Powered by OpenAIRE graph

Online Safety For SEN

Funder: European CommissionProject code: 2018-1-UK01-KA201-048042
Funded under: ERASMUS+ | Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices | Strategic Partnerships for school education Funder Contribution: 147,838 EUR

Online Safety For SEN

Description

The internet can be a place where SEN (Children and young people with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) and special educational needs (SEN) in general, who are disadvantaged, disaffected and marginalised.) children feel safe, calm and in control. Somewhere they can make friends without having to communicate face-to-face, and build a community which they may not have in their offline life. Online games and social media sites display the capacity to capture the mind of children with attention problems and can easily sustain their focus. Whilst recognising the internet is a great resource which young people enjoy using, life online for a child with SEND may pose additional challenges. Students with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) have shown particular vulnerability in a variety of different contexts. Resources on this for students with SEN were severely lacking.Using research from our previous project, which showed the benefit of using games to enhance learning, the StaySafe project has created a new interactive and innovative online learning game to support SEN (Special Educational Needs) students to understand the risks and challenges of being online and how to stay safe, and the implications of technology in their everyday lives.The game takes the student on a journey through the Jungle, that is the internet, helping the main character, Bao the Panda (whose name in Chinese means 'to protect'), to set up an online profile and overcome challenges faces on the way. Challenges include online bullying, thinking critically about what you see online and understanding that not everyone online is who they say they are online, which can be a difficult concept to understand. As a learning game the choices made are scored, which entices learners to return to the game to make better choices to beat their previous score.As well as engaging students we wanted to encourage parents and teachers to have conversations and establish a positive relationship with their children around their life online, as this is often an area they don't feel confident in. To address this we created a parent guidance document which allows them to play the game alongside their child to stimulate those conversations. There are also class lesson plans and activities for teachers to support pupils as, by playing the game, students learn to assess evidence, negotiate, make informed decisions, and solve problems. The lessons are split into each level of the game making it easy to teach one aspect of internet safety per lesson.Working with 25 teachers from all 3 countries, along with a software company with expertise in learning games to bring together ideas for the game and evaluating the different stages of the project including trialling in the classroom. By working closely together we were able to refine the game and make changes along the way to reflect feedback from students. We were also able to translate the game into the three languages to enable a wider dissemination of the product. A feedback form was given to all the parents, teachers and students involved in the trials and the results analysed. This showed a 100% positive enjoyment of the game, 100% feeling safer online after playing the game and 97% students showing an increased understanding of risks. .As well as trials in Special schools, teachers in mainstream environments have also been testing the game with students. Again the reception was 100% positive. In addition teachers have used the game to teach foreign languages to students in a fun and engaging way.Over 300 teachers have so far been shown the game in Bucks, Gothenburg, Paris and Ludovia. In addition we have been asked to present at the UK education show, BETT, in January 2022.The project outputs were in the form of:•'Bao - It's a Jungle Out There' game•A digital parent and teacher guide•Case studies to provide concrete examples of using the game in formal educational setting with students•Workshops and dissemination organized in France, Sweden and UK.•A website containing all of the aboveWe have been able to secure the long term output for this project. The software company have a new server on which to host the game so that it will be available into the future.The consortiumThe project is a (Erasmus+ K2) bilateral strategic partnership between three regions, England France and Sweden. Buckinghamshire Council (BC) in England is the lead partner.In each country there were carefully selected schools to pilot the project with students.

Data Management Plans
Powered by OpenAIRE graph

Do the share buttons not appear? Please make sure, any blocking addon is disabled, and then reload the page.

All Research products
arrow_drop_down
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
document.write('<div id="oa_widget"></div>');
document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.openaire.eu/index.php?option=com_openaire&view=widget&format=raw&projectId=erasmusplus_::c91f191fbf49c07ed37873444bce7984&type=result"></script>');
-->
</script>
For further information contact us at helpdesk@openaire.eu

No option selected
arrow_drop_down