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Google Launches SEL Lessons, Educator Resources

As part of an expansion of its Be Internet Awesome digital citizenship program, Google today announced several new resources for educators, students and parents, including new curriculum and social-emotional learning lessons focused on online harassment and bullying.

Be Internet Awesome is a program aimed at helping kids navigate the internet and make informed decisions online. It launched in 2017 and has since expanded to 30 countries and 16 languages. The updates announced today include:

  • An updated curriculum;

  • 11 new lessons;

  • Additional educator and family resources;

  • Resources for specific grades and age groups;

  • Additional guidance for gaming and video consumption, as well as the use of search engines; and

  • SEL lessons “to help students address cyberbullying and online harassment.”

According to Google: “To ensure Be Internet Awesome helps students comprehend online safety and digital citizenship concepts, we commissioned the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center to do a rigorous independent evaluation of our program. The researchers learned that students who went through the Be Internet Awesome program improved their comprehension in areas such as being civil online, understanding which websites are safe and responding more confidently to cyberbullying. The research also recommended opportunities where kids could benefit from more guidance, which we’ve used to update our curriculum.”

The Committee for Children and The Net Safety Collaborative partnered with Google for some of the updates to the program.

Further information can be found on the Be Internet Awesome site.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


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