Digital Discipleship Program

Internet Safety

Students explore and learn how the Internet offers an amazing way to collaborate with others worldwide, while staying safe through employing strategies such as distinguishing between inappropriate contact and positive connections.

Guiding Key Questions

How do you go places safely on the computer?
How do you stay safe when you visit a website?
What's the difference between Internet friends and in-person friends?
How should you handle inappropriate online talk?
How can you tell when an online relationship is risky?

Privacy & Security

Students learn the importance of managing their online information and keeping it secure from online risks such as identity thieves and phishing. They understand the need to create strong passwords, how to avoid scams and schemes, and analyse privacy policies.

Guiding Key Questions

What kinds of information should you keep to yourself when you use the Internet?
How do you create a secure password?
How can you protect yourself from online identity theft?
How can a secure password help you protect your private information?
What is spam, and what can you do about it?
How do you know if a website protects your private information?
What is identity theft, and how can protect yourself from it?
How do websites collect your personal information, and what can you do about it?
What are the upsides and downsides of companies collecting your data online?

Digital Footprint & Reputation

Students learn to protect their own privacy and respect others’ privacy. Our digital world is permanent, and with each post, students are building a digital footprint. By encouraging students to self-reflect before they self-reveal, they will consider how what they share online can impact themselves and others.

Guiding Key Questions

What information is OK to have in your digital footprint?
What should you do when someone uses mean or scary language on the Internet?
How can people help others be good digital citizens?
What are the outcomes of presenting yourself in different ways online?
What is a digital footprint, and what does yours convey?
What are the consequences of oversharing online?
What are the risks and responsibilities when you share online in a relationship?
How can information you post on the Internet affect your future opportunities?
How can you respect the privacy of others online?

Self-Image & Identity

Students explore their own digital lives, focusing on their online versus their offline identity. Students learn the benefits and risks of presenting themselves through different personas and the effects on their sense of self, their reputation, and their relationships.

Guiding Key Questions

What kinds of responsibilities does a good digital citizen have?
How do you create a positive online community?
How do we learn stereotypes of boys and girls from media messages?
What is the place of digital media in our lives?
What are your personal media habits, and how much time do you spend with different forms of media?
What are gender stereotypes, and can they shape our experiences online?
What is the place of digital media in our lives?
How do you present yourself to the world online and offline?

Relationships & Communication

Students reflect on how they can use intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to build and strengthen positive online communication
and communities. They delve into the concept of
digital citizenship and digital ethics, and they reflect on their online interactions.

Guiding Key Questions

How do you connect with others through email?
How does the Internet connect you to others?
How can you make sure your emails are clear and respectful?
ow is writing an email similar to or different from writing a letter?
When does inappropriate online behaviour cross the line into cyberbullying, and what can you do about it?
Are girls and guys judged differently when they post photos online?
What does it mean to do the right thing online?
How can you create a community culture in which hate speech is unacceptable, both online and offline?

Cyberbullying & Digital Drama

Students learn what to do if they are involved in a cyberbullying situation. They explore the roles people play and how individual actions — both negative and positive — can impact their friends and broader communities. Students are encouraged to take the active role of up stander and build positive, supportive online communities.

Guiding Key Questions

What can you do when someone is mean to you online?
What is cyberbullying, and how do you deal with it?
How do you judge the intentions and impact of people's words and actions online?
Does the way we think about digital drama have anything to do with gender?
Which factors intensify cyberbullying and online cruelty, and what can you do to lessen them? How does online cruelty affect the people involved?
What does it mean to become an Internet celebrity?

Information Literacy

Information literacy includes the ability to identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively. From effective search strategies to evaluation techniques, students learn and understand the need to evaluate the quality, credibility, and validity of websites, and give proper credit.

Guiding Key Questions

How can you use the alphabet to find things online?
Which keywords will give you the best search results?
What makes a website the right site for you?
How do some websites try to get you to buy things?
Which keywords will give you the best search results?
How do you cite different types of online sources?
How can websites foster community online?
What steps can help you find what you're looking for when you search online?
When can you trust what you find on the Internet?
What are the benefits and drawbacks of people working together to create information online?

Creative Credit & Copyright

Living in a “copy/paste” culture, students need to reflect on their responsibilities and rights as creators in the online spaces where they consume, create, and share information. From addressing plagiarism to piracy, students learn about copyright and fair use.

Guiding Key Questions

How can you give credit to your own creative work?
How can you show respect for other people's work?
How can photos be changed on the computer, and how can that affect your feelings about the way you look?
What rights do you have as a creator?
What responsibilities do you have to respect others' creative work?
What rights do you have as a creator?
How can I make responsible choices when I use other people's creative work?
What should you consider when you use other people's creative work?
What are the creative and ethical aspects of digital-photo manipulation?