Trends in Tech: Learning Digital Literacy through Interland

Gamification in Education 

After reading Edtech’s Hottest Topics of 2023, I was fascinated with how gamification can motivate learning, increase engagement, and embed skill development. According to “Gamification in Education: The Fun of Learning,” gamification can take two forms:

1. Games designed for entertainment being used in an educational setting
2. Educators adopting features of game design to enhance learning

Educators can use gamification to transform traditional lessons into a fun learning experience. Gamification influences behavior by engaging students to accomplish learning objectives that they may think are boring. Games help students to create, develop, and connect knowledge related to real-world situations and skill sets. As an aspiring school librarian, one skill set that I must help students develop is digital literacy, where students learn the impact of an online presence, privacy, and security. With gamification in mind, I wanted to find a digital source that helps elementary students develop internet safety. That is where Interland comes in. 

Interland

                                       

In case the embedded YouTube video in the presentation does not work, click here to see the YouTube video 

Interland is part of Be Internet Awesome, a program created by Google in collaboration with safety experts like the Family Online Safety Institute, the Internet Keep Safe Coalition, and ConnectSafely. They created resources to help children become safe users of the Internet. In Interland, children navigate four islands with different gameplay styles. They travel with characters called Internaut to combat cyberbullies, phishers, scammers, and hackers. Each island takes on an aspect of digital literacy:

Image Source: Interland

The Kind Kingdom

• Respect others online

• Speak up when you notice inappropriate behavior

• Report cyberbullies

  
  

Reality River

• Determine what is real and what is fake

• Understand phishing and scams 

  
  

The Mindful Mountain

• Think before you share things like videos, photos, and updates

• Be thoughtful about what you share and who you share information with

• Keep sensitive information to yourself. Don't overshare. 

  
  

The Tower of Treasure

• Know the type of data to keep safe from hackers

• Protect personal data by creating strong passwords with letters, numbers, and symbols. 

Teachers, librarians, and parents can use Interland to teach Internet safety and digital literacy. The mini-games within the island have actions and objectives that students must go through. They must complete these objectives before they obtain a certificate of achievement. However, the four islands give them options on how to proceed, allowing students to control their exploration at their own pace. Interland is a risk-free environment that provides students with a safe space to fail, practice, and succeed. Overall, Interland is a game that makes learning the fundamentals of digital literacy fun and accessible for elementary students. 

Resources

Interland is part of Be Internet Awesome. Here are some resources from the project and other websites that teachers and parents can use to explore digital citizenship and Internet safety. 

• Digital Safety and Citizenship Curriculum: Available in both English and Spanish, this downloadable resource provides educators with the tools to teach online safety. Lessons, plans, activities, and worksheets are included in the curriculum. 
• Common Sense: Digital Citizenship: Common sense provides resources for K-12. Each digital citizenship lesson provides challenges, dilemmas, and scenarios students may face online.
• BrainPOP – BrainPop provides videos, games, lesson plans, and resources on online safety. This resource has information on digital etiquette, avoiding plagiarism, verifying information, social media, and more. 
• Digital Citizenship Safety Family Guide: Learning has to continue at home. This guide provides parents with tools and resources to teach their children about Internet safety and digital citizenship. Parents will find vocabulary words, talking points for discussions, and activities to practice Internet safety. The guide also provides information on Family Link, an app parents can use to set ground rules for Internet usage. 
• YouTube Video Series: #beinternetawesome video series made by over 72 YouTube channels. It provides parents and educators with videos on having a conversation about Internet Safety.

References

2022 Standards Task Force. (2022). Illinois Standards Aligned Instruction for Libraries: I-SAIL 

Libraries-4-Literacy. Google Drive. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Jt7xK1LxRO2fueex7qIqS0QmR3Qz_Dbb. 

Blankman, R. (2022, January 28). Gamification in Education: The Fun of Learning. HMH. https://www.hmhco.com/blog/what-is-gamification-in-education#:~:text=Gamification%20in%20education%20means%20that,%2C%20The%20Sims%2C%20and%20tag.

Krueger, N. (2023, March 16 ). Edtech’s hottest topics for 2023. International Society for Technology in Education. https://www.iste.org/explore/professional-development/edtechs-hottest-topics-2023.