MOOC: "Digital Literacy and Online Safety" - EUN European Schoolnet Academy by Emiliana Rufo

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:01:13 UTC

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:01:49 UTC

Module 1: How Did the Pandemic Affect Online Life?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:02:59 UTC

To understand how the pandemic changed the way that people used the internet.
To recognise the benefits that online services and technology provided during the pandemic.
To identify the most prevalent online risks faced by young people during the pandemic.
To begin to consider ways to address online safety risks that affect children and young people.

Course Selfie

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:14:10 UTC

Hello! I teach English as a Foreign Language in a Secondary School in Rome. I've been teaching English for 18 years. I'm specialized in developing ICT in the classroom. I like learning new things, I think life-long learning is the aim of a good teacher. I like trying new methods to make my lessons interactive and I believe this digital period forces us to keep up with technological progress and I want to be at the forefront. I am eTwinning Ambassador. I am Teacher Trainer for eTwinning Regione Lazio. I am Genially Ambassador and Adobe Creative Educator. I'm so proud. I love my subject, my job and my students. My web site: https://emilianarufo.wordpress.com/

Wordcloud

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:16:40 UTC

My words

The wordcloud

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:17:01 UTC

Benefits of internet connectivity during the pandemic to all online users (including children) included:

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:18:11 UTC

Entertainment – access to video and music streaming services, online games and other digital recreation activities.
Communication – access to video conferencing, social media and other messaging services allowed people to keep connected to family and friends. It also enabled children to access education remotely and many adults to work from home during times of lockdown.
Information and education – access to breaking news, information and announcements from governments, healthcare advice and a wealth of content that enabled users to educate themselves and learn new skills.
Creativity – more time spent at home during lockdown resulted in many users turning to online platforms and services to showcase their talents and skills, and work collaboratively with others to produce content for others to enjoy – the Ratatouille musical on TikTok is one good example of how people used technology to connect and creatively work on a project. Technology also enabled people to fundraise to support a wide variety of causes – this example from the UK attracted worldwide attention.
Products and services – with many shops or retail outlets closed in many countries during lockdown, online shopping saw significant growth as people looked to online retailers to provide both essential and non-essential goods and services.

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emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:19:07 UTC

How the internet helped during the pandemic

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:20:27 UTC

In the period of Quarantine I have tried to do my best for my students by using anything I know and I have studied about new methodologies and approaches, innovation technology, apps and softwares. The Internet resource sites and apps helped me a lot to create games, presentations, online activities for my students.

Issues focused on throughout the MOOC

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:32:59 UTC

Misinformation – greater reliance on online communication platforms, websites and social media for news and lifestyle information lead to greater opportunities for rumours, conspiracy theories and false information to spread rapidly and reach large numbers of people. T
Phishing and scams – increased reliance on online services (particularly entertainment services) led to a rise in phishing and scam emails designed to trick users into handing over personal information or financial details to scammers, in the belief that they were providing these details to a genuine company (e.g. Netflix) or bank.
Mental health and wellbeing – research into the use of the internet and its effects on mental health and wellbeing has been ongoing for a number of years.
Time spent online – restrictions keeping people at home, coupled with remote learning, led to many children and young people to use devices for longer each day. Some experts have raised concerns about the impact this technology use may have had on aspects of physical health such as eyesight, but also on mental health and wellbeing.

Online risks

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:35:18 UTC

Child sexual exploitation and grooming – increased time spent online by both children and adults has led to concerns that more children may have been exploited online.
Exclusion – while being online offers many opportunities to connect and communicate, ownership of technology to access the internet can vary considerably between different countries and young people.

Key approaches

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:37:37 UTC

Education and awareness raising – helping students (and parents/carers) recognise and understand online risks, appreciate the potential consequences, and know steps that can be taken to minimise risk. Taking part in awareness raising campaigns such as Safer Internet Day can be an effective way to share online safety tips and advice in your school community.
Filtering and monitoring solutions – use of technical solutions that restrict access to certain content and websites, or monitor the activity of users on a network, can be helpful in protecting children and young people from inappropriate content or contact and identify risky behaviours. Your school may use filtering and monitoring tools on the school network and devices in order to protect students.
Other technical solutions – use of parental controls or other apps that can manage a young person’s access to online content and services can be an effective way for parents/carers to protect their children. However, such solutions are most effective when accompanied by regular discussion to ensure that children understand how and why their internet use is being restricted.
Seeking help and support – understanding how to get help (and from whom) when things go wrong online is crucial for young people in order to minimise harm. Your school may have different ways that students can contact staff in order to get help if they are worried about something. Helping students to understand how your school works to protect them is an effective way of building trust and encouraging them to report concerns.

Educating students about eSafety

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:38:24 UTC

Celebrating Safer Internet Day or taking part in eTwinning projects about eSafety could help be aware and educate students about the topic. I usually let my students discuss, watch videos, read texts and create a list of eSafety rules, create surveys to deepen the correct use of social media and devices. I finally organize debates about pros and cons of the internet.

Safer Internet Day

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:40:34 UTC

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 12:43:06 UTC

Of course I take part to Safer Internet Day every year with my classes. Here are some activities we did in the last years:
https://www.pearltrees.com/emilianarufo/cyberbullying-footprint/id18816322

Survey about online Risks

emiliana_rufo — 2021-04-28 14:16:24 UTC

Module 2: Digital Literacy and Disinformation

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:18:16 UTC

To consider what media literacy is.
To understand the forms that misinformation and disinformation can take online.
To understand how disinformation spreads online and the challenges around this.
To consider ways to develop media literacy skills in your students.

What is media literacy?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:20:25 UTC

“Media literacy, our capacity to access, have a critical understanding of, and interact with the media has never been as important as in today's society. It enables citizens of all ages to navigate the modern news environment and take informed decisions.” European Commission, 2019

How does your school approach media literacy?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:21:50 UTC

We have a responsible of Media Literacy who works in group with the Digital team and other teacher coordinators to spread media literacy and pay attention to some topics such as: cyberbullying, fake news and disinformation.
https://www.iccampagnano.edu.it/index.php/area-didattica/sicurezza-in-rete

Misinformation or disinformation?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:25:19 UTC

It is important to understand the difference between information or content that is false and created or shared deliberately to mislead or influence people (disinformation) as opposed to content that is shared without realising that it may be inaccurate or misleading (misinformation).

Conspiracy theories and fake news

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:26:03 UTC

Conspiracy theories and fake news stories are online issues that went into overdrive during the pandemic.
Infographic from the European Commission

Deepfakes

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:27:26 UTC

Technology has also given rise to deepfakes – the creation of fake videos that show a person saying or performing actions that they have never really done. This can be achieved in several ways:

Digitally editing a person’s face onto another person’s body – While this effect can produce some highly amusing results, this technique has also been commonly used to create fake revenge pornography images (usually against women) and considered a criminal offence.
Digitally recreating a person’s face and lip synching to a voice impersonator – this technique has been used many times to create amusing and interesting videos, but can produce results that are difficult to discern from the real thing.

Have you shared or discussed fake online content with your students? If so, which types/examples were they most aware of? What advice did they offer about choosing what to believe online?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:29:05 UTC

Actually I try to discuss with my students about the fonts of the news they heard about. It is important to understand who, when, where the fake news was spread...and compare it with facts!

Key components in spreading fake news

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:32:55 UTC

Bots – small programs or algorithms that perform actions online
People – People are vulnerable to the popularity tools on social media
Microtargeting – algorithms used by social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube build up a profile of who you are as a user – demographic details
Trolls – users who deliberately argue and insult other users and public figures

Activity: your fake news algorithm

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:34:35 UTC

Start from Fonts
- Read the news
- Who wrote it
- What/Who was it about
- Author
- Relation with real facts

Where does social media stand on false information?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:37:16 UTC

Assessing reliability

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:42:05 UTC

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2021/safer-internet-day-2021-top-tips/safer-internet-day-1

Create a checklist

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:42:58 UTC

Who: author
When: date
What: is the topic based on facts?
Where: sources about where the fact happened
How: are there references? fonts? accuracy?
Find: other fact-based news about the same topic

Discuss with children/young people the role of organisations in online safety

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 08:46:19 UTC

We celebrate Safer Internet Day, for the occasion a lot of topics are discussed: cyberbullying, fake news, fake life, social media effects on real life, responsible use of devices. Here is an infographic I have created with my students for SID 2021 as part of activities of an eTwinning project: https://view.genial.ly/5fc7a5de24b2260d1a4e79d6
It is part of the activities for Active Citizenship - Agenda 2030 Goal #10 Reduced Inequalities

Module 3: Online Scams

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-04 09:01:25 UTC

To consider why online scams exist.
To recognise ways in which scammers seek to acquire personal data and financial information.
To understand technical methods employed to commit online fraud.
To consider strategies for safeguarding personal data and improve device security.

Social engineering and technical attacks

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 07:21:14 UTC

https://imgflip.com/i/5043qr

Romance scams – building a romantic relationship and trust in order to request large sums of money from a victim.
‘Get rich quick’ schemes – scams promising a quick return on a small investment but are designed purely to take money.
Impersonation on social media – setting up a fake account that impersonates the victim in order to add their friends and obtain personal data
Fake shopping sites/products – selling fake products or services in order to take a victim’s money and give nothing in return or a product of much lesser value than advertised.
Phishing – emails pretending to be from a genuine service (like Netflix or a bank) encouraging a victim to click a link to confirm their account details and enter personal data such as usernames and passwords.
Unexpected prizes/competition wins – promises of a prize in return for a small payment or sharing of personal data.
Fake investment offers – scams promising a large return on an investment or seeking to pass money through a victim’s bank account and paying them a percentage as a reward (also known as ‘money muling’, a form of money laundering).
Extortion – threatening a victim with physical or reputational harm unless they comply with the scammer’s demands or pay them to go away. Sextortion scams involve scammers claiming they have intimate images of a victim and will release them into the public domain unless paid not to. (More often than not, the scammer doesn’t possess such content and is making an empty threat).
Tech support scams – unexpected contact from a tech support line or company offering to take control of your device to fix a problem. Allowing them control then permits them to install malicious software (malware) or steal personal data.
Malware – disguising a virus as a genuine file, software or app to encourage a user to install it onto a device in order to allow a criminal to steal personal data or files. Some software (keyloggers) allow a criminal to record all actions on a device, include keys pressed on a keyboard when inputting details such as passwords.
Ransomware – malware that encrypts all files on a device and will only unlock those files when a ransom is paid. As the encryption is often very strong, victims are faced with the choice of paying the ransom or losing the data forever.

The online scams listed above largely fall into two categories:

social engineering – victims are tricked into giving away their personal data or money to a scammer.
Technical attack – victims’ personal data is stolen without their knowledge through the use of malicious software or other technical solutions.

What is phishing?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 07:28:09 UTC

How can you spot a phishing attempt?
https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/5-ways-to-detect-a-phishing-email

Sent from a public email domain – a message from a large genuine company will never be sent from an email address such as @gmail.com or @outlook.com.
Misspelt domain name – if the email domain is misspelt, or the website it links to contains a misspelt address then these could also be clues that they are not genuine. Some scammers will buy up misspelt web address that closely mimic genuine ones e.g. www.göögle.com as this can easily fool people who merely glance at the address rather than studying it in detail.
Poor grammar or spelling – these can be indications that the email isn’t genuine. Poor grammar is often a better indicator as scammers will often use translation tools to translate their message into the required language, so spellings will be correct, but sentence structure might be poor and easily spotted by a native speaker.
Suspicious attachments or links – emails containing attachments or directing a recipient to click on a link are often hiding a piece of malicious software (malware). Files can easily be renamed to something that might tempt a recipient to open it e.g. ‘invoice.pdf’.
A sense of urgency – emails that prompt the recipient to take immediate action, such as an urgent email from your boss asking you to send information, or a message that appears to be from an online service threatening to suspend your account, could be phishing attempts. Rushing recipients into taking action gives them less opportunity to examine the email closely and spot any clues that might give away a fake.

Hackers

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 07:29:43 UTC

When we refer to online accounts being hacked, it often conjures up images of hi-tech criminals using sophisticated techniques to break through the security of online sites and services.

The art of phishing

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 07:32:47 UTC

apple@hotmail.com

Excellent!
You are visitor 100,000,000 of our site!
You are the WINNER!
Click on the LINK to receive your new IPHONE

www.yournewiphone.com

Malware

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 07:36:48 UTC

Some attacks involve the use of malware; malicious software that is disguised as another type of file (such as documents, music tracks, images or videos), genuine software or apps in order to trick a user into opening, downloading or installing it onto their device. Some malware can even be installed onto a device simply by opening an infected website in a web browser.

Ransomware

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 07:39:47 UTC

It is malware that infects a device, encrypts all files so they cannot be accessed and then demands a ransom from the user if they wish to decrypt those files. Because of the strength of the encryption, a user is left with the choice of paying the ransom or losing their data forever.

Online privacy

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 14:27:28 UTC

Limiting the availability of personal data to others online is therefore an important step for all online users to take, even young people.
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/teachers-and-school-staff/teaching-resources/social-media-checklists

Data breaches

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 14:28:43 UTC

Not all personal data that enters the public domain does so due to our own actions. There have been an increasing number of cyberattacks on large companies in recent years, where criminals attempt to steal customer data, particularly login credentials and financial details.
A good way to see if your data has been involved in data breaches is to visit haveibeenpwned.com

Passwords

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 14:30:09 UTC

Strong and memorable passwords

The other best way to protect our data is to ensure that you use strong and memorable passwords on every online account and use a different password for each one.

Previous expert advice on passwords suggested that using upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters would make passwords harder to guess or crack.
A better solution is to make a password based on three random words. There are a number of ways you can do this – you could use a random word generator, use a strategy like Diceware, or even make your own password dice to generate unique passwords, using the ‘Making Strong Passphrases’ activity on the School of Social Networks.

Teach your students to make and store strong passwords

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 14:33:15 UTC

Use words you can easily remember and change letters with numbers and signs you can remember well in combination.

Survey

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 14:37:46 UTC

Do you know your botnets from your rootkits?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 14:41:46 UTC

Module 4: Healthy Relationships with Technology and the Internet

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-05 15:19:11 UTC

To understand the impact of ‘screen time’ and increased time spent using technology.
To recognise how online use can negatively impact on mental health and wellbeing.
To explore strategies for developing healthy relationships with technology and the internet.
To consider ways to empower young people and their families to evaluate and improve their relationships with technology.

Quantity vs Quality

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-10 13:22:27 UTC

Common Sense Media have defined technology use into four main categories:

Passive consumption: watching TV, reading, and listening to music.
Interactive consumption: playing games and browsing the Internet.
Communication: video-chatting and using social media.
Content creation: using devices to make digital art or music.

Distressing or harmful content

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-10 13:23:55 UTC

Younger children (aged 8-11) were more likely to be affected by swearing and abuse from their peers, whereas older children (ages 12-18) were more likely to be affected by distressing content in the news and media, animal abuse and the behaviour of their peers.

Cyberbullying

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-10 13:24:54 UTC

A number of countries such as Australia and Ireland have reported increases in cyberbullying of young people as a result of the pandemic and lockdowns.

Pornographic content

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-10 13:25:52 UTC

Another type of online content that may have affected the wellbeing of young people is that of pornographic content.
There are a number of resources that are useful to help educate young people about online pornography, as well as help you understand the best approach to discussing this sensitive area

Reflect on your role as a teacher and your school’s approach to online safety. What could you do/change in order to better support children/young people who are at risk of harm online?

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-10 13:27:02 UTC

There are only a few teachers in my school who worry about eSafety and try to create content to show students to teach how to be responsible online every year. I think we must increase professional development on the topic in my school. Some of them don't even know there is a Safer Internet day in February...

Survey

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-11 07:15:52 UTC

Unhealthy behaviours

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-11 07:16:21 UTC

Sleep – some research suggests that using technology close to bedtime can negatively affect the duration and quality of sleep obtained.
Addiction – this is an area of contention among academics and health experts, with definitions of ‘internet addiction’ .
Wellbeing – every child and young person is different, and so is the way they use and interact with a wide variety of online platforms and services.

Positive strategies

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-11 07:18:09 UTC

Social and emotional learning (SEL) - knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, develop empathy, build positive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. These are fundamental skills for all young people for all aspects of life but are particularly relevant online.
Seeking help – providing young people with the knowledge and understanding of who they can turn to for help online gives them strategies when faced with problems they can’t overcome.
Developing resilience – This tool created by Headstart Kernow and SWGfL can be used by educators to assess online behaviours of children of all ages.

Strategies and initiatives

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-11 07:19:27 UTC

What strategies/initiatives do you/your school use to educate students about healthy use of technology and the internet? Share any resources you found useful in teaching your students.
I work on positive digital footprint and online mistakes to avoid.
Students must understand they are creating their digital footprint from 13 years

old, this means they will have a long online life when they will arrive to the

end of their studies, maybe something they posted in the the past could create

problems in the future. They must be aware there will be always a consequence to

their actions, even if they are online!
Here are some resource:
https://www.pearltrees.com/emilianarufo/cyberbullying-footprint/id18816322

Empowering young people and families to strike a balance

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-11 07:24:01 UTC

Some key findings:

Children first encounter and interact with technology at a very young age (<2).
Young children learn technology behaviours by observing and mimicking other family members.
Parental mediation strategies are often motivated by fears that only partially match the true risks that young children face online.
Around age 8-9, peer influence becomes stronger than parental influence on children’s technology behaviours.
Schools play a critical role in the early years by providing good digital literacy education to young children.

Discussion:
What should I know before starting a conversation with my son/daughter about the positive/negative aspects of the internet?

Identifying and responding to the online safety needs of your students

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-11 07:28:07 UTC

Throughout the course of this MOOC there have been opportunities to consider the following questions through our consultation surveys:

What are the online risks you are concerned about?
What online risks have you been worried about since the pandemic started?
How does your school help students stay safe online? What else could your school do to help you/your students?
What do you think industry should do to help protect children and young people online?
What role do NGOs and other organisations play in supporting children and young people online?
What should governments focus on to help protect children and young people online?

My Learning Design: "eSafety - How to Be Responsible Online"

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-11 07:53:22 UTC

Hello! I am Emiliana Rufo. I teach English as a Second language in a Secondary School in Rome, Italy.
Here is my Learning Design about an activity on eSafety and Positive Digital Footprint.
The link to the Learning Design:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/learning-designer/viewer.php?uri=/personal/emiliana.rufo/designs/fid/5069ecf37113f6a2a585b51d8fdf4734e7bddc1c7653e0aeb947b24c2d96da95&v=2.45
Shortened URL: https://v.gd/mZNf5K
Here is the link to my Learning Diary of the course: https://padlet.com/emiliana_rufo/literacyandsafety

Here is the link to my personal website: https://emilianarufo.wordpress.com/

My Certificate

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-16 11:09:31 UTC

My badge

emiliana_rufo — 2021-05-16 11:10:22 UTC

https://api.eu.badgr.io/public/assertions/-cnRLlWTTFSgNfXVXi3Dlw?identity__email=emiliana.rufo%40gmail.com