In today’s digital age, teaching online safety to students is crucial and more important than ever. However, traditional lessons can be somewhat unengaging, particularly for younger students. Gamification offers a fun and effective way to make online safety education more accessible and memorable. Google Interland is a fantastic example of how gamification can be used to teach students important digital citizenship skills.
What is Google Interland?
Google Interland is an adventure-packed online game designed to teach children about internet safety and digital citizenship. The game features a series of interactive challenges set in a vibrant virtual world. As players progress through the game, they learn about topics such as:
- Being a star detective: Identifying fake news and avoiding scams.
- Being a kind captain: Understanding the importance of online kindness and respect.
- Being a super explorer: Learning about staying safe on the web.
- Being a savvy shopper: Recognizing the risks of online shopping.
The game is set using different colour-coded sections for students: Kind Kingdom, Reality River, Mindful Mountain and Tower of Treasure. As students complete each game, they are awarded with a certificate of completion which can be added to their ICT school portfolios.
How Gamification Enhances Learning
Gamification makes learning more engaging and effective. In Google Interland, there are many engaging and interactive activities throughout each of the sections. These include:
- Rewards and Achievements: Players earn rewards and achievements as they progress through the game, providing a sense of accomplishment and motivation.
- Challenges and Puzzles: The game features a variety of challenges and puzzles that require players to apply their knowledge and skills.
- Storytelling: The game’s immersive storyline helps to create a memorable learning experience for students.
- Competition: Players can compete with friends or classmates, adding an element of social interaction and friendly competition.
Integrating Google Interland into Your Classroom
Here are some tips for using Google Interland in your classroom:
- Set as an Assignment for Homework: Have students play the game at home and discuss their experiences in class. Ask students to upload their completed certificates to Google Classroom.
- Use in Group Activities: Divide students into teams and have them work together to complete the game’s challenges. Students can work together on individual or separate chromebooks.
- Tie to Curriculum: Connect the game to your curriculum by discussing relevant online safety topics. This might include ICT, SPHE and Digital Media Literacy short courses.
Google Interland is a valuable tool for teaching online safety to students. It not only helps to integrate gamification into the classroom, but it can be effective for engagement and motivation. I have found Google Interland to be very useful, particularly for 1st year classes.
See here below to access Google Interland. From my experience, it is best used on chromebooks but is compatible with other devices. Also, if using with a full class group, I would advise headphones or earphones to be used!
https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland