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CONTENT: The free K-12 curriculum at the heart of this site was developed and published as a joint effort of CyberSmart and Macmillan McGraw-Hill. It teaches "safe, responsible, and effective use of school technology and complements all academic subjects." The site, however, now offers much more than a student online safety curriculum, including a free educator toolbar and online workshops for teachers.
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AESTHETICS: The site is well designed and makes effective use of color, spacing, and graphics. Flash Player is needed to play the overview.
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ORGANIZATION: Tabs across the top of the main page and a bottom navigation menu offer easy access to the major areas of the site and a link back to the homepage.
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REVIEW: The CyberSmart Curriculum is a free collection of sixty-five original, standards-based lesson plans with activity sheets. Each of the five units teaches one of five components of Internet use whose titles add up to the acronym, S.M.A.R.T (Safety, Manners, Advertising, Research, and Technology). The lessons are grouped by grade level and are aligned with ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Performance Indicators. Teachers will appreciate the flexibility that the curriculum offers. Lessons can stand alone, so teachers may choose to use as many or as few as needed, or use them in conjunction with existing lessons on Internet use. There is also a nice mix of online and offline activities, allowing the lessons to be useful to those with only one or two computers in the classroom. Included are printable posters with Internet safety tips for elementary and middle/high school students, cartoon posters to remind students to be CyberSmart, and tips for using the curriculum.
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Copyright © 2002 Education World
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10/29/2002
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