eSafety Lower Primary Professional Learning Modules
About this resource
These self-paced and interactive modules support lower primary educators with teaching online safety to children.
Age range of this resource
For educators of children aged 5 to 8 years.
Goal of this resource
To foster young children’s sense of wellbeing and online safety.
To provide young children with strategies, habits and behaviours for maintaining their own safety when using online environments.
How might teachers use this resource?
Share these modules with colleagues for an opportunity to engage in professional development about online safety. You can complete one or more of the self-contained modules. The modules each take about 25 minutes to complete and there are 35 minutes of additional reading you may choose to explore in your own time to heighten your personal understanding of this important area.
How might families use this resource?
This resource is specifically designed for educators. Parents and carers can review this resource to gain insight into online safety education programs in schools.
How might organisations use this resource?
Provide a link to these modules in your newsletter or communications with teachers and educators. Highlight how learning about online safety is a requirement of the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 and Australian Curriculum.
What learning might we see?
Educators teaching children to use internet-connected technologies safely and responsibly, be respectful online, build resilience and help-seeking skills, and think critically in online environments.
Young children becoming aware of important issues around online safety.
Practices
Supervising
Children use internet-connected technologies with filters and passwords applied and always under active adult supervision.
Area
Citizenship
Citizenship in digital contexts recognises that young children are active participants in their communities now and into the future. As citizens, young children respect their own rights and those of other people, and develop an appreciation for cultural, racial, gender and religious diversity. Digital rights, digital privacy, online safety and cyber-safety education provide a foundation for early citizenship in digital contexts.
Connection to relevant standards
Early Years Learning Framework V2.0
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Children feel safe, secure and supported (e.g., Children establish and maintain respectful, trusting relationships with other children and educators).
Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and agency (e.g., Educators provide children with strategies to make informed choices about their actions, interactions and behaviours).
Children develop knowledgeable, confident self-identities and a positive sense of self-worth (e.g., Educators support children to identify and assess risks in play and learning and to cope with the unexpected).
Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect (e.g., Children recognise safe and unsafe situations; Children identify trusted adults and friends; Educators support children to learn about and recognise safe and unsafe situations).
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens (e.g., Educators provide opportunities for children to investigate ideas, complex concepts and ethical issues that are relevant to their lives and their local communities).
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children become strong in their social, emotional and mental wellbeing (e.g., Educators discuss and model appropriate use of digital technologies and discuss how to keep children safe online with children and families; Educators update their own learning of digital and cyber safety for children).
Children are aware of and develop strategies to support their own mental and physical health and personal safety (e.g., Educators learn about e-safety for children and embed and model safe digital practices).
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials (e.g., Educators select and introduce appropriate tools, technologies and media and provide the skills, knowledge and techniques to enhance children’s learning; Educators develop their skills and knowledge with digital technologies and media in their curriculum to use them confidently with children).
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts (e.g., Children view and listen to printed, visual and multimedia texts and respond with relevant gestures, actions, comments and/or questions).
Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media (e.g., Children view, listen and respond to simple printed, visual and multimedia texts or music and express how it makes them feel).
Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas and represent their thinking (e.g., Educators teach children critical reflection skills and encourage them to evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of information sources; Educators have opportunities to develop their own knowledge and understanding of appropriate digital technology use and safety with children and families).
National Quality Standard
Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice (e.g., Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions; Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence events and their world).
Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety (e.g., Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for sleep, rest and relaxation; At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard).
Quality Area 5: Relationships with children (e.g., Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident and included; The dignity and rights of every child are maintained).
Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities (e.g., Current information is available to families about the service and relevant community services and resources to support parenting and family wellbeing).
National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
Principle 1: Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.
Principle 2: Children and young people are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
Principle 3: Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Principle 5: People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
Principle 7: Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Principle 8: Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Explore More
If these ideas are new to you, explore these related resources:
eSafety Early Years Program for Educators
This program provides information, activities, and advice to early childhood educators and families about young children using technology and online safety.
eSafety Mighty Heroes video series
These animated videos are designed to assist lower primary educators help children learn about online safety and build good habits when using technology.
For more ideas, explore these related resources:
Storytelling for a connected childhood
This article invites parents, carers and educators to use stories to engage children and build their understanding about online safety.
This picture book supports parents, carers and educators to discuss issues with children around online safety.
If you would like to read some research, explore these related resources:
Quayyum, F., Cruzes, D. S., & Jaccheri, L. (2021). Cybersecurity awareness for children: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 30, Article 100343. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212868921000581
Walsh, K., Pink, E., Ayling, N., Sondergeld, A., Dallaston, E., Tournas, P., Serry, E., Trotter, S., Spanos, T., & Rogic, N. (2022). Best practice framework for online safety education: Results from a rapid review of the international literature, expert review, and stakeholder consultation. International Journal of Child-computer Interaction, 33, Article 100474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2022.100474