GAMIFYING INTERNET SAFETY: In an effort to teach internet safety and citizenship, this week Google introduced a new online game called Be Internet Awesome. The platform takes students on a journey through Interland, where they have to build passwords strong enough to stop hackers, rebuff cyber bullies and distinguish fact from fiction.
As children become more active on the internet at earlier years, educators, tech companies and other groups are looking for ways to bring more awareness to internet safety. Curriculum Google provides with the game encourages students to recognize potential scams, deter them from rude or mean online behavior, and encourage them to treat people online with the same respect they would treat people in person.
Companies such as Google and Facebook have also recently made commitments to tackle fake news online. Educating children through gaming seems to be one of the strategies tech companies are using in those efforts.
