The implementation of SimSafety
as an educational instrument in order to navigate safely
on the Internet
Anda HUDITA
Teacher at “Andrei Muresanu” Highschool
Brasov
Romania
Content
 Context of SimSafety implementation in Romania
 Educational issues
 Implementation activities
 Conclusions
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Context of implementing SimSafety in Romania
 The implementation of SimSafety in Romania had as main objectives the
promotion of a safer environment for browsing the internet and the increase
awareness of the dangers to which students are exposed when they are online.
 In terms of training, the most important feature of the SimSafety platform is that it
can be used to simulate real situations that students might encounter online. With
no dedicated hours in the curricula or training in this field, SimSafety is an
educational tool that can reach a lot of goals set for learning to navigate the
internet safety.
 The implementation strategy and procedures were based on a needs analysis
(questionnaires and focus group)
 The following study is based on the data collected after Simsafety implementation
in 8 schools
 Analysis tools: project questionnaires and questionnaires locally developed,
discussion with the teachers involved and the parents, focus group.
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Student questionnaires
How often use the Internet?
2%
6%
What did you do on the Internet last month?
2%
0%
once a day or more often
0%
19%
12%
I searched for information
2%
27%
4 times a week
I developed online
activities
I read blogs, forums
2 times a week
once a week
I have downloaded
music,videos
8%
I played online games
once every two weeks
I watched TV programs
80%
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less often than once
every two weeks
13%
29%
other activities
Focus group with the parents
The most dangerous actions regarding
online navigation
 Majority of parents is aware of the
dangers but do not know how to teach
the children to protect themselves.
 A lot of parents restrict online access,
in the context in which the internet
tends to become the basic
infrastructure of the modern society
 SimSafety can be a training system
that allows them to teach their children
to surf the internet in a safer manner.
Visiting sites inappropriate for
their age
Grooming
10
Personal information reveal
9
Violent games
8
7
Abuse
6
Contact w ith strangers
insocial netw orking
5
Cyberbulliing
4
3
Harassment
2
1
Hackers
Contact viruses online
Parenting styles used to protect children online
13%
13%
Social mediation - sit
near the child when he
is on line
Monitoring
25%
49%
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Restriction
Technical solutions filtering software
Educational issues.
 The most important feature of the SimSafety platform is that it can be
used to simulate real situations that students might encounter online.
 Learning using SimSafety is effective due to the following characteristics:
Active – learning - requires conscious and continuous involvement and
participation in the achievements of knowledge.
Relevance - is an educational tool designed to be sensitive to student’s
needs and to provide support in appropriate learning and quality;
Goal-oriented- requires focusing efforts towards achieving objectives.
Objectives are established based on existing weaknesses, the dangers to
which students are subjected online, which will be converted into training
needs and self training.
Collaborative learning- students are determined to learn by collaborating
witch each other.
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Educational issues.
 Difficulties encountered
Schools where the computers have low quality video cards and low
speed Internet
( schools with speed of Internet connection is low and the graphic cards
don’t have minimum requirements for use SimSafety)
User computer skills - significant differences between teachers of primary
and secondary education levels also urban and rural areas,
Teachers availability - teachers who ignore the importance of educating
children in order to navigate safely on the Internet
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Implementation activities
 GOAL - creating structures and mechanisms in order to learn surf the
Internet safely
 Activities:
Analysis and administrative activities( questionnaires and download the
Simsafety game)
Selection and training of the implementation team
Implementation actions.
Monitoring and evaluation
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Implementation activities
Selection and training of the implementation team
 Lessons assisted by the
implementation team members
 Online training sessions trough the
Simsafety platform game
 Simsafety mini-games with teacher
players
 Development of learning materials for
the Simsafety lessons
 Questionnaires to identify the strengths
and the weaknesses
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Implementation activities
Classes using Simsafety
 Open lesson using SimSafety
 Lesson using mini-games
Topics:
Internet, my friend
Online dating, dangers and
benefits
Internet addict
My village Simsafety ( using Free
Building Zone)
The danger behind social
networking (using attributes game)
Internet and chat
Making new friends in Simsafety
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Implementation activities
Lesson plan
Title of lesson: My Friend, the Internet
Teaching class: Technological education
Learner profile: – children, between 9-11 years old.
Duration: 1 hour
Objectives / purpose
of lesson
O1: awareness the
impact of the
Internet in
everyday life
Learning activities
Material
ressources
Presentation of the theme :
Conversati
on
Present the game environment and the main activities
that students will have the possibility to implemented
O3: identify the
dangers that they
may face on the
Internet
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Define the personal avatar
Access in the game environment and navigate
Exploring Internet Fan zone - dangers to internet
surfing
Time
resources
15 min
Communic
ation
Computers
O2: protect their
personal data to
create an avatar
Methods
Simsafety
game
Brainstorm
ing
working on
line on
Internet
15 min
contest
20
Implementation activities
Classes using SimSafety

SimSafety can be used without using
any other auxiliary material for
achieve the aims.

SimSafety promotes cooperative and
active learning.


The lesson scenario is developed by
each teacher depending on the level
of previous knowledge and computer
skills
All the students can be involved in
the SimSafety game in the same time
General
lessons
about
Internet
safety
using
Simsafety
Objectives
Activities in
SimSafety
My avatar
Personal data
protection
create an avatar
Internet and
chat
promotion of
civilized
behavior
rules in
online life
Use chat and gestures
Internet
behavior
Quandary maze- Little
Red Surfing Hood
Quandary mazeNettiquette
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Social
networking
information
about social
networks
flight around Simsafety.
(Infocenter)
The danger
behind
social
networking
awareness of
the dangers
to online
navigation
flight around Simsafety.
(Internet Fan)
Implementation activities
Studies taken after processing
 Students are generally more active in the online world, and so, Training
becomes more active
 Behaviors are being transferred online (aggressive students often
manifest verbal aggression online)
 Behaviors are different from boys to girls on the game platform
Friends accepted on the game platform tend to be friends in the real life
for boys, while girls are friendlier and display the tendency to make more
new friends
The girl avatar is in most cases created using the real identity while boys
tend to deny their’s.
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Implementation activities
Using the SimSafety mini-games
 The SimSafety scenarios are focusing
on specific educational objectives
about Internet safety
 All the mini-games put the children in
similar situations those in real life
The passive receiver of information
with inappropriate content
The message recipient or victim
The initiator misconduct
 The game requires them to behave
according to their role
 The inaccuracies between the role and
the personal style develop critical
thinking
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Implementation activities
Using SimSafety mini - games
Top mini-games (in terms of achieving objectives and use information about Internet
safety)
 Explosive photos (approach an issue which children are interested - publication of
private pictures on the internet)
 We don’t play with you
 Theft (difficulties in understanding the roles)
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Implementation activities
Using SimSafety mini - games
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Implementation activities
Using SimSafety mini - games
 Achieve the goals:
Manage the lesson after the end of the
mini-game
how we involve the other students in
the mini-game (a mini – game is played
only by 5 players)
The players get positive and negative
scoring according to their role
The players have distributive attention
(the mini-game is played with the
avatar, no the role name )
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Conclusions
 Implementation results in qualitative terms:
Developing for both teachers and students communication skills, online
collaboration, working in groups to analyze an issue from multiple
perspectives, dialogue;
Creating a collaborative network based on the exchange of experience
achieved trough the project for teaching Internet safety issues;
Implementation team will ensure the permanent effects of the project by
using long-term strategies for cooperation and continuation of project
activities ;
Implementation results will be disseminated nationwide to transmit
positive experience in the field ;
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Thank you!
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