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It is important that kids know how to safely navigate the Internet. In response to this need, Y4Y has added digital literacy to its suite of Click & Go training resources. Its purpose is to educate afterschool staff on the importance of digital literacy and how to effectively teach it to students. Training materials include podcasts, customizable tools, and links to additional resources.

Teenagers often socialize online, which can support connections but also cause online social dilemmas where youth have different points of view on a social media post. A new research story by experts with the Harvard Graduate School of Education addresses ways educators can help students navigate online dilemmas. Strategies include identifying the dilemma, discussing feelings, brainstorming possible actions and responses, and planning a response.

Online learning can enrich instruction and provide educational opportunities, but there are also many challenges. Afterschool Alliance has compiled a series of resources for afterschool programs that are providing virtual instruction. These include case studies from afterschool programs, strategies for reaching underserved youth, privacy considerations, and professional development resources for educators.

Digital citizenship, or the ability to engage in safe and responsible online communication and think critically about online content, is a key skill for youth. Social Media TestDrive lets young people learn and practice digital citizenship skills through a social media simulation. Each TestDrive module teaches a specific social media skill, such as managing privacy settings, smart self-presentation, standing up to cyberbullying, and news literacy. The site also has a guide for educators.

Summertime often means a chance for afterschool professionals to catch up on professional learning. This blog post from the Department of Education’s You for Youth (Y4Y) afterschool web portal offers fun and innovative ways that afterschool professionals can use technology for professional learning. There are suggestions and strategies: podcasts like those included in the Y4Y’s Click & Go professional learning series, social media, new apps, and virtual expeditions.

With support from Google, the National AfterSchool Association has developed the Afterschool Tech Toolkit to help afterschool professionals and educators provide students with meaningful ways to engage with technology after school. Modules include getting started with technology, developing a shared vision for digital learning, equity issues, embedding technology into curriculum, and strategies to train and support staff in the use of technology.

A new publication by Policy Studies Associates, commissioned by the National AfterSchool Association, examines how afterschool can help close the digital learning gap that students from low-income families often experience. Recommendations include providing tools and training to afterschool staff; using coaching and online platforms for professional learning; fostering site-based collaboration and peer observation; and creating connections with organizations that support digital learning.

Kids love technology, but wouldn’t it be great if they could learn to make their own animations, video games, or phone apps? Presented by code.org and hosted by Afterschool Alliance and the National AfterSchool Association, this webinar recording explains how afterschool practitioners can get students started with coding during the  Hour of Code. This 1-hour introduction to computer science is designed to demystify code and show kids of all ages that they can learn the basics.

The National AfterSchool Association has compiled several cyber ethics resources to help afterschool practitioners support students-and their families-as they explore the internet. Topics include plagiarism and intellectual property, piracy, and cyber etiquette.

Published in Computers & Education, this article provides research findings for afterschool practitioners who are interested in providing game-design activities in their programs. The authors evaluated the impact of an initiative called the Game-Design Learning program on students’ problem-solving skills. In this quasi-experimental study, the authors found that, compared to students in a control group who did not attend the program, the children who attended the Game-Design Learning program showed a significant increase in their problem-solving skills.