Glossary of Terms
This glossary defines the key terms students will encounter in Digital Citizenship for Grade 5. Definitions follow the ISO 11179 metadata registry standard: precise, concise, distinct, non-circular, and free of business rules. Terms are listed alphabetically.
Account
A personal record on a website or app that stores a user's information and lets them sign in.
Accounts are like lockers — each one has a key (a password) and holds personal stuff.
Example: Diego has an account on his school's reading website.
Account Security
The protections that keep an online account safe from people who should not be in it.
Strong passwords, sign out habits, and not sharing logins are all parts of account security.
Example: Aisha checks her account security by making sure her password is strong and her sign-outs are working.
Active Vs Passive Use
The difference between using a screen to create and learn (active) and using it just to watch and scroll (passive).
Active use often feels better afterward than passive use does.
Example: Sam noticed that drawing on a tablet was active vs passive use compared to watching short videos.
Activity Sorting
A way of looking at the things a person does each day and putting them into groups, such as heart, brain, and body.
Sorting helps students see if they are missing one of the three big areas.
Example: Diego sorted his Saturday and noticed he had three brain activities but no body activity.
Address Bar
The strip near the top of a web browser where a person types or sees a website's address.
The address bar shows whether the page being visited is the real one.
Example: Aisha checked the address bar to make sure the page was the real school site.
Adult Help
Support that comes from a parent, teacher, counselor, or other trusted grown-up.
Asking for adult help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Example: Sam got adult help from his school counselor when a chat was making him feel unsafe.
Algorithm Amplification
The way some apps push certain posts to many more people because of how the system is set up.
Amplification can spread good news fast, but it can also spread misinformation fast.
Example: Aisha learned about algorithm amplification when one wild post showed up in everyone's feed.
All Caps
Writing using only capital letters, which on the internet usually means shouting.
Using all caps in a message can make a kind sentence sound angry.
Example: Aisha did not use all caps in her message because she did not want to seem upset.
Anecdote Vs Evidence
The difference between one personal story and a larger set of proof.
A single story can be true and still not show the whole picture.
Example: Aisha learned anecdote vs evidence when one bad review of a book did not match the many good ones.
Anger Online
A strong, hot feeling that can pop up while reading or writing online messages.
Anger online is normal, but acting on it without pausing can lead to regret.
Example: Sam felt anger online when someone insulted his game team and decided to step away first.
Antibullying Poster
A poster a student makes to share ideas about how to stop bullying and support others.
Posters carry a message to the whole school, not just one student.
Example: Aisha made an antibullying poster with the words "Be an upstander, not a bystander."
Apology Online
A message that says sorry and takes responsibility for an unkind action on the internet.
A real apology names what was wrong and does not make excuses.
Example: Sam's apology online said, "I'm sorry I made fun of your drawing. It was not okay."
App
A software program made for a phone, tablet, or computer to do a specific task.
Apps are how most kids use digital devices today.
Example: Aisha uses a math app to practice multiplication on her tablet.
App Permission
A choice an app asks a person to make about what parts of a device or what information it can use.
Permissions can include the camera, microphone, photos, or location.
Example: Jordan said no when a flashlight app asked for app permission to see his contacts.
App Time Limit
A setting that stops or warns a user when they have spent a chosen amount of time in an app.
Time limits help students keep their goals even when an app is fun.
Example: Aisha set an app time limit of thirty minutes for her favorite game.
Asking For Help
The act of inviting another person, especially a trusted adult, to think through something with you.
Asking for help is a smart move, not a weakness.
Example: Sam was asking for help when he showed his teacher a strange email and asked what to do.
Asking Questions
The act of forming sentences that look for more information, more proof, or more clarity.
Good questions are at the heart of critical thinking.
Example: Sam practiced asking questions like "How do we know?" during class discussions.
Author Check
The step of finding out who wrote a story and whether they know the topic well.
Knowing the author helps a reader trust or doubt a story.
Example: Sam did an author check and found that the writer was a real scientist, not a random person.
Avatar
A picture, drawing, or character that a person uses to represent themselves online.
Avatars let students show themselves without sharing a real photo.
Example: Maya's avatar is a smiling cartoon otter wearing glasses.
Biometric Login
A way to sign in to a device or account using a body feature like a fingerprint or face.
Biometric logins are fast, but they should still be backed up by a password.
Example: Sam's parent uses a biometric login to unlock the family laptop.
Birthday
The month, day, and year a person was born.
A full birthday is private because it can be used to guess passwords or pretend to be someone.
Example: Sam shares his birthday month with classmates but keeps the year private.
Block Feature
A tool inside many apps that stops a chosen person from contacting or seeing a user.
Block features give students power to protect themselves from unkind or unsafe people.
Example: Diego used the block feature on a player who kept sending mean messages.
Blue Light
A kind of light from screens that some research links to feeling more awake.
Blue light right before bed can make it harder to fall asleep.
Example: Diego stops using screens an hour before bed to cut down on blue light.
Body Activity
Something a person does that uses muscles, breathing, or movement to keep the body strong.
Body activities are important because sitting still too long can make a person tired and grumpy.
Example: Aisha's body activity today was riding her bike around the block ten times.
Boundary Setting
The act of deciding what a person will and will not accept in a conversation, friendship, or group.
Boundary setting protects feelings and time, both online and offline.
Example: Diego practiced boundary setting by telling his group chat that he stops messaging at 8 p.m.
Brain Activity
Something a person does that helps them think, learn, or use their imagination.
Brain activities can happen on a screen or off, and both kinds count.
Example: Solving a math puzzle or building with blocks is a brain activity for Sam.
Buddy Class Sharing
A learning activity where students from one grade teach or work with students from a different grade.
Buddy class sharing builds skills and friendships at the same time.
Example: Sam used buddy class sharing to teach younger kids about kind comments.
Bully Role
The part a person plays when they repeatedly try to harm or scare a target.
People in a bully role can change — they are not stuck there forever.
Example: Diego learned that someone in a bully role can choose a different role tomorrow.
Bystander
A person who sees something happen but does not act.
Bystanders are not the cause of harm, but their silence can let harm continue.
Example: Sam was a bystander when he scrolled past a mean post and did not say anything.
Cause Vs Correlation
The difference between one thing actually making another happen and two things just happening at the same time.
Mixing them up is a common reasoning mistake.
Example: Jordan learned cause vs correlation when ice cream sales and sunburns went up together — but ice cream did not cause the sunburns.
Changing Mind
The choice to update what you believe when new evidence shows up.
Changing your mind because of better evidence is a sign of strong thinking.
Example: Maya was changing mind after she saw real photos that proved her first guess wrong.
Checking Feelings
Pausing to notice your own emotions while reading or watching something online.
Strong feelings are a sign to slow down and think carefully before reacting.
Example: Maya did checking feelings and noticed she was scared by a headline, so she paused before sharing.
Citing Source
Writing down exactly where a piece of information came from so others can find it too.
Citing a source goes one step further than giving credit by naming the title, author, and link.
Example: Maya cited her source by writing the website name and date at the bottom of her report.
Claim
A statement that says something is true and needs to be supported with evidence.
Every story online makes claims, even when it does not call them that.
Example: "Otters can hold hands while sleeping" is a claim Aisha could check.
Classroom Pledge
A promise that a whole class makes together about how they will act, online and offline.
Class pledges work best when every student has a voice in writing them.
Example: Aisha's classroom pledge included "We pause, think, and act in every chat."
Clickbait
A headline, image, or thumbnail designed to make someone click without giving real information first.
Clickbait often promises something big but does not deliver, and it can lead to scams.
Example: "You won't BELIEVE what this puppy did!" is a classic clickbait headline.
College Audience
The future people who might look at a student's old posts when deciding about college, jobs, or sports.
Thinking about a college audience reminds students that posts can stick around for years.
Example: Jordan thought about a college audience before posting a silly video and chose not to share it.
Comparing Versions
Looking at more than one telling of the same story to see what is the same and what is different.
Comparing versions can reveal which parts are facts and which parts are opinions.
Example: Aisha used comparing versions when she read two stories about the same school event.
Conclusion
The final idea that an argument leads to after the reasons and evidence.
A strong conclusion follows from strong premises.
Example: Diego's conclusion in his report was that otters are well suited to rivers.
Confirmation Bias
The habit of believing things more easily when they match what a person already thinks.
Confirmation bias can make it harder to see when our own ideas are wrong.
Example: Maya watched out for confirmation bias when reading a story that matched her favorite team.
Confirming Sources
Checking other places to see if they support the same claim.
Confirming sources helps avoid believing one wrong post.
Example: Sam practiced confirming sources by looking at three different sites about space.
Conflict Vs Bullying
The difference between a one-time disagreement between equals and a pattern of harm aimed at one person.
Knowing the difference helps students choose the right response.
Example: Aisha learned conflict vs bullying when her teacher explained that one fight is not the same as repeated cruelty.
Continuous Improvement
The idea that a person keeps getting better over time by trying, reflecting, and adjusting.
Digital citizenship is not learned once — it grows year after year.
Example: Jordan practiced continuous improvement by setting a new goal each month.
Cookies
Small files a website saves on a device to remember things about a visitor.
Cookies can help with logins, but they can also be used for tracking.
Example: Cookies are why Jordan's favorite news site remembers his color theme.
Copyable Content
Anything online that can be copied by another person, such as text, pictures, or video.
If something is copyable, it can be passed around even after the original is deleted.
Example: Maya remembered that a screenshot makes any chat message copyable content.
Copyright Basics
The basic rules that say the person who made a creative work has the right to control how it is copied and shared.
Copyright basics help students understand what they can and cannot use from the internet.
Example: Jordan learned the copyright basics and only used pictures labeled "free to use" in his school project.
Counter Argument
A reason or piece of evidence that goes against a claim.
Looking for counter arguments helps a thinker test their own ideas.
Example: Sam practiced counter argument by listing one reason against his own first answer in class.
Creative Commons
A set of free licenses creators can use to tell others how their work can be shared and reused.
Creative Commons makes it easy to find pictures and music that are okay to use.
Example: Diego found a Creative Commons photo of an otter for his slideshow.
Creative Work
Something a person makes using their imagination, such as a drawing, story, song, or video.
Creative work is protected by copyright and deserves credit when shared.
Example: Sam's stop-motion video about otters is a creative work he made on a tablet.
Critical Thinker Toolkit
A set of questions and habits a person uses to think carefully about ideas and information.
The toolkit can be used in school, online, and in everyday life.
Example: Sam's critical thinker toolkit included asking "Who said it?" and "What evidence?"
Critical Thinking
The skill of looking carefully at ideas, asking good questions, and deciding what to believe.
Critical thinking is the bigger habit that fact checking, news literacy, and slow-down all live inside.
Example: Maya used critical thinking when she asked, "Who says this, and how do they know?"
Curiosity Gap
A trick that hides part of a story so a reader has to click to find out the rest.
Curiosity gaps make people click even when the story is not worth it.
Example: Jordan saw a curiosity gap headline that ended with "...and you'll never guess what happened!"
Curious Mind
A way of thinking that wants to learn more and ask questions instead of just accepting answers.
Curious minds make better digital citizens because they keep checking.
Example: Jordan's curious mind led him to ask three questions about a video he was unsure about.
Cyberbullying
Repeated, unkind behavior online that targets a specific person and tries to hurt them.
Cyberbullying is more than one mean comment — it is a pattern that the target cannot easily stop.
Example: Sam saw cyberbullying when a group kept posting cruel jokes about one classmate every day.
Cynic
A person who assumes that most things are fake and most people are lying, even when the evidence is strong.
A cynic shuts the door before the fact-checking work begins, so cynics often miss the real stories along with the fake ones.
Example: A cynic looked at a real science article and refused to believe it, because she had decided ahead of time that nothing online could be trusted.
Daily Tech Log
A short daily record of what a person did on screens and how they felt while doing it.
A tech log makes it easier to spot what is working and what to change.
Example: Jordan's daily tech log showed that long game sessions left him tired but short ones felt fine.
Data Tracking
The way websites and apps collect information about what a person does while they use them.
Tracking is how some apps remember choices, but it is also how ads follow people around the web.
Example: Maya noticed that after she searched for sneakers, ads for sneakers showed up everywhere — that was data tracking.
Date Check
The step of looking at when a story was first written to see if it is still up to date.
Old stories are sometimes shared as if they are new, which can be misleading.
Example: Jordan did a date check and saw that a "breaking news" story was actually from five years ago.
De-escalation
The skill of slowing down a heated moment so everyone can calm down and think clearly.
De-escalation can stop a small argument from turning into bullying.
Example: Maya practiced de-escalation by writing, "Let's talk about this later when we're both calm."
Digital Citizen
A person who uses digital tools to learn, create, and connect while caring about safety, kindness, and truth.
Being a digital citizen is more than being a user — it means looking out for others online.
Example: Maya is a digital citizen when she reports a mean comment instead of ignoring it.
Digital Citizenship
The set of skills, habits, and choices that help a person use digital tools in safe, kind, smart, and responsible ways.
Digital citizenship is the main idea this whole textbook is built around.
Example: Pausing before sharing a post is one way Diego practices digital citizenship.
Digital Citizenship Toolkit
A collection of habits, ideas, and tools a person can use to be safe, kind, and smart online.
The toolkit is the big picture that holds all the smaller skills together.
Example: Sam's digital citizenship toolkit includes the pause-think-act habit and a list of trusted sources.
Digital Device
An electronic tool that stores, processes, or sends information using digital signals, such as a computer, tablet, or phone.
Digital devices are the everyday tools students use to learn, play, and connect with others online.
Example: Maya uses a laptop at school and a tablet at home — both are digital devices.
Digital Drama
Small or medium online conflicts and misunderstandings that swirl through a group of friends.
Digital drama is not always bullying, but it can grow into bullying if no one steps in.
Example: Aisha got pulled into digital drama when her group chat started fighting about who said what.
Digital Etiquette
The polite ways people speak, listen, and behave when using digital tools.
Etiquette is the everyday side of being kind online — small habits that add up.
Example: Sam waits a turn in a video call instead of talking over a classmate.
Digital Footprint
The trail of information a person leaves behind by using the internet.
Footprints can grow quickly because every click, post, and search can leave a mark.
Example: Sam's digital footprint includes the videos he watched, the comments he wrote, and the searches he made.
Digital Habit Tracker
A simple chart or note where a person writes down how they use digital tools each day.
Tracking helps students notice patterns they might otherwise miss.
Example: Maya keeps a digital habit tracker on a sticky note by her bed.
Digital Identity
The picture of who a person is that is built from everything they post, share, and do online.
Digital identity is shaped by both what people do on purpose and what they leave behind by accident.
Example: Diego's digital identity shows that he loves dinosaurs, soccer, and helping younger kids.
Digital Opportunities
The good things people can do because of digital tools, such as learning new skills, meeting new friends, and creating new things.
Focusing on opportunities reminds students that the digital world is mostly a helpful place.
Example: Aisha uses an art app to design birthday cards for her grandparents who live far away.
Digital Responsibilities
The duties a person has when using digital tools, such as being honest, being kind, and following rules.
Rights and responsibilities go together — students get freedoms and also owe care to others.
Example: Sam has a responsibility to give credit when using a picture from a website.
Digital Rights
The freedoms and protections a person has when using digital tools, such as privacy, safety, and fair treatment.
Knowing your rights helps you speak up when something online does not feel right.
Example: Jordan has the right to keep a password private, even from a classmate.
Digital Threshold
The moment a person crosses from offline life into the online world by picking up a device or opening an app.
Noticing this moment helps students slow down and choose how they want to act online.
Example: When Aisha unlocks her tablet after dinner, she crosses a digital threshold.
Digital Trail
The series of marks a person leaves across many sites, apps, and devices over time.
A digital trail is the long version of a digital footprint that builds up year by year.
Example: Sam's digital trail includes things he did in second grade and things he did this morning.
Digital World
The collection of all the people, places, and information that exist on or through digital devices and the internet.
Thinking of the internet as a "world" helps students see that real rules and real feelings apply there too.
Example: When Maya logs on to do her homework, she steps into the digital world.
Direct Message
A private message sent from one person to another inside an app or website.
Direct messages feel one-on-one but can still be screenshotted and shared.
Example: Sam sent a direct message to his teacher to ask a question about homework.
Disinformation
Information that is not true, shared on purpose to trick or confuse people.
Disinformation is more harmful than misinformation because someone planned the lie.
Example: Diego learned that a fake "school closed" message could be disinformation to scare students.
Doomscrolling
The habit of scrolling for a long time through bad or upsetting news without stopping.
Doomscrolling can leave a person feeling tired, sad, or scared.
Example: Jordan caught himself doomscrolling and put his tablet down to play outside.
Edited Image
A picture that has been changed from the original, often to look more exciting or to fool people.
Edited images can be fun art or harmful tricks, depending on how they are used.
Example: Aisha learned that an edited image of a giant cat was just a joke, not real.
Email Privacy
The care a person takes to keep their email messages and address safe from people who should not see them.
Email privacy includes choosing strong passwords and not sharing the address with strangers.
Example: Diego practices email privacy by signing out after using a shared computer.
Emoji Meaning
The idea or feeling that a small picture symbol stands for in a message.
Emoji meanings can change over time and from group to group, so students should choose them carefully.
Example: Diego thought a thumbs-up emoji was friendly, but his friend read it as cold.
Emotional Hook
A part of a message that makes a reader feel a strong emotion before they think clearly.
Emotional hooks are a common trick used to spread fake news.
Example: Diego spotted an emotional hook in a post that yelled "BE AFRAID!" in big red letters.
Emotional Impact
The way a message, post, or event makes a person feel inside.
Emotional impact reminds students that words on a screen still touch real hearts.
Example: Maya thought about the emotional impact of a joke before sending it to a friend.
Empathy Online
The skill of imagining how another person might feel about a message, post, or comment.
Empathy is one of the strongest tools a digital citizen can use.
Example: Aisha used empathy online by picturing how her friend might feel before sending a teasing joke.
Ethical Online Behavior
Online choices that are fair, honest, and kind, even when no rule or law forces a person to act that way.
Ethical behavior is about doing the right thing because it is right, not because someone is watching.
Example: Jordan tells the truth in a class chat even though no one would have known the difference.
Evidence
Information used to support or test a claim.
Evidence can be a quote, a photo, a study, or a number — anything that can be checked.
Example: Sam's evidence for his report was a chart from a science museum.
Exclusion
Leaving a person out of a chat, game, or group on purpose to make them feel bad.
Exclusion can be a quiet form of bullying.
Example: Aisha noticed exclusion in a group chat and made sure to invite the left-out classmate to lunch.
Eye Strain
A tired or sore feeling in the eyes after long screen use.
Eye strain is one of the small body signals that a screen break is needed.
Example: Jordan felt eye strain after an hour of reading on a tablet and looked far away to rest his eyes.
Fact
A statement that can be checked and proven true with evidence.
Facts are the same no matter who tells them, as long as the evidence holds up.
Example: "The Mississippi River flows through Minnesota" is a fact Jordan can look up.
Fact Check
The act of looking carefully at a piece of information to see if it is really true.
Fact checking turns a reader into a smart, careful citizen.
Example: Sam did a fact check on a wild dinosaur claim and learned it was from a fake site.
Fact Check Card
A small reference card that lists the steps a person can use to check if information is true.
A card keeps the steps close at hand while reading the news.
Example: Jordan's fact check card had four steps: find the source, check the date, ask who knows, compare sites.
Fact Check Steps
The simple actions a person can follow to check if information is true, such as finding the source, checking the date, and comparing other sites.
Following the same steps every time builds a strong habit.
Example: Aisha followed her fact check steps before sharing a story about a new ocean discovery.
Family Device
A digital device that belongs to a family and is shared by people who live in the same home.
Family devices often have agreements about who uses them, when, and for what.
Example: Aisha's family tablet stays in the kitchen so anyone can use it after homework.
Family Media Plan
An agreement a family makes about when, where, and how digital tools will be used at home.
A plan helps everyone in a family know what is okay and what is not.
Example: Aisha's family media plan says no screens during dinner and no screens after 8 p.m.
Family Tech Plan
A written agreement between family members about how digital tools will be used at home.
Family tech plans work best when everyone helps make them.
Example: Jordan's family tech plan says screens are off during meals and after 8 p.m.
Favorite Color
A color a person likes more than others.
Favorite color is usually safe to share because it does not help a stranger find or harm anyone.
Example: Jordan's favorite color is green, and he is happy to tell anyone.
FOMO
A short word for "fear of missing out," the worry that other people are having fun without you.
FOMO can push kids to check screens even when they are tired or busy.
Example: Maya felt FOMO when her friends were chatting in a group chat during dinner, but she put the phone down anyway.
Footprint Audit
A check-up where a person looks at their old posts, photos, and accounts to see what is still online.
Audits help students clean up things that no longer match who they are now.
Example: Aisha did a footprint audit and deleted an old game profile she no longer used.
Footprint Plan
A plan for keeping a digital footprint positive over time.
A plan helps students think about the long story their online actions will tell.
Example: Diego's footprint plan was to leave at least one kind comment every week.
Friend Request
A message inside an app asking another person to connect or become friends on that platform.
Friend requests should be answered carefully, especially when they come from strangers.
Example: Maya did not accept a friend request from someone she did not know in real life.
Full Name
A person's first, middle, and last name combined.
A full name can be used to find someone online, so it is treated as private around strangers.
Example: Jordan only shares his full name on school work, not on game profiles.
Future Audience
The people who might see a post later, including people the writer never imagined.
Thinking about a future audience helps students slow down before posting.
Example: Jordan thought about a future audience — like a college coach — before posting a video.
Generalization
A statement that takes a small example and tries to apply it to a big group.
Generalizations can be unfair, especially when they describe people.
Example: Jordan caught himself making a generalization that "all gamers are loud" and changed his mind.
Geotag
A piece of hidden information added to a photo that says where it was taken.
Geotags can show a stranger where a child lives or goes to school.
Example: Sam's family turns off geotag features on their camera app.
Ghosting
Suddenly stopping all messages to a person without saying why.
Ghosting can hurt feelings, even when the other person did not mean to be cruel.
Example: Maya talked to her friend instead of ghosting after they had a small argument.
Giving Credit
Telling others who made a piece of work when you use, share, or talk about it.
Giving credit is the simple way to be honest about where ideas and art come from.
Example: Diego made a slideshow and added a line giving credit to the artist who drew the cover image.
Goal Setting
The process of choosing a clear thing you want to do or change and making a plan to reach it.
Good goals are clear, fair, and possible to check.
Example: Jordan set a goal of reading two chapters off-screen each week.
GPS
A system of satellites that tells a device exactly where it is on Earth.
GPS is what makes maps, location sharing, and many games work.
Example: Maya's family uses GPS in a navigation app to find a new park.
Group Chat
A conversation in a messaging app where three or more people can read and reply.
Group chats can be fun, but they can also pull a student into drama if things go wrong.
Example: Jordan's soccer team has a group chat for sharing game times and good plays.
Group Pile On
A moment when many people send mean messages or comments to one person at the same time.
Pile-ons feel huge to the target and can grow fast online.
Example: Jordan saw a group pile on against a classmate and reported it right away.
Grumpy Mood
A feeling of being cranky or easily upset, sometimes caused by too much screen time, missed sleep, or hunger.
Noticing a grumpy mood can help a student figure out what their body or brain needs.
Example: Jordan felt a grumpy mood after a long video call and realized he needed a snack and some fresh air.
Habit Formation
The way small actions repeated over time turn into automatic routines.
Knowing how habits form helps students build good ones on purpose.
Example: Sam used habit formation to build a sign-out habit by doing it the same way every day.
Habit Tracker Project
A school project where students keep a chart of their digital habits over time.
Tracking helps students see real changes in their own choices.
Example: Diego's habit tracker project showed he reached his goal of two screen breaks each day.
Hate Speech
Words or images that attack people because of their race, religion, gender, or another part of who they are.
Hate speech is never a joke, and it harms whole groups, not just one person.
Example: Diego's class agreed that hate speech is never okay, even in a game chat.
Headline Vs Article
The difference between a short eye-catching title and the full story underneath it.
A headline can be misleading even when the article is honest.
Example: Sam compared headline vs article and saw that the title was much scarier than the real story.
Healthy Doubt
A balanced way of being open to ideas while still wanting proof.
Healthy doubt is different from being negative — it is curious and fair.
Example: Aisha used healthy doubt when she heard a wild claim about a new planet.
Healthy Habits
Choices a person repeats often that keep their body, mind, and feelings well.
Healthy habits include eating well, moving, sleeping, and balancing screen time.
Example: Aisha's healthy habits include drinking water, going outside, and turning off screens at dinner.
Heart Activity
Something a person does that helps them feel cared for, connected, or emotionally rested.
Heart activities help students notice that some activities feed feelings, not just thoughts.
Example: Hugging a pet or reading a favorite book is a heart activity for Jordan.
Hoax
A trick or joke designed to fool many people into believing something that is not real.
Hoaxes can sound exciting or scary, which is why they spread.
Example: Jordan saw a hoax about a "magic candy" that gave kids superpowers.
Hobby Information
Facts about activities a person enjoys in their free time.
Hobby information is usually safe to share, but combining many hobbies with a name can still reveal too much.
Example: Maya's hobby information includes drawing, reading, and soccer.
Home Address
The street, city, state, and country where a person lives.
A home address is one of the most private pieces of information a child has.
Example: Maya's home address is private — she never types it into a game or app.
How They Know
A question that asks where a person got their information.
If someone cannot answer "how do you know?" the information may not be reliable.
Example: Diego asked his friend "how do they know?" about a story they were sharing.
HTTPS
Letters at the start of a web address that show the connection between a device and a website is encrypted.
HTTPS is one sign that a site is using basic safety, though it does not mean the site itself is honest.
Example: Sam saw HTTPS at the start of his school's website address.
Hurt Feelings
Sad, angry, or shamed feelings that come from being treated unkindly.
Hurt feelings are real, even when the unkindness happened over a screen.
Example: Jordan's hurt feelings lasted all day after a classmate left a cruel comment.
Identifying Information
Any fact or set of facts that, alone or together, can tell a stranger exactly who a person is.
Some facts seem small but become identifying when stacked together.
Example: Knowing Sam's school, grade, soccer team, and first name is identifying information.
Impersonation
Pretending to be another person online, often by copying their name, picture, or account.
Impersonation can fool people and damage someone's reputation.
Example: Diego saw impersonation when a fake account used his friend's name and profile picture.
In Person Friend
A person someone knows and spends time with face to face in real life.
In person friends can also be online friends, and the two often blend together.
Example: Maya's in person friend Lin sits next to her at school and also chats with her in a game.
Incognito Mode
A setting in a web browser that does not save the history of pages visited on the device.
Incognito mode hides activity from other users of the same device, but not from the websites themselves.
Example: Aisha learned that incognito mode does not make a person invisible online.
Inference
A guess about something that is not directly said, based on the clues you can see.
Inferences are useful in reading and in life, but they should be checked.
Example: Maya made an inference that her friend was sad because she stopped replying in chat.
Information Source
The place where a piece of information first came from, such as a person, a book, a website, or a video.
Knowing the source is the first step in checking if information is true.
Example: Aisha checked the information source for her science report and learned it was from a real museum.
Intellectual Property
Creations of the mind, such as words, pictures, music, or inventions, that belong to the person who made them.
Respecting intellectual property is part of being honest and fair online.
Example: Aisha's poem is her intellectual property, even when she shares it on a class website.
Internet
A worldwide network that connects millions of computers and devices so they can share information with each other.
The internet is the system that makes websites, apps, games, and video calls possible.
Example: When Jordan watches a video on a tablet, the video travels across the internet from a far-away computer to the screen.
ISTE Standards
A set of learning goals from the International Society for Technology in Education that describe what students should know and do with digital tools.
These standards guide teachers as they plan lessons in digital citizenship and technology.
Example: One ISTE standard says students should learn to be safe, kind, and responsible digital citizens.
Jumping To Conclusion
The mistake of deciding something is true without checking enough evidence.
Jumping to conclusions is one of the easiest mistakes to make online.
Example: Jordan caught himself jumping to conclusion about a friend's silence and asked her about it instead.
Kind Reply
A response that is gentle, helpful, or supportive, especially in a moment when someone might expect meanness.
Kind replies can change the tone of a whole conversation.
Example: Diego sent a kind reply to a younger student who was nervous about a school project.
Knowledge Sharing
The act of teaching, posting, or talking about what a person has learned so others can learn too.
Sharing knowledge helps a whole community get smarter together.
Example: Maya did knowledge sharing by teaching her cousin how to spot clickbait.
Laptop
A digital device with a screen and keyboard that folds shut and can be carried from place to place.
Laptops are used for typing, drawing, coding, and many other tasks.
Example: Sam writes his stories on a laptop in the school library.
Lateral Reading
The skill of opening new tabs to learn about a website by checking what other places say about it.
Lateral reading is what fact checkers use because it works much faster than reading one site for hours.
Example: Jordan used lateral reading by opening another tab to check who runs a news site.
Legal Online Behavior
Online choices that follow the laws of a country, state, or school district.
Some online actions are not just unkind — they can break real laws.
Example: Copying a whole movie to share with friends is not legal online behavior.
Lifelong Learner
A person who keeps learning new things throughout their life, not just during school years.
Lifelong learners stay curious about the digital world even as it changes.
Example: Sam said he wants to be a lifelong learner about how the internet keeps changing.
Location Sharing
A feature that lets an app or website see where a device is in the real world.
Location sharing should be used carefully because it tells others where a person is.
Example: Diego turned off location sharing in a game he plays with online players.
Logical Reason
A reason that follows clearly from the evidence and makes sense step by step.
Logical reasons are stronger than reasons based only on feelings.
Example: Maya gave a logical reason that a website was trustworthy: it was from a public university.
Login
The act of typing a username and password to enter an account.
Logins prove that the right person is using the account.
Example: Maya does her login each morning to start her school computer.
Mean Comment
A single unkind message left on a post, video, or chat.
Mean comments can hurt even when they are not part of a bullying pattern.
Example: Maya saw a mean comment on her friend's drawing and replied with a kind one instead.
Media Balance
A healthy mix of time spent with screens and time spent doing other things, like playing, reading, and resting.
Balance changes from day to day, and there is no single perfect number for everyone.
Example: Maya feels good when her day has some screen time, some outdoor play, and a real meal with family.
Media Balance Plan
A plan for how a person will mix screen time with sleep, food, play, and family time.
A plan helps students notice when they need more of something and less of something else.
Example: Sam's media balance plan added thirty minutes of outdoor time after school each day.
Media Imbalance
A pattern of media use that crowds out sleep, food, play, school, or family time.
Spotting media imbalance early makes it easier to fix.
Example: Diego saw a media imbalance when he realized he had not played outside for three days in a row.
Mindful Use
Using a digital tool on purpose, with attention to how it makes a person feel and what it is helping them do.
Mindful use is the opposite of grabbing a device out of boredom or habit.
Example: Diego practices mindful use by asking, "What do I want to do here?" before opening an app.
Mini Lesson
A short class activity where one student teaches a small idea to other students.
Teaching others is one of the best ways to learn something deeply.
Example: Diego gave a mini lesson on strong passwords to his second-grade buddy class.
Misinformation
Information that is not true, shared by people who think it is true.
Misinformation spreads fast because the people sharing it are usually not trying to lie.
Example: Aisha almost shared misinformation about a free game until her friend showed her it was wrong.
Mute Feature
A tool that hides messages or posts from a person without blocking them or telling them.
Muting is a quieter option when blocking feels too strong.
Example: Jordan used the mute feature to skip a noisy group chat during homework time.
Netiquette
The polite habits and rules people follow when talking and acting on the internet.
Netiquette is digital etiquette in a slightly different word.
Example: Sam used good netiquette by saying "please" and "thank you" in his class chat.
News Literacy
The skill of understanding, checking, and thinking about news stories before believing or sharing them.
News literacy is one of the most important skills for digital citizens of any age.
Example: Maya used news literacy when she paused to check a wild headline before sending it to a friend.
News Story
A piece of writing or video that reports on something that happened in the world.
News stories can be true, partly true, or made up, so they need to be checked.
Example: Diego read a news story about a new park opening in his town.
Notification
A short message or alert that pops up on a device to tell a person something has happened.
Notifications can be helpful, but too many can pull a student off task.
Example: Diego turned off game notifications during homework time.
Offline Activity
Something a person does without using a digital device or the internet.
Offline activities give the brain a different kind of rest and exercise.
Example: Building with paper, jumping rope, and reading a paper book are offline activities for Sam.
Online Activity
Anything a person does while connected to the internet, such as reading, watching, posting, playing, or chatting.
Knowing what counts as an online activity helps students notice how they spend their screen time.
Example: Watching a science video, sending a message, and playing a math game are all online activities.
Online Community
A group of people who meet, talk, or work together through the internet because of a shared interest or goal.
Online communities can be kind and helpful, but they also have rules students should learn before joining.
Example: Diego joins an online community for kids who like to draw dinosaurs and share their art.
Online Conflict
A disagreement that takes place over the internet between two or more people.
Online conflicts can grow fast because text is hard to read and audiences are watching.
Example: Jordan had an online conflict with a classmate over who lost a game match.
Online Friend
A person someone has met and gotten to know through the internet.
Online friends can be real friends, but the relationship needs special care because it lacks face-to-face cues.
Example: Diego made an online friend in a science club for kids who like space.
Online Only Friend
A person someone has only ever talked to through the internet, never in real life.
Online only friendships call for extra care because the other person could be hiding things.
Example: Jordan has an online only friend in another country, and he never shares private information with them.
Online Reputation
The way other people see a person based on what they have posted, shared, or done online.
A good reputation takes time to build and only a moment to harm.
Example: Aisha's online reputation in her art group is "kind and helpful" because of how she comments.
Online Scam
A trick on the internet that tries to take money, information, or accounts from someone.
Scams often look like prizes, urgent warnings, or messages from a friend.
Example: Aisha saw an online scam that promised a free game console if she typed in her parent's credit card number.
Online Target
The person a bully or group focuses their cruel behavior on.
Targets are not "weak" — anyone can become a target, and no one deserves it.
Example: Jordan became an online target for one week and felt much better after telling his teacher.
Open Mindedness
The willingness to listen to ideas that are different from your own before deciding what you think.
Open minds learn faster and make better choices.
Example: Diego showed open mindedness when he listened to a classmate's different idea about a math problem.
Opinion
A statement about what someone thinks, feels, or prefers.
Opinions are not wrong just because they are not facts — but they should not be treated like facts.
Example: "Otters are the cutest animals" is Sam's opinion, not a fact.
Out Of Context
Taking a quote, photo, or video out of the situation it came from in a way that changes its meaning.
Out-of-context content is one of the most common kinds of misinformation.
Example: Maya saw an out of context photo that looked scary until she found the real story.
Outdoor Time
Time spent outside in the open air, such as in a yard, park, sidewalk, or playground.
Outdoor time helps balance long stretches of indoor screen use.
Example: Jordan's family has a rule that homework time is followed by some outdoor time.
Padlock Icon
A small lock picture next to a website's address that shows the connection is encrypted.
A padlock means private connection, not "safe website" on its own.
Example: Aisha saw a padlock icon when she opened her library's web page.
Parody
A kind of art or writing that copies the style of something else for fun or to make a point.
Parodies are not meant to fool people, but some readers still believe them.
Example: Diego watched a video parody of a science show that made him laugh.
Passphrase
A password made of several random words strung together to be both long and easy to remember.
Passphrases can be stronger than short passwords and easier for kids to recall.
Example: Maya uses the passphrase "purple-otter-river-jump" for her game account.
Password
A secret word, phrase, or string of characters used to prove that a person owns an account.
Passwords are like keys to a digital door — they should not be shared.
Example: Aisha's password lets only her open her email account.
Password Plan
A plan for choosing, remembering, and protecting strong passwords.
A password plan turns a one-time idea into a daily habit.
Example: Maya's password plan was to use a passphrase and never share it with anyone.
Password Sharing
The act of telling another person a password.
Sharing a password gives someone else the keys to an account, which is risky even with a friend.
Example: Jordan said no when a classmate asked for his password — sharing would not be safe.
Pause Before Share
The choice to stop and think for a moment before sending a post, link, or message to others.
Pausing before sharing is one of the strongest tools against misinformation.
Example: Jordan made a pause before share rule for any post that seemed shocking.
Pause Think Act
A three-step habit of stopping for a moment, thinking about a choice, and then acting carefully.
This habit is the central idea of the course and works for almost every tricky online moment.
Example: Before tapping a link that looks strange, Diego pauses, thinks, and decides not to tap.
Peer Teaching
A way of learning where students help teach each other a topic or skill.
Peer teaching helps both the teacher and the learner remember more.
Example: Diego did peer teaching when he showed a classmate how to spot clickbait.
Permanent Post
A piece of online content that is hard or impossible to fully erase once it has been shared.
Even "deleted" posts can be saved by someone before they disappear.
Example: Aisha treats every post as a permanent post, even on apps that say messages disappear.
Personal Brand
The image and reputation a person builds for themselves over time, online and offline.
A personal brand is shaped by every post, comment, and choice a person makes.
Example: Maya is building a personal brand as someone who shares kind, helpful comments on art.
Personal Information
Facts about a person that describe who they are, such as name, age, or favorite hobby.
Some personal information is fine to share, and some is not — students learn to tell the difference.
Example: Sam's favorite color is part of his personal information.
Personal Pledge
A promise a person writes for themselves about how they want to act online.
Pledges work best when they are specific and short.
Example: Aisha's personal pledge says, "I will pause before I post and be kind in every reply."
Phishing Basics
The basic ideas behind a kind of scam that pretends to be from a real company or person to trick someone into sharing private information.
Knowing the signs of phishing helps students slow down before clicking strange links.
Example: Diego learned the phishing basics by spotting an email that misspelled his school's name.
Phone Number
The set of digits used to call or text a specific phone.
Phone numbers are private because they let people contact a child directly.
Example: Aisha gives her phone number only to family and a few close friends.
Photo Tagging
A feature that adds the names of people to a photo posted online.
Tags can connect a person's name and face in places they did not choose.
Example: Jordan asked his friend not to use photo tagging on his picture.
Plagiarism
The act of using someone else's words, art, or ideas as if they were your own.
Plagiarism is unfair and is a kind of online dishonesty.
Example: Aisha avoided plagiarism by using her own words in her science report and citing the source.
Polite Reply
A response to a message that is calm, kind, and respectful, even when the topic is hard.
Polite replies can cool down a tense moment instead of heating it up.
Example: Sam wrote a polite reply when a classmate disagreed with his game idea.
Positive Footprint
A digital footprint full of kind, honest, helpful, or creative content.
Building a positive footprint on purpose is one of the best long-term goals for a digital citizen.
Example: Sam builds a positive footprint by leaving kind comments on classmates' projects.
Post History
The collection of all the posts a person has made on an account, listed in order over time.
Looking at post history helps students see how their online voice has grown.
Example: Maya scrolled through her post history and saw how much her drawings had improved.
Posture
The way a person holds their body while sitting, standing, or moving.
Good posture while using a screen can prevent neck and back pain.
Example: Maya keeps a straight posture by sitting at a table instead of curling up on the floor.
Power Imbalance
A situation where one side has more strength, popularity, or control than the other.
Power imbalance is another mark that turns a conflict into bullying.
Example: Maya noticed a power imbalance when an older group ganged up on one younger student.
Premise
A starting fact or idea that an argument is built on.
If a premise is wrong, the rest of the argument may also be wrong.
Example: Aisha checked the premise of a claim about pets before she agreed with the conclusion.
Private Information
Personal information that should be kept secret from strangers because sharing it could be unsafe.
Private information is the kind that could let a stranger find or contact a child.
Example: Aisha's home address and full birthday are private information.
Private Post
A post that only a chosen group of people, such as close friends or family, can see.
Private posts feel safer, but they can still be copied and shared by anyone in the group.
Example: Diego shared a private post with just his cousins about a family birthday party.
Profile Picture
A picture that appears next to a person's username on an account.
Profile pictures can be photos or drawings, and the choice matters because many people see them.
Example: Sam's profile picture is a drawing of a cat instead of his real face.
Public Post
A post that anyone on the internet can see, not just friends or followers.
Public posts can travel the farthest, so they need the most care.
Example: Aisha checked her settings to make sure her art was a public post on the class gallery.
Public Service Message
A short, helpful message meant to share an important idea with many people.
Public service messages are how good ideas reach big audiences.
Example: Maya wrote a public service message about screen breaks for her school newsletter.
Public Wifi
A wireless internet network that is open to many people in a place like a library, store, or airport.
Public wifi can be useful, but it can also let strangers see what a device is sending.
Example: Maya does not type passwords while using public wifi at the coffee shop.
Read Receipt
A small note in a chat that tells the sender when their message has been seen.
Read receipts can lead to drama if someone reads a message but does not reply right away.
Example: Diego turned off read receipts so he would not feel rushed to answer right away.
Reason
A thought that explains why someone believes a claim is true.
Reasons help connect evidence to a conclusion.
Example: Diego gave a reason for his class vote: "I voted for that book because it has a strong main character."
Recommendation Feed
A list of posts, videos, or stories an app picks for a user based on what it thinks they will like.
Recommendation feeds can make it easy to see only one kind of idea.
Example: Diego noticed that his recommendation feed kept showing him only soccer videos.
Reflection Journal
A notebook or document where a person writes about what they did, learned, and felt over time.
Reflection journals help students see how their habits and thinking grow.
Example: Diego's reflection journal showed how his news literacy got stronger over a month.
Reflective Thinking
The habit of looking back at what you did or believed and asking what you learned.
Reflective thinking turns experiences into wisdom over time.
Example: Jordan did reflective thinking at the end of each week by writing one thing he learned.
Repair Harm
The act of trying to fix the damage caused by an unkind action, such as an apology or kind words.
Repairing harm is one of the strongest things a person can do after a mistake.
Example: Jordan tried to repair harm after a mean joke by writing a real apology to his friend.
Repeated Harm
Unkind actions that happen again and again to the same person.
Repeated harm is one of the marks that turns a conflict into bullying.
Example: Diego saw repeated harm when a group sent the same insults to one classmate every day for a week.
Report Feature
A tool inside many apps that lets a user tell the app's team about a person, post, or message that breaks the rules.
Reporting helps the whole community, not just one user.
Example: Maya used the report feature to flag a comment full of hate words.
Reporting Bullying
The act of telling an app, a website, or a trusted adult about behavior that looks like bullying.
Reporting is one of the strongest steps a student can take.
Example: Maya practiced reporting bullying by writing down what she saw, when, and where.
Respectful Tone
A way of writing or speaking that treats other people as equals worth listening to.
A respectful tone fits every conversation, not just the easy ones.
Example: Aisha used a respectful tone when asking her friend to please stop tagging her in posts.
Rumor
A story that spreads from person to person without any clear proof.
Rumors can hurt feelings and reputations even when they are about small things.
Example: Maya stopped a rumor about a classmate by asking, "How do we know that's true?"
Safe Online Behavior
Choices that protect a person's body, feelings, and information while using digital tools.
Safe behavior is the first goal of digital citizenship — without it, the other goals get harder.
Example: Maya keeps her home address off her game profile so strangers cannot find her.
Safe Talk Plan
A plan a person makes for how they will talk with others online and what they will not say.
A plan makes it easier to act fast when a tricky chat begins.
Example: Jordan's safe talk plan included never sharing his school name in any chat.
Safe Talk Rule
A guideline that helps a person decide what is okay to say or share when talking to someone online.
Safe talk rules give students words to use and limits to keep, especially with people they do not know well.
Example: Maya's safe talk rule is to never share her school name in any chat.
Satire
A kind of writing or art that uses jokes or exaggeration to make a point.
Satire is fun, but it is sometimes mistaken for real news.
Example: Aisha read a satire story about "talking dogs" and knew right away it was a joke.
Saving Evidence
Taking screenshots or notes of cruel messages so a trusted adult can see what happened.
Evidence helps adults understand the problem and act fairly.
Example: Jordan helped a friend by saving evidence of mean messages and sharing them with the teacher.
School Device
A digital device owned by a school and given to a student to use for learning during the school year.
School devices usually follow special rules set by the school district.
Example: Sam's school laptop only opens websites that teachers have approved.
School Name
The official name of the school a child attends.
A school name can help a stranger guess where a child will be during the day.
Example: Diego keeps his school name off his online game profile.
Screen Break
A short rest from looking at a digital screen, used to give the eyes, body, and brain a chance to recover.
Even short breaks can help students feel better and focus more.
Example: Every twenty minutes, Maya takes a screen break to look out the window or stretch.
Screen Lock
A setting that hides a device behind a code, pattern, or fingerprint when it is not in use.
Screen locks keep accounts safer if a device is lost or borrowed.
Example: Jordan's tablet has a screen lock so a stranger cannot open his apps.
Screen Time
The total amount of time a person spends looking at a digital screen during a day or a week.
Screen time is one way to measure media balance, but it is not the only thing that matters.
Example: Diego counted three hours of screen time on Saturday — one for homework and two for games.
Screen Time Goal
A specific target a person sets for how much time they want to spend on screens.
Goals work best when they are clear, fair, and easy to check.
Example: Aisha's screen time goal was no more than one hour of games on a school night.
Screenshot
A picture of what is on a screen at a moment in time, saved by pressing certain buttons.
Screenshots are powerful because they can save anything on a screen, even messages meant to disappear.
Example: Maya took a screenshot of a mean comment to show a trusted adult.
Search Engine
A website or tool that helps people find information across the internet by typing in words.
Search engines look at billions of pages and pick the ones that seem most helpful.
Example: Jordan used a search engine to find facts about river otters for his report.
Searchable Post
Online content that can be found later by typing words into a search engine.
Knowing what is searchable helps students think about who might see something in the future.
Example: Diego's school art project was a searchable post when his teacher published it on the class blog.
Self Assessment
The act of checking your own work, habits, or progress to see how you are doing.
Self assessment helps a student notice what to keep doing and what to change.
Example: Maya did a self assessment of her screen-time habits and decided to take more breaks.
Shareable Content
Content that can easily be sent or shown to other people on the internet.
Shareable content can travel far very fast, sometimes far past the people it was meant for.
Example: Jordan thought twice before posting a joke because he knew it was shareable content.
Shocking Headline
A title designed to surprise, scare, or amaze a reader to make them click.
Shocking headlines are often signs of clickbait or misinformation.
Example: Aisha paused at the shocking headline "Aliens Spotted at Mall!" and decided not to click.
Sign Out Habit
The routine of logging out of an account when finished using a device, especially a shared one.
Signing out keeps the next person from seeing or changing your stuff.
Example: Sam built a sign out habit on the school computer so no one else can use his account.
Sign Up Form
A page on a website or app that asks a person for information in order to make an account.
Sign up forms often ask for more than they really need, so students should think before filling them in.
Example: A sign up form asked Maya for her full birthday, but she chose an app that only needed her age range.
Skeptic
A person who asks for good evidence before believing a claim and is willing to change their mind when the evidence is strong.
Great fact checkers are skeptics — they ask hard questions but keep an open mind, and they update what they think when the proof is clear.
Example: Aanya was a skeptic about the giant whale photo, so she checked the source and the date before deciding whether to use it in her report.
Skipped Meal
A meal that a person did not eat, sometimes because they were too busy with a screen to stop.
Skipped meals are a sign that media balance has slipped.
Example: Sam almost had a skipped meal because he lost track of time playing a game.
Skipped Play
Time outside or with friends that a person missed, often because they stayed on a screen instead.
Play is how kids grow strong bodies and friendships, so skipped play matters.
Example: Aisha noticed a skipped play afternoon and made a plan to go outside the next day.
Sleep Habits
The regular patterns a person has around going to bed, waking up, and resting at night.
Healthy sleep habits help kids learn, grow, and feel calm during the day.
Example: Sam keeps a strong sleep habit by putting his tablet away an hour before bedtime.
Slow Down Habit
The practice of pausing before reading, sharing, or believing something online.
Slowing down is the simplest tool for fighting misinformation.
Example: Diego built a slow down habit by waiting one minute before sharing any wild story.
Smartphone
A small handheld digital device that can call, text, run apps, and connect to the internet.
Smartphones are powerful — they hold many tools in one pocket-sized device.
Example: Aisha's parent has a smartphone that the family uses for video calls with relatives.
Source Comparison
The act of looking at more than one place to see if they all say the same thing about a topic.
If three trusted sources agree, the information is more likely to be true.
Example: Maya did a source comparison and found that two real news sites said the same thing.
Spotting Bias
Noticing when a person, group, or website leans toward one side of a topic in a way that affects how the story is told.
Bias is not always bad, but knowing it helps a reader judge the information.
Example: Diego practiced spotting bias by reading a sports story from each team's hometown news site.
Standing Up Safely
Acting against unkindness in ways that protect both the target and the person stepping in.
Standing up safely can mean reporting, telling an adult, or sending a kind message — not fighting back.
Example: Sam practiced standing up safely by writing a kind reply to the target instead of arguing with the bully.
Stereotype
A simple, unfair idea about a whole group of people that ignores how different they really are.
Stereotypes can hurt people and lead to bullying or exclusion.
Example: Sam noticed a stereotype in a video and talked about it with his teacher.
Stop Conversation
The choice to end a chat that feels unsafe, mean, or just wrong.
Stopping is always allowed, even if the other person seems upset about it.
Example: Sam decided to stop conversation with someone who was asking weird questions.
Stranger Danger
The basic idea that people you do not know in real life may not be safe to share private information with.
The newer version of this idea focuses on what an unknown person does, not just who they are.
Example: Jordan remembers stranger danger by never sharing his address with anyone he has not met in person.
Stranger Online
A person on the internet that someone does not know in real life and has no trusted reason to trust.
Strangers online can be kind, but students should treat unknown people with caution.
Example: Sam was polite but careful when a stranger online asked which school he went to.
Strong Password
A password that is long, hard to guess, and made of different kinds of characters.
Strong passwords keep accounts safer from people trying to break in.
Example: Diego's strong password mixes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and a symbol.
Tablet
A flat, touch-screen digital device that is bigger than a phone but smaller than a laptop.
Tablets are common in schools because they are easy for kids to carry and use.
Example: Jordan reads e-books on a tablet during his free time at school.
Targeted Ad
An advertisement chosen for a specific person based on what tracking has learned about them.
Targeted ads can feel helpful or creepy, depending on what they show.
Example: Sam saw a targeted ad for skateboards right after watching skateboarding videos.
Tech Free Zone
A place or time where digital devices are not allowed.
Tech free zones make space for talking, sleeping, eating, or just resting.
Example: Diego's bedroom is a tech free zone after lights out.
Tell Adult
The act of letting a trusted grown-up know about something that happened online.
Telling a trusted adult is the most important step when something feels off, and it is never tattling.
Example: Aisha decided to tell adult right away after a stranger sent her a strange link.
Text Misunderstanding
A moment when one person reads a message in a way the writer did not mean.
Text misunderstandings are common because text strips away tone, face, and body language.
Example: Maya had a text misunderstanding with her cousin about a joke and cleared it up by asking what she meant.
Tired Eyes
A feeling of strain, dryness, or blurriness in the eyes after looking at a screen for a long time.
Tired eyes are a small signal from the body that it is time for a screen break.
Example: After an hour of reading on a tablet, Maya's tired eyes told her to look out the window for a minute.
Tone In Text
The feeling or mood that comes through in a written message, even when there is no voice or face.
Tone in text is easy to misread, which can lead to hurt feelings.
Example: Aisha's "ok." sounded angry to her friend, but she meant it as a regular reply.
Trolling
Posting things on purpose to upset, anger, or trick other people online.
Trolling is not the same as joking, because the goal is to hurt or stir up trouble.
Example: Sam scrolled past trolling comments without replying so they would not get attention.
Trusted Adult
A grown-up a child knows well and can talk to safely when something feels confusing, scary, or wrong.
Telling a trusted adult is the most important safety habit a digital citizen can build.
Example: Jordan's trusted adults are a parent, an aunt, a teacher, and the school counselor.
Trusted Source
A place that has a strong record of telling the truth and showing where its information comes from.
Trusted sources are not perfect, but they are usually safer than random posts.
Example: Diego used a trusted source like a public library website for his school report.
Two Factor Authentication
A way of signing in to an account that asks for both a password and a second proof, such as a code sent to a phone.
Two factor authentication adds an extra lock to a digital door.
Example: Diego's family uses two factor authentication on their email so a stranger needs more than just the password.
Upstander
A person who notices unkindness and chooses to act in a safe, helpful way.
Upstanders make online communities feel safer for everyone.
Example: Aisha became an upstander by reporting a bullying post and checking on the target.
Upstander Script
A short, prepared set of words a person can use to speak up safely against unkindness online.
Having a script ready makes it easier to act in the moment.
Example: Maya's upstander script was, "Hey, that's not cool. Are you okay?" sent to the target.
Urgency Cue
A signal in a message that says "act now" or "you will miss out" to push someone into a fast choice.
Urgency cues try to skip the "pause, think, act" step.
Example: Maya saw an urgency cue saying "Click in the next 60 seconds!" and decided to slow down.
URL
The full address of a page on the internet, made of letters, numbers, and slashes.
Knowing how to read a URL helps a student check if a site is real or fake.
Example: Sam noticed the URL for his library was different from a fake one trying to copy it.
Username Choice
The decision a person makes about what name to use on an account or in a game.
Smart username choices avoid sharing private information like a full name or birth year.
Example: Jordan made a username choice of "GreenPaint22" instead of using his real name.
Video Chat
A conversation over the internet that uses live video and sound so people can see and hear each other.
Video chats are great for talking with family far away, but they need the same kindness as face-to-face talk.
Example: Aisha had a video chat with her grandparents to show them her science fair project.
Viral Post
A post that is shared by many people very quickly across the internet.
Viral posts feel important, but they can also be very wrong.
Example: Sam saw a viral post about a "new school rule" that turned out to be fake.
Voice Chat
A conversation over the internet that uses sound but not live video.
Voice chats are common in games and group calls, and tone of voice still matters there.
Example: Diego uses voice chat with his cousin while they play a building game together.
Warning Sign
A clue in a conversation that something might not be safe, kind, or honest.
Warning signs are signals to slow down, ask for help, or stop the chat.
Example: Jordan saw a warning sign when an online friend kept asking for his home address.
Web Browser
A software program that lets a person open and view websites on a digital device.
Browsers are the windows students use to look at pages on the world wide web.
Example: Sam opens a web browser to visit the school library's reading list page.
Website
A group of related pages on the internet that share one address and are usually about one topic or owner.
Websites hold most of the information, pictures, and videos people read and watch online.
Example: Aisha visits her town library's website to search for a book about otters.
Wellbeing Check
A short pause where a person notices how their body, feelings, and mind are doing.
Quick check-ins help students choose what they need next, like a snack, a walk, or a break.
Example: Maya does a wellbeing check after school by asking, "Am I tired, hungry, or okay?"
What Evidence
A question that asks for the proof behind a claim.
Looking for evidence is the difference between guessing and knowing.
Example: Maya asked "what evidence?" when a post said a new pet store was opening.
What Is Missing
A question that asks what part of a story might have been left out on purpose or by mistake.
A story can be true and still be misleading if important pieces are missing.
Example: Jordan asked "what is missing?" from a one-sentence headline about a school event.
Who Said It
A question that asks who first made or shared a piece of information.
The answer to "who said it" often tells a lot about whether to trust the message.
Example: Aisha asked "who said it?" before believing a fact she read in a chat.
Wifi
A way for digital devices to connect to the internet without a wire, using radio signals.
Wifi makes it easy to use the internet at home and school, but not all wifi is safe.
Example: Diego connects his tablet to his home wifi to watch a learning video.