy officer of McAfee, in a prepared statement. "If we're successful in these kinds of endeavors, we'll be contributing not only to kids' personal well-being but also to their future education and careers — all of which will spur economic development."

Eligible participants can enter the national sweepstakes at the elementary school of his or her choice. The grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 grant, one second place winner will receive a $5,000 grant, and 10 honorable-mention winners will receive $1,000 grants to be awarded to the elementary school of their choice. Ten educators will also be selected in a special drawing to win a trip to Philadelphia for ISTE 2015, and an Asus Transformer Ultrabook or McAfee LiveSafe service.

"We are delighted to begin this multi-year partnership with Intel Security, bringing the power of their expertise in cybersecurity to bear in creating first-of-its-kind digital-safety curricula," said Bill Goodwyn, president and CEO of Discovery Education, in a prepared statement. "This engaging, new approach to security education will empower students to be responsible digital citizens, and provide them with the skills needed to recognize possible online threatening situations."

For more information, visit thinkbeforeyoulinkschool.com.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

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