What it is: Think U Know Cyber Cafe is a virtual environment where students can practice their online safety smarts. In the cafe, students will help virtual kids make good choices when using email, texting, instant messaging, web browsing, creating an online personal space, and chatting in a chat room. Students are guided through a variety of scenarios where they must help the virtual kids make the right decisions about using the Internet.
How to integrate Think U Know Cyber Cafe into the classroom: Kids spend an enormous amount of their time online. Just because they use the Internet a lot, doesn’t mean that they are good users of the Internet. Many students haven’t had adequate practice with protecting their online identity, keeping track of their digital footprints, or using proper netiquette. Students need to learn the appropriate way to use online spaces. The Think U Know Cyber Cafe is a great place for students to practice and learn how to stay safe online. Use the Cyber Cafe scenarios to guide a whole class discussion with a projector or interactive whiteboard. Discuss the different options that are presented and why one answer is better than the others. Students can also complete a tour of the Cyber Cafe on their own in a computer lab setting. Internet safety should be an ongoing discussion, we can’t assume that students will get it all the first time. Visit the cafe throughout the year for a refresher.
Tips: Check out the rest of the Think U Know website for fantastic activities and information for kids from 5-16.
Please leave a comment and share how you are using Think U Know Cyber Cafe in your classroom.
This is a wonderful resource. I used it when teaching our Year 5, 6, 7s cybersafety. We used some of the videos available on the site and the interactive cybercafe. The students were really engaged and motivated.
It’s also worth signing up for the Thinkuknow newsletter by email so that you keep up to date with what’s mew.
Thank you Kelly for writing about this as we are doing a all learning about esafety etc at the moment at school ant this is something else that I can add to the list of things that I already have.
Great! I’m glad that you are able to use it right away, I just love it when that happens!
Great suggestion Pam, I hadn’t signed up for the Thinkuknow newsletter yet.
Thanks! I will share this with our FCCLA chapters. I can see them using it with younger children as part of some chapter and classroom projects.
A wonderful site that is a must see for all educators.