Online safety curriculum guideline key highlights

Developed and launched by Google and the Western Cape Education Department, the Online Safety Curriculum Guideline is targeted at Grades 8 – 12 and is presented as part of the Life Orientation subject.

Curriculum highlights:

Grade 8 – Being safe online. The content for grade 8’s focusses on online safety guidelines and principles as they start to explore the online world.

Topics covered include how to communicate appropriately on messaging platforms, video chats and email, how to create effective passwords and addressing cyber-bullying.

Grade 9 – Being a respectful digital citizen – following on from the foundational topics covered in Grade 8, Grade 9 covers development of self and how to be respectful to themselves and others online.

From sharing information to the consequences of their behaviour around activities like sexting, as a scholar and in the future as an adult looking for a job. Other skills taught include how to validate the authenticity of websites and how to identify misinformation and inaccuracies in online content.

Grade 10 – Being smart online – the Grade 10 curriculum focuses on teaching learners that not everything on the internet is true or correct, and giving them the tools to help identify misinformation. Included in this is information designed to create awareness of dangers like online fraud, scams, phishing and trolls.

It also provides an understanding of networks, the internet and the web and linking this knowledge to why it’s important to be safe and respectful online.

Grade 11 – Being a responsible digital citizen – A responsible real world citizen follows the rules and is aware of their rights and responsibilities, and so it is in the virtual world. Learners are introduced to the characteristics of good citizenship, the concept of others’ right to privacy, and taught how to respect those rights.

Grade 12 – Being future ready – Today’s learners are going into a world where online skills are a basic requirement. The Grade 12 content focuses on e-Commerce applications and services, and teaches them things like how to apply for higher education online, and how to set up job profiles on LinkedIn and other suitable sites. It also covers financial risks and helps them understand how to keep their personal and financial information safe online.

Google trained 500 Life Orientation teachers across the province in preparation for the Online Safety Curriculum Guideline launch and roll-out.

The Curriculum Guideline includes comprehensive information for educators to guide them on how to teach the curriculum and what tools and strategies to use.