This is a pilot – a test – with Ruff Ruffman videos looking at the red-hot topic of how kids can and should use media and technology. Our first videos focus on texting, sharing photographs, using search, and finding an appropriate balance of technology use.

Teach Digital Citizenship: Free lessons and activities that help students build essential digital habits and skills

Parents and caregivers should set rules that reduce “screen time” by limiting the amount of time children spend on the computer, watching TV and playing video games. The time spent in front of the screen could be better spent being more physically active.

Students easily identify appropriate and inappropriate online behaviors. This lesson empowers students to collaborate while reviewing strategies to disengage or react when interactions become uncomfortable and potentially unsafe. 

Technology can eat away huge amounts of time for everyone in the family…computers, televisions, video games and phones. But did you know that the average child watches more than 2,300 hours of television each year, compared with only approximately 1,200 hours spent in school? As parents, we set the limits and examples. Try these suggestions to help your family cut back on screen time while still having fun.

This is a resource that is used to explain the appropriate use of Social Media for students.

Welcome to Social Media TestDrive, an educational program for teaching digital citizenship skills and online prosocial behaviors! TestDrive prepares young people for real-life experiences in the digital world through learning and practicing within a realistic social media simulation.

TeachersFirst is an online community for teachers by teachers. With thousands of lessons, units, and reviewed web resources for K-12 classroom teachers, our website is designed to enrich teaching and learning for both teachers and their students.

Each episode consists of:
A short three-minute animated video
A conversation guide to support teachers/parents (It’s basically a Q&A for kids)
A Kahoot! Quiz to reinforce the learning
A popular and fun activity sheet| a great homework activity to engage all the family at home.

Fill out the We Can! Screen Time Chart to see how much time your family spends in front of a screen. Keep one chart for each person.

The Digital Citizenship Curricular Framework provides guidance for implementing various sets of curricular standards through a lens of digital citizenship education. This framework can serve as a ‘blueprint’ to guide conversations around digital citizenship education for students in PK through 12th grade. The framework provides a logical sequence for content acquisition and skill development that can help students develop into safe, well-rounded, literate and participatory digital citizens.

The cybersecurity industry is growing so quickly, there will be more jobs than people to fill them. That’s why it’s never too early to learn about careers in cybersecurity. This curriculum is designed to foster discussions between adults and young students (K-3rd grade) about the exciting opportunities available in these fields. Talking about how Faux Paw and the other characters navigate online safety and the digital world is an age appropriate way to ignite students’ curiosity about the opportunities available in cybersecurity jobs. Faux Paw Cybersecurity Superstars Curriculum consists of four lessons about data privacy, digital citizenship, and cybersecurity jobs in a manner relatable to young students. The lessons reference the books/videos Faux Paw’s Adventures on the Internet, Faux Paw and the Dangerous Download, and Faux Paw and the Unfortunate Upload