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We're retiring Digital Passport in June 2024.

Heads up! Digital Passport will be retired on June 30, 2024. But don't worry-we still have you covered! Elementary school students can watch our Meet the Digital Citizens and Device Advice videos.

Until then, introduce students in grades 3-5 to Digital Passport™ by Common Sense Education. The award-winning suite of six interactive games addresses key issues kids face in today's digital world. Each engaging game teaches critical digital citizenship skills that help students learn to use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate. Games are available in Spanish.

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Digital Passport by Common Sense Education

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Teach your students the ins and outs of online safety and communication with Digital Passport™, Common Sense's award-winning suite of digital citizenship learning games for elementary students.

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Digital Citizenship Resources for Family Engagement | Common Sense Education

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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Educators' approach to internet safety in the classroom has changed as technology and our use of it continues to evolve. In the past, digital citizenship lessons on internet safety focused more on dos and don'ts, like create safe passwords and don't talk to strangers online. While secure passwords are certainly important for technology users of all ages, and stranger danger is nothing to take lightly, most internet safety dilemmas are much more nuanced.

The best internet safety lessons recognize the complexity of these topics and help students build the critical-thinking skills and habits of mind to navigate the dilemmas they encounter. Below are the best internet safety lesson plans for students in grades K-12. See the full Common Sense K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum for lesson plans on additional digital citizenship topics.

Kindergarten Internet Safety Lesson Plans

How do you go places safely online?
The power of the internet allows students to experience and visit places they might not be able to see in person. But, just like when traveling in the real world, it's important to be safe when traveling online. On this virtual field trip, kids can practice staying safe on online adventures.

First Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

How can we be safe, responsible, and respectful online?
From our head down to our toes, and our feet up to our nose, the Digital Citizens teach students how to be safe, responsible, and respectful online.

How do you stay safe when visiting a website or an app?
Staying safe online is a lot like staying safe in the real world. Using a fun traffic light activity, students learn how to identify "just right" content, giving them the green light to learn, play, and explore the internet safely.

Second Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

What kinds of information should I keep to myself when I use the internet?
Staying safe online is a lot like staying safe in the real world. By helping a Digital Citizen sign up for a new app, students learn about the kinds of information they should keep to themselves when they use the internet -- just as they would with a stranger in person.

How are we all part of an online community?
We are all connected on the internet! By learning the Rings of Responsibility, students explore how the internet connects us to people in our community and throughout the world. Help your students think critically about the different ways they connect with others, both in person and online.

Third Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

How can a strong password help protect your privacy?
Stronger, more secure online passwords are a good idea for everyone. But how can we help kids create better passwords and actually remember them? Use the tips in this lesson to help kids make passwords that are both secure and memorable.

What makes a strong online community?
Belonging to various communities is important for kids' development. But some online communities can be healthier than others. Show your students how they can strengthen both online and in-person communities by creating norms that everyone pledges to uphold.

Fourth Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

What information about you is OK to share online?
It's in our students' nature to share and connect with others. But sharing online comes with some risks. How can we help kids build strong, positive, and safe relationships online? Help your students learn the difference between what's OK to share and what's best left private.

How can I be positive and have fun while playing online games, and help others do the same?
Social interaction is part of what makes online gaming so popular and engaging for kids. Of course, online communication can come with some risks. Show your students how to keep their gaming experiences fun, healthy, and positive.

Fifth Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

What is clickbait, and how can you avoid it?
The internet is full of catchy headlines and outrageous images, all to make us curious and get our attention. But kids don't usually realize: What you click on isn't always what you get. Show your students the best ways to avoid clickbait online.

How do you keep online friendships safe?
Kids make friends everywhere they go -- including online. But are all these friendships the same? How can kids start online friendships and learn ways to stay safe? Help your students understand both the benefits and the risks of online-only friendships.

Sixth Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

How can you protect yourself from phishing?
Internet scams are part of being online today, but many kids might not be aware of them. How do we help our students avoid being tricked into clicking malicious links or giving out private information? Use this lesson to help kids avoid online identity theft and phishing schemes.

How do you chat safely with people you meet online?
Games, social media, and other online spaces give kids opportunities to meet and chat with others outside the confines of their real-life communities. But how well do kids actually know the people they're meeting and interacting with? Help students consider whom they're talking to and the types of information they're sharing online.

Seventh Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

How do companies collect and use data about you?
Every time we go online, we're giving away information about ourselves. But just how much data are companies collecting from us? Hint: It's probably a lot more than we realize. Show your students these three tips on how to limit the data that companies collect.

How does social media affect our relationships?
For most middle schoolers, being on social media can mean connecting with friends, sharing pictures, and keeping up to date. But it can also mean big-time distractions, social pressures, and more. Help students navigate the different feelings they may already be experiencing on social media.

Eighth Grade Internet Safety Lesson Plans

How can you protect your privacy when you're online?
Kids share a lot of information whenever they go online -- sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. But do they understand that online privacy isn't just what they say and post? Help your students learn about their digital footprints and the steps they can take to shape what others find and see about them.

What are the risks and potential consequences of sexting?
It's natural for teens to be curious about their emerging sexuality. But most middle schoolers aren't prepared for the risks of exploring this in the digital age. Help students think critically about self-disclosure in relationships and practice how they'd respond to a situation where sexting -- or a request for sexting -- might happen.

Ninth Grade Internet Safety Lessons

What are the benefits and drawbacks of online tracking?
Many of us are aware that we're being tracked when we go online. It's one of the ways our favorite websites and apps know how to recommend content just for us. But how much information are companies actually collecting? And what are they doing with it? Digging into the details can help us make smart decisions about our online privacy and how to protect it.

How can you tell when an online relationship is risky?
Getting to know someone online, without nonverbal cues or being able to see them, can be risky -- from simple misunderstandings to manipulation. Help students navigate and avoid these situations before they go too far.

Tenth Grade Internet Safety Lessons

What privacy risks do new technologies present, and how do we decide if they're worth it?
New tech, like location services and smart devices, helps make our lives easier and opens opportunities that didn't exist before. But these innovations also come with a cost -- especially to our privacy. Help students consider the benefits and drawbacks of these new technologies -- and decide whether they're ultimately worth it.

How can I make sure my relationships are positive and healthy?
"It's complicated" can describe many of our relationships with others, both romantic and otherwise. Add digital devices and social media to the mix, and things get complicated even further. Help students take the first step toward building healthy and rewarding friendships and romantic relationships, both online and off.

Eleventh Grade Internet Safety Lessons

At what age should people be allowed to use social media?
Kids have to be at least 13 to sign up for most social media platforms. But we know that many tweens work around the restriction. In doing so they can connect with peers and have fun, but they're also vulnerable to a number of risks -- mainly overuse and challenges to their social-emotional health. Reflecting on age-appropriate content and behaviors can help students think through social media's effects on all of us, regardless of our age.

Twelfth Grade Internet Safety Lessons

Should the government have access to all your social media and cellphone data?
Often, the more information we have, the better decisions we're able to make. The power of data can benefit both individuals and governments. But who can be trusted with the responsibility of having all this data? Can governments collect and use it fairly and without violating our privacy? Help students think through this question and become thoughtful influencers of data policy and practice.

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23 Great Lesson Plans for Internet Safety | Common Sense Education

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Help kids practice smart internet habits and stay safe online.

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Discover the digital literacy skills you need to thrive in a global society. Take a 30 minute customized journey to boost your skills as a student, teacher or parent. Then continue to explore and develop with additional resources.

Explore the Meaning of Digital Literacy

Thriving in today's increasingly digital world requires new skills and mindsets. Digital Skills for a Global Society guides learners, educators and caregivers in getting the digital literacy skills they need to be successful in work, empowered as citizens and fulfilled in life.

What Is a Digitally Literate Citizen?

We believe that by continuously developing digital literacy knowledge and skills, we can grow learners who are curious, inclusive, empathetic and sensitive to well-being.

Explore the key digital literacy skills

Discover additional resources and strategies: For Teachers, For Teachers by Subject, and For Leaders.

Digital Literacy Course - now available!

Enroll in the Digital Literacy in the Classroom course
This course guides K-12 educators in developing and utilizing digital literacy skills as a key component of digital citizenship to support students' development. This course is self-paced and can be completed anytime within six months of the course open date.

Meet the organizations working together to expand digital literacy and provide resources for learners, educators and caregivers to thrive in today's increasingly digital world.
Discover Additional Organizations

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Thriving in today's increasingly digital world requires new skills and mindsets. Digital Skills for a Global Society guides learners, educators and caregivers in getting the digital literacy skills they need to be successful in work, empowered as citizens and fulfilled in life.

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Topics: Digital & media literacy

Teachers, perhaps you can relate to this scenario:

You recognize that your students could use some help with evaluating information sources for credibility, bias and influence, one important...

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Topics: Digital & media literacy Teachers, perhaps you can relate to this scenario: You recognize that your students could use some help with evaluating information sources for credibility, bias and influence, one important...

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Digital citizenship shouldn't be a long list of don'ts. It should be about the do's that help create thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who can wrestle with the important ethical questions at the intersection of technology and humanity. Those do's include:

Using technology to make your community better.

Engaging respectfully online with people who have different beliefs than you.

Using technology to make your voice heard by public leaders and shape public policy.

Determining the validity of online sources of information.

Digital citizenship goes beyond conversations about personal responsibility. It's about being active citizens who see possibilities instead of problems, and opportunities instead of risks as they curate a positive and effective digital footprint.

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Digital citizenship shouldn't be a long list of don'ts. It should be about the do's that help create thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who can wrestle with the important ethical questions at the intersection of technology and humanity. Those do's include: Using technology to make your community better.

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International Society of Technology in Education

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International Society of Technology in Education

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The ISTE Student Standards guide educators toward student-driven learning practices that prepare students to thrive in an evolving technological landscape.

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The digital skills gap impacts Americans of all ages. If lacking basic digital skills, students will face challenges not only in school, but in the professional world as well. Students require digital skills to perform research and produce projects in school, as they navigate a digital world for community building and social interactions and as they enter the workforce.

Digital readiness is the broad phrase used to encompass the digital skills needed to use technology in useful, meaningful and innovative ways. Though "digital readiness" is broad and ambiguous, there are concrete digital skills that are foundational to this concept. In the remainder of this article, we will unpack and explore these.

Which Digital Skills Do Students Need?

The digital skills students need tend to fall under five basic categories. These include operation and application, or the ability to select and use appropriate tools for certain tasks and goals; inquiry and innovation, which includes the ability to collect, organize and visualize information using technology programs; problem solving & critical thinking, or the ability to use technology to uncover and apply solutions; online communication and research; and digital citizenship, or the ability to use technology in a safe and ethical way.

In the list below, we detail the digital skills students need in these five primary categories.

1. Keyboarding Effectively

Students should have proficiency in keyboarding to optimize expediency and fluency when using technology.

Apply optimal posture and ergonomic strategies such as correct hand and body positions and smooth and rhythmic keystrokes.

Demonstrate proper touch keyboarding techniques and correct hand placement.

Gain proficiency, accuracy and speed in touch keyboarding.

Identify, explore and understand the layout of common QWERTY keyboards.

Use common hotkeys and shortcut key combinations.

2. Understanding Computer Fundamentals

Computer fundamentals include mastering basic computing functions and hardware. This important digital skill helps students identify and use basic technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks.

Demonstrate proficiency when using common technology devices, including basic skills such as:

Turning on a computer and logging in.

Using a mouse.

Recognizing basic computer icons.

Saving documents and changing file sizes.

Understanding computer and network storage.

Creating, organizing and manipulating shortcuts.

Identifying and employing basic features of an operating system.

Creating and maintaining files and folders.

Practice responsible usage and care when using electronic devices and troubleshoot problems with hardware and software using available resources.

Model the basic infrastructure of networks and how networks allow for online research, communication and collaboration.

Make informed choices among technology systems, resources and services in a variety of contexts.

Demonstrate an understanding of how changes in technology impact the workplace and society.

Identify and assess the capabilities and limitations of emerging technologies.

Utilize technology to facilitate personalized and interactive learning.

3. Utilizing Technology & Productivity Tools

Using technology, students should have the digital skills to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity.

Assess the appropriateness of software applications to accomplish a defined task.

Collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, preparing publications and producing other creative works.

Use a variety of electronic formats (e.g., web publishing, oral presentations, journals and multimedia presentations) to summarize and communicate results.

4. Understanding Spreadsheets & Databases

Students should have the digital skills to understand that spreadsheets, databases and other similar digital tools are used to collect, organize, process, analyze and visualize real-world data. They should have a basic understanding of using, creating and editing these documents.

5. Using Word Processing

Students should be able to use word processing software to translate information into organized, effective documents that serve specific purposes.

6. Creating Presentations

Students create linear and non-linear presentations tailored to specific audiences that present research, tell a story, or exchange ideas using slideshow software and applications.

Evaluate for organization, content, formatting and appropriateness of citations to maximize accuracy and design.

Implement a process to practice, polish and add notes to strengthen the delivery and dissemination of information.

Apply basic design elements including font, color, alignment, white space and layouts, as well as develop templatized layouts, to improve slideshow content.

Make strategic use of visual and audio elements, such as graphics, audio effects, transitions, animations and video components, to add interest and express meaning.

Design presentations with specific audiences in mind.

Use teacher developed guidelines to evaluate multimedia presentations for organization, content, design, presentation and appropriateness of citations.

7. Create Effective Multimedia

Another important skill is understanding, utilizing and creating multimedia. Students should be able to communicate ideas visually and graphically using appropriate digital tools and applications.

Create and edit files in various formats, including audio, video, moving images, text and graphics.

Demonstrate how the use of various techniques and effects (e.g., editing, music, color, rhetorical devices) can be used to convey meaning in media.

Demonstrate an understanding of basic design principles and strategies to increase the effectiveness of a digital product as viewed by different audiences and in different contexts (print, web, screen and monitor).

Create original works, responsibly repurpose and remix digital resources and incorporate various files into new creative multimedia works.

8. Create & Use Visual Mapping

Students should be able to use digital skills to plan and create visual digital products that express thoughts, illustrate complex processes and share stories in a sequential manner.

Gather and organize information.

Visually present information for specific audiences.

Create, edit and publish thoughts and ideas visually.

Brainstorm; capture ideas, understanding and information; and explore complex concepts visually.

9. Create & Use Spreadsheets Effectively

Another important digital skill students should have is the ability to create, read, utilize and edit spreadsheets effectively, as well as understanding the available functionalities of a spreadsheet.

Identify and explain terms and concepts related to spreadsheets (e.g., cell, column, row, values, labels, chart graph).

Use spreadsheet tools and features to facilitate the collection, analysis and presentation of information including:

Text formatting features (e.g., merge cells, wrap text, font, color, alignment).

Advanced formatting (e.g., reposition columns and rows add and name worksheets).

Data entry (e.g., auto fill, import and export functionality).

Various number formats (e.g., scientific notations, percentages, exponents).

Mathematical symbols (e.g., + add, ‐ minus, *multiply, /divide, ^ exponents).

Functions of a spreadsheet application (e.g., sort, filter, find).

Computing methods and formulas (e.g., sums and averages).

Create data visualizations for specific audiences and purposes by assessing the most appropriate type of chart to represent given data.

Collect real-world data and analyze the results to draw conclusions, recognize patterns and relationships in the data and make predictions.

10. Use & Produce Databases

Identify and navigate common examples of databases from everyday life (e.g., library catalogs, school records, contact directories and search directories).

Use effective search strategies for locating and retrieving electronic information in common databases (e.g., using Boolean logic and filters).

Plan, create, modify and edit fields and records in a database.

Use the sort, filter and query tools to produce reports to share and analyze information.

11. Performing Computational Thinking

Students should have the digital skills to wield technology resources for problem solving, critical thinking and informed decision making.

12. Understand & Use Algorithmic Thinking

Use algorithmic thinking to identify algorithms in everyday life.

Determine how algorithms can be used to accomplish tasks and solve problems.

Understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

13. Understand Basic Coding Processes

Students plan the development of a computational artifact using basic coding skills that include reflection on and modification of the process as well as understanding key features, time and resource constraints, user needs and expectations.

14. Using the Internet Effectively, Safely, & Responsibility for Online Communication, Collaboration & Research

15. Understand & Maximize Online Safety

Understand how to be safe and make responsible and ethical decisions online and in a digital world.

Recognize and protect against the potential risks and dangers associated with online communication and participation in online communities (e.g., discussion groups, blogs and social networking sites).

Understand the importance of communicating and reporting inappropriate content and illegal activities in a digital society.

Identify and understand the positive and negative effects of digital technologies and devices and how technology can impact all aspects of life and society.

Recognize online threats to privacy and practice effective strategies to secure and protect personal data from data-collection technologies and malicious software.

Manage online information and use strategies, like creating strong passwords, to keep it secure from online risks.

Practice self-reflection and consider how sharing online can impact themselves and others.

Understand the role an online identity plays and the permanence of choices and decisions when interacting online and cultivate a positive digital identity.

Identify cyberbullying and describe strategies to deal with such a situation.

Final Thoughts

The list of skills students should have is extensive-and regularly grows based on new technologies and digital advances. Teachers and administrators can help teach these essential digital skills through programs such as Learning.com's EasyTech program. Learn more about EasyTech and its comprehensive digital literacy program by clicking the button below.

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Comprehensive List of Important Digital Skills for Students

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Help students excel in education and future careers by helping them master these important digital skills.