From Cyber Safety to Digital Citizenship

The significant changes to technology and the way it is used presents new challenges in creating an environment where teachers and students are confident in the safe and secure use of technologies.

Previous models of school cybersafety relied on teachers and administrators preventing access to specific content, but now the focus of cybersafety needs to expand beyond policies and procedures to include discussion, action, and teachable moments in the classroom.

The concept of creating a cyber safe environment has moved from protecting people and to giving people the skills, knowledge and confidence to maximise the opportunities the effective use of technology can bring.

When a young child enters school, they will have limited practical cyber safety skills. By the time they graduate, we expect them to be ready to fully participate as citizens in a digital society. In the intervening years they will learn cyber safety and digital citiznship skills with the assistance of a guide, against a backdrop of reducing levels of protection.   

NetSafe has developed a new framework to support schools. Read the complete Learn Guide Protect framework here.