Curriculum Models
Middle East and North Africa
As many of the schools in NESA are located throughout the MENA region it is important to highlight a
number of governments that have launched innovative online safety initiatives. Below are a number of
examples of initiatives and perhaps could be considered for school based curriculum.
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Qatar – The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) has been
working with a number of partners to hold security awareness workshops for educators in both Arabic
and English. The workshops help teachers develop ways to present security concerns to students in
an age-appropriate manner and to learn how to work with families to protect children online. There
are also efforts underway in Qatar to create an Internet safety curriculum for schools which will
enable both students and teachers to use the Internet safely.
o Qatar’s National ICT Plan –
http://www.ictqatar.qa/sites/default/files/documents/Qatar's_National_ICT_Plan_English.pdf
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United Arab Emirates – The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) joined forces with the
International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) and launched a nationwide program
aimed at educating students on the safe and responsible use of the Internet. During information
security awareness camps, students across the UAE will learn how to adopt secure online behavior,
use social networking websites safely, and avoid suspicious sites and persons. At the end of the
course, students will be awarded an information security certificate by the EC-Council.
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Egypt – The Ministry of Education (MoE) introduced Internet safety into the curriculum from Grade 3
through to Middle School in 2010. Topics covered in primary school include the appropriate ethical
use of the Internet as well as privacy protection. Middle School students will deepen their Internet
safety knowledge by learning about firewalls, safeguarding their identity and e-infringement. Web 2.0
and intellectual property rights are discussed in secondary school. Besides, an Acceptable Usage
Policy (AUP) using the models of the Safer Internet Program of the EU was adopted, and
competitions, paintings, plays and wall magazines further aim to increase awareness among pupils.
o Egypt’s Internet Safety – http://mcit.gov.eg/Internet_Safety/Education
South East Asia
While a number of schools in NESA are from South East Asia this region has few examples of
standardized online safety curriculum in schools.
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Singapore – Internet safety and netiquette are taught across all subjects where ICT is used under the
umbrella standard of cyber wellness. Cyber wellness is taught at all age groups and the Ministry of
Education’s Baseline ICT Standards stress their importance.
o Standards for all stages – http://ict.edumall.sg/ict/slot/u151/baseline/baseline.html
o Specifics on cyber wellness – http://ict.edumall.sg/ict/slot/u151/baseline/cyberwellnesskills.html
Europe
With some of the NESA schools located in Europe and with the headquarters located in Greece there are
also a number of examples to highlight from this region. The European Commission has done of work on
improving online safety in the region with a number of key resources for educators, parents and children.
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InSafe – http://www.saferinternet.org
INHOPE – http://www.inhope.org/gns/our-members.aspx
European Schools Network – http://europeanschoolnet.org/web/guest/about/thisiseun
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Greece – Greek schools are part of the Greek Schools’ Network, an educational intranet system
operated by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The GSN and the Educational Portal of
the Hellenic Ministry of Education provide information on Internet safety and links to the SafeLine
Hotline and the Safer Internet site for Greece. The Ministry of Education’s site also contains a test on
the topic of net etiquette, or ‘netiquette’. In addition, supporting material, teaching scenarios,
educational activities, articles and useful links are provided on the site.
o Educational Portal of the Hellenic Ministry of Education – http://www.e-yliko.gr/default_en.aspx
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Cyprus – The curriculum for Information Technology and Computer Science for secondary schools
expects students to learn how to use modern network services and the Internet effectively and
efficiently. More importantly, students will learn how to recognize the risks arising from the use of
computer networks and the Internet (including data theft, deception, harassment and other hazards)
and how to take appropriate protective measures. In addition, they are expected to adopt a
responsible attitude towards the Internet, realizing their responsibility to protect themselves and
observe codes of conduct towards other users, observing differences in culture, race and sex.
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United Kingdom – Children in UK schools all receive online safety education as part of the ICT
curriculum between the ages of eleven and sixteen. Teachers, parents and other people who work
with children have a number of high quality resources that can be used with children and young
people. The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) recently carried
out an inspection of UK schools and provided several recommendations on safety polices.
o Ofsted Report –
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/10750/128225/file/The%20safe%20use%20of%20ne
w%20technologies.pdf
Curriculum Resources:
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BCS – http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/esafety-syllabus.pdf
Netsmartz – http://www.netsmartz.org/educators
North America
As many of the NESA schools adhere to an American preparatory standard it seems fitting to highlight
some of the best practice examples of online safety that exist there. Many of the states in the United
States and provinces across Canada have tiered programs for online safety education varying by age
level. These programs also include training options for teachers to improve their ICT knowledge.
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Oregon – The safety advice provide by Oregon’s Eugene school district’s website is key example of
best practice and is actually promoted as such by Montana’s Office of Public Instruction. The advice
is updated regularly, contains clear guidance for parents, students and teachers on Acceptable Use
and also provides details of relevant legislation and board policy on topics such as cyberbullying and
harassment. At a broader state level, the Oregon Department of Education provides schools with
links to information which enables teachers to lead classes on Internet safety issues.
o Eugene School District’s Acceptable Use Policy – http://www.4j.lane.edu/cis/appropriate_use
o Oregon Department of Education – http://www.state.or.us/
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New York – New York State Education Department provides assistance and resources to schools
concerning the safe and responsible use of the Internet. Learning standards for Internet safety were
issued for elementary, intermediate and commencement level for the first time in 2008, aligning all
standard areas to include components of safe Internet usage. The Office of Educational Design and
Technology has developed an Internet Safety Program Evaluation to assist school administrators and
educators with reviewing their curricula with regard to Internet Safety lessons.
o New York State Internet Safety Guidelines –
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/LearningStandardsandInternetSafety.html
o Internet Safety Program Evaluation –
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/documents/InternetSafetyProgramEvaluatio
nRubric.doc
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Texas – The state requires that Internet Safety resources are developed and made available to
school districts and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) fulfils this requirement. The content is split as
being appropriate for students, parents or teachers and within those sub-sections are links to
information on a variety of Internet safety and digital citizenship topics. For educators, the emphasis
is on professional development, with administrators required to incorporate Internet safety training
into development schedules for staff.
o Texas Education Agency Resources – http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=2147487064
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Ontario – The government in Ontario had approved changes to the health and physical education
curriculum for elementary students. The changes include adding specific sections on Internet safety
for students in grades four and seven. In addition, children in grades one to eight will participate in
age appropriate discussions about Internet safety and online risks in general, with a particular
emphasis on the incitement of racial hatred through the use of the Internet.
Curriculum Resources:
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CyberSmart! – http://cybersmart.org/
i-SAFE – http://www.isafe.org/
The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education –
http://www.k12science.org/internetsafety.html
Additional Reading and Resources
Books
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Kelly, K. (2010) What Technology Wants
Whitby, P. (2011) Is Your Child Safe Online?
Zittrain, J. (2008) The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It
Research
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Davidson, J., Martellozzo, E., TRA Bahrain (2010) State of the Nation Review of Internet Safety
o http://www.tra.org.bh/en/pdf/SafeSurf_TRA_Report.pdf
FOSI (2011) State of Online Safety Report
o http://www.fosi.org/images/stories/resources/State-of-Online-Safety-Report-2011Edition.pdf
GSMA (2010) mLearning: A Platform for Educational Opportunities at the Base of the Pyramid
o http://www.gsmworld.com/documents/mLearning_Report_Final_Dec2010.pdf
Howard-Jones, P (2011) The impact of digital technologies on human wellbeing
o http://www.nominettrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/SoAInternetandthebrain_0.pdf
Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Görzig, A., and Ólafsson, K. (2011) Risks and safety on the internet:
The perspective of European children
o http://www2.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/EUKidsOnline/Home.aspx
Salem, F. and Mourtada, R. (2011) Arab Social Media Report
o Facebook Usage –
http://www.dsg.ae/en/Publication/Pdf_En/ASMR_Final_Feb_08Low.pdf
o Civil Movements: The Impact of Facebook and Twitter –
http://www.dsg.ae/en/Publication/Pdf_En/DSG_Arab_Social_Media_Report_No_2.pdf
o The Role of Social Media in Arab Women’s Empowerment –
http://www.dsg.fohmics.net/Portals/Pdfs/report.pdf
Online Resources
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Global Resource & Information Directory (GRID) – http://www.fosigrid.org
South West Grid for Learning, 360 degree safe – http://www.360safe.org.uk/