Practicing online kindness is becoming a much more talked-about subject than ever, especially in our schools. Our own tenets of Global Digital Citizenship and the popular Digital Citizenship Agreements used by many thousands of teachers all over the world include guidelines for just such practices. We were curious, though, about who else might share our passion for an awareness of Global Digital Citizenship. Then we discovered John Green and his Be Internet Awesome project, and our question was answered.
John Green is the bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and The Fault in Our Stars. He's part of YouTube's vlogbrothers channel, and also a co-creator of the educational series Crash Course. He created Be Internet Awesome in partnership with Google to provide an online resource for kids, teachers, and parents to learn about digital citizenship and online kindness together. Here's what Be Internet Awesome is all about in a nutshell, from their website:
"To make the most of the Internet, kids need to be prepared to make smart decisions. Be Internet Awesome teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence."
The "Be Internet Awesome" Fundamentals
The Be Internet Awesome project is based on the following fundamental practices that make up its "Code of Awesome."
- BE INTERNET SMART: Share with Care
- BE INTERNET ALERT: Don’t Fall for Fake
- BE INTERNET STRONG: Secure Your Secrets
- BE INTERNET KIND: It’s Cool to Be Kind
- BE INTERNET BRAVE: When in Doubt, Talk It Out
Green's Be Internet Awesome page also features some really cool fun resources for learning about online kindness, responsibility and citizenship, and more. Teacher resources are also available along with a training centre for educators looking to align these concepts with their lessons and curriculum.
Our hats off to John Green and Be Internet Awesome. This is a truly inspiring enterprise that shares so much of the same spirit of our own work here at the Global Digital Citizen Foundation. In this great big online world, it's good to have friends.
Check out the Be Internet Awesome website, or explore their Facebook page.
