Neustar, Inc., provider of real-time information and analysis to the Internet, telecommunications, entertainment, advertising and marketing industries, today announced a major new initiative to bring an online, in-school digital literacy and responsibility program, called My Digital Life, to students across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Neustar is working with education technology company EverFi, Inc. to provide this experience to all Virginia schools interested in teaching and certifying their students in digital literacy and responsibility skills. Neustar’s sponsorship allows the program to be made available free of cost to every school in the state.
The My Digital Life launch event, held in Richmond at the Virginia Capitol Building, included remarks by Governor Robert McDonnell, Senator Mark Warner, Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash, and Henrico County Superintendent Patrick Russo, Neustar President and CEO Lisa Hook and EverFi Chief Executive Officer Tom Davidson.
“My Digital Life takes students through a variety of different situations and provides tools to teach them how to evaluate the risks of posting their personal information online, how to respond to cyberbullying, and the obvious dangers of texting and driving,” Senator Mark Warner said. “Our kids are living their lives on-line, and this is a great new partnership to try to make sure that young people learn how to use the Internet and social media tools in a safer, more positive and responsible way.”
Developed by EverFi, the My Digital Life is an interactive, new-media learning platform that combines instructional design, rich media, and gaming to educate teens and help them to leverage technology safely and effectively. The 3.5-hour curriculum is designed for students in 8th – 9th grade and aligns with National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), as well as emerging state standards. The program covers a wide range of topics including privacy, security, cyberbullying, and digital relationships. The curriculum also focuses on building specific digital skills, such as creating a blog, maintaining a responsible social network, and evaluating online research sources. The learning platform tracks knowledge gain as well as students’ attitudes and behaviors on these important issues.
