“Everything we post leaves a digital footprint,” says Marsali Hancock, CEO of iKeepSafe, a nonprofit focused on children and digital literacy. “So young people need to know the questions they should be asking before posting digital content.”
With iKeepSafe’s free curriculum for grades K-6, Copyright & Creativity for Ethical Digital Citizens, Hancock hopes to empower youth to ask questions about how and when to cite material from others. The series of short video lessons were designed in consultation with experts in media literacy and copyright law, as well as educators, and aim to help students develop safe use practices. “When it comes to a digital incident, there often isn’t a plan in place for how to handle it,” Hancock tells EdSurge. “Copyright law is very case-specific, so we wanted to set up a framework for responsible use.”
“It’s critical that students learn at an early age to respect intellectual property and creators’ rights,” explains Dana Greenspan, technology specialist at Ventura County Office of Education in California. Along with educators at several other schools in California and Virginia, Greenspan piloted the curriculum before its official release on August 27.
Copyright & Creativity for Ethical Digital Citizens is the first of several free releases as part of iKeepSafe’s BEaPRO initiative, which aims to provide background information on digital literacy and safety for all involved parties. IKeepSafe plans to release more curriculum for students K-12, as well as educators and parents.
