- October 28, 2019
- Tags: Orlando, Tampa
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6,572 Elementary Students in Orlando Receive Cyber Safety Training for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
57 Elementary Schools Participate in New City-Wide Initiative – Cyber Safety Day Orlando
(10/31/19) Orlando, FL – The nonprofit Center for Cyber Safety and Education (Center) teamed up with local businesses to provide 6,572 3rd graders with free cyber safety training materials during the first-ever Cyber Safety Day Orlando, as part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Schools that registered for Cyber Safety Day Orlando received the award-winning Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures: Privacy. The lesson conducted Wednesday morning city-wide, taught children how to use the internet in a safe and secure way. Students learned that they should never share their full name, address, phone number, gender, age, plans, or password with anyone online. The takeaway message is that “online friends are not the same as real friends.”
Teacher quote
The Center’s Children’s Internet Usage Study of kids in grades 4-8 found that:
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90% have at least one device (phone, tablet, or computer in their bedroom) to access the internet.
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40% have connected or chatted with a stranger online. Of those youth, 53% shared their phone number, 30% texted the stranger, and 15% tried to meet the stranger.
“Children seem to learn to use the internet before they learn how to walk. Yet, they are not being taught how to safely navigate the internet. It is imperative that cyber safety education becomes a priority in our schools, especially since most are adapting 1:1 digital learning in the classroom,” said Patrick Craven, Center’s director.
Introduced in the fall of 2016 by the Center and legendary cartoonist Jim Davis, Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures include cartoons, comic books, posters, trading cards, and stickers that show Garfield and friends tackling cyber safety issues such as privacy, the dangers of posting online, online etiquette, cyberbullying, and more. The program has already made great impact. A study of over 1,000 students who participated in Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures saw an, increase in their cyber safety knowledge by 36 percent.
The event was made possible thanks to the generous contributions from individuals and Orlando companies that are committed to make cyber safety education a priority in the classroom, including Amazon Web Services as district sponsor, Microsoft, SAIC and GoldSky Security.
“Teaching our youth, at an early age, to practice good cyber hygiene is a critical step towards making our future world safer on-line as we move further into the Digital Age. We are extremely honored to be partnered with the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, ISC 2, our local schools, and Garfield for this fun day of teaching 3rd grade students how to stay safe in cyberspace,” said Ron Frechette, Founder & CEO at GoldSky Security.
Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures Series won the national Learning® Magazine 2019 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Classroom and the 2019 Academics’ Choice Smart Media Award. Teachers chose the Garfield materials for their ability to engage elementary children and foster retention of core cyber safety lessons.
About Center for Cyber Safety and Education
The Center for Cyber Safety and Education (Center), is a non-profit charitable trust committed to making the cyber world a safer place for everyone. The Center works to ensure that people across the globe have a positive and safe experience online through their award-winning educational programs, scholarships, and research. Visit www.IAmCyberSafe.org to learn more.
About GoldSky Security, LLC
GoldSky Security, LLC is a full-service cybersecurity firm dedicated to helping small-midsize businesses (SMBs) with their IT security and compliance needs. GoldSky’s services are custom designed for each client. The company’s goal for every client they serve is to reduce the risks of cyber-attacks and assist in achieving regulatory compliance mandates. For more information about GoldSky Security services, visit www.goldskysecurity.com
Contact:
Beatriz Parres
[email protected]
512-739-6208
