On the 4th October, Google announced that it is launching a new safety centre to further support teachers in the classroom. The safety centre will contain resources that teachers and students can use to discuss and learn about important topics such as data security and privacy settings. The site is due to be launched within the next few weeks and will be available in 65 languages in the attempt to make it widely available.
Google Survey findings
Last year Google conducted a survey with more than 200 teachers in the UK to learn about their experience with online safety in the classroom. They found that teachers believe children should begin learning about online safety at the early age of seven. On top of that, with technology becoming such a huge part in everyday life, 99% of the teachers believe online safety should be part of the curriculum. More than one in three teachers also reported that they’d witnessed an online safety incident in the classroom i.e. the sharing of personal information or cyber bullying.
What the Safety Centre will contain
The new safety centre is designed to support teachers to help students to make the right choices online. The safety centre will include:
- Security tips that teachers can use to educate students when online
- Be Internet Legends initiative, this empowers younger children to use the web safely and wisely, so they can be more confident when exploring online.
- Knowledge about your privacy rights online, students will have the ability to choose the settings right for them. The includes the ability to undertake a Privacy Checkup.
Katie O’Donovan, online safety policy manager at Google UK, said: “Not every student uses the Internet the same way, making online safety a challenge for teachers. At Google we want to support teachers to help students to make choices online that are right for them, our Google Safety Centre is designed to help them do just that.”