K-12 Teachers

The Internet is a critical resource for today’s elementary through high schools - and you can play an essential role in ensuring that this digital resource remains safe and secure for your students.

A great place to start is by participating in National Cyber Security Awareness Month, held in October 2012. Even if you have just one hour to devote to this nationwide observance or decide to make a larger time commitment, you’ll be sure to find at least one activity from the list below that can make a big difference!

…in less than One Hour:

• Display the National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) poster in your classroom. 

• Tell your students that October 2012 is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and that every day for the entire month you will be sharing with them one new tip about staying safe and secure while online. (Check out the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Tips and Advice sheet. The Federal Trade Commission has developed a great guide for talking to kids about online security available at http://onguardonline.gov/features/feature-0004-featured-net-cetera-toolkit.)

…in less than One Day:

• Include the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. tips in take-home materials for your students’ parents to review or distribute them during parent-teacher conferences. (For resources, visit STOP. THINK. CONNECT.)

• Show the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. public service announcement to your students and guide a discussion about online safety and how they think they can make themselves more safe and secure when they are on the Internet. (Download the PSA here: http://stopthinkconnect.org/campaigns/videos/.) 

…in less than One Week:

• Have your students create public awareness posters or videos using the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. or “Shared Responsibility” themes to teach their peers about the importance of cybersecurity. Display the posters around your classroom and in school hallways for other students to see (or have a special schoolwide showing of the videos!). 

• During a faculty meeting, share with other teachers at your school what you have done to encourage your students to become more “cyberwise” and distribute some of the educational materials you have used.

…in less than One Month:

• At the end of National Cyber Security Month, hold a fun classroom activity (maybe using the television gameshow “Jeopardy” format) in which your students’ knowledge of what they learned about staying safe and secure online can be reviewed. 

• Compile a list of your daily “cybersecurity tips” onto a large poster board (see 2^nd bullet above) and display in your classroom as a helpful reminder to be vigilant with cybersecurity. Give a copy of the list to all your students.

…All Year Round:

• Keep your efforts going by reminding your students about the importance of cybersecurity, especially when you give homework requiring the use of the Internet.  (For resources, visit http://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/.)

• Learn about ways you can incorporate cybersecurity into your lesson plans. (Find age-appropriate, easy-to-use materials at  http://www.staysafeonline.org/teach-online-safety/).