Attorney General Kamala Harris today joined with Los Angeles County public schools and the technology industry to announce the launch of a digital citizenship initiative aimed at promoting responsible online behavior by students.
"Guidance around safe and responsible online behavior should be a core part of the curriculum in all schools," said Attorney General Harris in a press statement. "Education can help considerably in preventing and dealing with the consequences of cyberbullying and online harassment. I hope we can all affirm that, while the Internet has changed how we interact, it has not fundamentally changed how we should treat one another."
At an event at Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnet High School in Los Angeles, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and EverFi, Inc.announced the launch of the Digital Living Project for middle schools and high schools throughout Los Angeles. Harris was scheduled to appear with the group but cancelled at the last minute due to pressing law enforcement activities in Southern California, according to event organizers.
The online program will be a multimedia platform powered by EverFi with both instructional portions and simulations to teach students how to use technology safely. The four-hour curriculum is for eighth and ninth grade students and covers security, cyberbullying and online relationships. The program also teaches students how to build a blog, maintain a private social network profile, and how to find legitimate sources online for research.
"Numerous independent studies show that game play has positive impacts on social awareness, creative thinking and classroom learning," said ESA Senior vice President Erik Huey. "By partnering with EverFi, we are using digital learning and gaming to empower students across Los Angeles with the skill set to understand the nuts and bolts of how technology works and leverage these tools safely and effectively."
