American school districts have, especiallysince the COVID-19 pandemic, invested heavily in tools and curricula that support students’ digital readiness. With the mass deployment of tech to classrooms, however, educators, school leaders and families are grappling with how to best prepare students for the future of work — without increasing theirdependence on screens.
For the nonprofit Cyber.org, which focuses on cybersecurity and digital literacy education, the answer lies not in providing more devices, but rather in redefining what digital readiness means and how it is taught. Concerns around screen time, limited attention spans and over-reliance on technology can be mitigated, according to the organization, through targeted digital skill building that prioritizes ethics and critical thinking.
“What’s changed, really, is that technology is no longer optional and neither is how we’re teaching it. I remember way back when the focus was on getting devices into classrooms, and we would learn how to write grants to get as many Chromebooks or other devices as possible,” Cyber.org Director Charlene Cooper said. “But I think that conversation has now shifted to impact … We’re moving away from how much screen time to how meaningful is the learning that’s happening.”
The nonprofit supports educators through no-cost curriculum resources and professional development (PD), Cooper said. Often through unplugged or blended instruction, the materials are designed to help teachers build students’ understanding of technology,digital citizenshipand cybersecurity concepts.
According to Cooper, one of Cyber.org’s courses, “Cybersecurity Basics,” is written for students in grades K-8 and focuses on foundational concepts without requiring computers. She said the course and its target audience reflects an awareness of how early children are introduced to technology today.
“We have lessons that prepare students to understand how technology works, how it affects people, how it affects communities, and then how to use it responsibly,” Cooper said. “And those skills start off screen.”
Many lessons, she added, rely on discussion, simulations and role playing, zeroing in on how students can “protect themselves as they’re engaging and putting information into any system that’s online.”
As artificial intelligence tools become more accessible to students, Cooper said, the need for critical evaluation skills has only intensified.
Positioning students to be successful in a potentially AI-driven future requires an emphasis on judgment, Cooper added, emphasizing the importance of teaching students how to evaluate information — and its origins — critically.
“We have to prepare our students to be successful with technology and AI, but we still need to make sure that they’re able to discern between factual information and look at what may not be clear,” she said.
CLASSROOM USE AND TEACHER PERSPECTIVE
Javier Aguilar, a technology teacher and IT coordinator at East Fort Worth Montessori Academy in Texas, wrote in an email that Cyber.org resources encourage device breaks — which, to him, is the key to maintaining student engagement.
“I believe that incorporating visual scenarios can enhance student learning more effectively than solely relying on technology-based lessons,” he wrote, adding that for his K-2 students, he incorporates “unplugged lessons that do not require the use of devices, to foster foundational skills in a hands-on manner.”
Aguilar said he has utilized several Cyber.org materials in his teaching, namely the Cyber Safety Video Series, which he supplements with his own assessments to gauge student understanding of new concepts. The goal, he said, is to make the learning experience interactive and fun while providing opportunities for students to take breaks from digital activities in order to reduce their reliance on technology.
THE IMPACT OF STRONG PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Aguilar said the Cyber.org webinars he attended helped him effectively adapt his curriculum to incorporate more technology in a more secure, intentional manner.
“I have gained valuable insights into effective presentation techniques for the curriculum and strategies for adapting the content to meet the needs of our elementary school students,” he said.
The nonprofit’s professional development model is accessible, tiered and designed to be ongoing, Cooper added, pointing out that the organization offers virtual PD sessions by season, held in the evenings to accommodate teachers’ schedules. Recordings of each session are available on the Cyber.org website.
“When can we train our teachers? When can we engage teachers in meaningful professional development that’s convenient for them?” she asked, noting that time is often the resource educators need most. “Investing in teacher professional development and not just technology purchases is huge.”
Together, Cyber.org’s emphasis on teacher training and unplugged instruction underscores its philosophy on implementing tech in the classroom: Digital readiness is shaped not by how often students are on devices, but by how intentionally educators are supported to teach technology with purpose, ethics and impact.
