Jakub Stanisławczyk

On 21st of June, at Multikino Złote Tarasy, we made educational workshop for children about safety in the Internet, and also showed how to use our educational application Im2be.

Over 100 students took part in the workshop. It surprised us how much children know about the internet, and it was also a bit worrying how much time they spend in the virtual world without any control from the parent.

We also organized a game for children. We divided all gathered into 6 groups, and then each group had to list the threats or benefits that flow from the Internet. Once again, the participants surprised us, because they had a great knowledge of Internet threats, such as viruses, hackers, viral games such as “blue whale”, Internet addiction, dangerous knowledge and content. Children knew much more about threats than about benefits.

At the end of the workshop we picked 2 children who were supposed to answer the randomly asked questions about proper online behavior. The kids dealt with this task perfectly.

At the end, we handed out stickers for children to stick the lenses of the telephone sets and wished them great fun while watching the film.

The Foundation team undertook the implementation of another, not easy challenge – we started a series of lessons educating children about safety in the Internet. The first lesson in the series took place at Primary School No. 12 in Katowice on 12th of June. We were welcomed by children from the third classes who actively participated in our animations, although it cannot be hidden that they were already in holiday moods. The first point of the program was to introduce ourselves and tell about the profile of our Foundation. Then the students spoke about what devices they use and what they do on them. The responses we received exceeded our expectations, but the most frequently mentioned were: Facebook, Messenger, Skype, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and games, including primarily Minecraft, The Sims and other logic games, races, Crossouts, etc.

The first game was the division of children into groups of 3-4 people, whose task was to write or draw Internet-related threats. The answers were: virus, pedophile, addiction, hackers, the possibility of unfavorable use of our personal data, loss of health or life caused by a dangerous game – Blue whale, advertising, inappropriate games and videos, links for adults or downloading illegal sites, then just a few examples. We collected all the answers and together with the children we explored their content. Then we decided to go to the next game, this time demanding a bit more commitment. With the help of the teachers, we chose eight people who approached the board, and then from our magical pouch drew cards with questions. After reading, the random person answered the question, and if it could not, then classmates helped her find the right answer. The following are the sample questions:

1. Using social media is fun! I can upload all my and other people’s photos there. I recently uploaded a photo of a friend from a trip, but he got angry with me. What do you think – why?

2. I have provided my personal information to a stranger on the Internet. Should I?

The responses were well-developed and justified, which pleased us greatly, as it testifies to the vast knowledge and awareness of children in the world of the Internet. Children also drew in groups drawings on the subject of “Security on the Web”, which can be seen in the gallery below. The last point of our lesson was to give children questionnaires on Im2be application and to get to know it deeper. At the end children got small gifts from the Foundation. Satisfied and with broadened knowledge about the Internet and applications, students began a break. The lesson was therefore rapid and intensive. We are interested in further results and experiences in meetings with students.

Drawings of students

Our young foundation participated in the Science Picnic for the second time. The opportunity to co-create its 21st edition on 3rd of June 2017 was not only an honor and distinction for us, but also a hard work. Thank you for being there and we are glad that so many of you visited us! Foundation’s co-workers and volunteers – employees of ITSA company – conducted an exciting series of shows for 10 hours. The first point was to learn about the Earth from A-Z using our mobile application Im2be KIDS, addressed to the youngest participants and their parents. It was possible to implement a field game with its help already during the Picnic. Then children, teenagers and adults watched the show titled with interest. “Radio waves in the space around us – the invisible crust of the Earth”. Our specialists discovered the secrets of the radio spectrum and helped the participants generate additional disturbances, which were still a lot on the Stadium. We do not realize both how many waves and in what density saturation surrounds us. This is amazing! During the show, we could experience this. During the third show, we jointly denied the laws of gravity and exercised the power of the mind. The game consisted of using the waves produced by our brain – using a special band, and then the signal was sent to the device, i.e. the obstacle course. This position, gathered the largest audience of these small and large :). Children properly focused on this activity, were able to control the power of blowing, or raise the ball to a certain height. This kind of fun showed us and parents how much children can concentrate at a given moment and how distractions from outside affect their attention. Thanks to this training feedback, we learn how to focus on a particular task, and at the same time relax by having fun. This type of entertainment teaches you to use knowledge about your own concentration, the so-called self-regulation. Kids also had the opportunity to try to play the game without using a mouse or joystick. It’s all with the power of mind and the right concentration and peace. We are glad that you liked our new Im2be application and other shows. It was a real pleasure for us! We hope to see you next year!