Creating and Evaluating Privacy and Security Micro-Lessons for Elementary School Children

Abstract

The growing use of technology in K–8 classrooms highlights a parallel need for formal learning opportunities aimed at helping children use technology safely and protect their personal information. Even the youngest students are now using tablets, laptops, and apps to support their learning; however, there are limited curricular materials available for elementary and middle school children on digital privacy and security topics. To bridge this gap, we developed a series of micro-lessons to help K–8 children learn about digital privacy and security at school. We first conducted a formative study by interviewing elementary school teachers to identify the design needs for digital privacy and security lessons. We then developed micro-lessons—multiple 15-20 minute activities designed to be easily inserted into the existing curriculum—using a co-design approach with multiple rounds of developing and revising the micro-lessons in collaboration with teachers. Throughout the process, we conducted evaluation sessions where teachers implemented or reviewed the micro-lessons. Our study identifies strengths, challenges, and teachers’ tailoring strategies when incorporating micro-lessons for K–8 digital privacy and security topics, providing design implications for facilitating learning about these topics in school classrooms.