Digital Safety, Data Protection, and Media Literacy in the Classroom

Rationale

Digital competence is a named key competency in the Flemish reformed attainment targets and a transversal competency in the French Community Tronc Commun referentiels. The EU General Data Protection Regulation applies to every Belgian school's handling of pupil data, creating a legal compliance duty that teachers must understand in practice. Online safety obligations connect to the Lanzarote Convention on child protection. This course addresses these three strands digital competence as a curriculum standard, data protection as a legal duty, and media literacy as a citizenship skill without any AI-themed content. It maps directly to the digital-competency strands of the Flemish basiscompetenties and the reformed eindtermen, the French Community's digital and transversal competencies, and the GDPR as it applies to pupil data in every Belgian school. The course is deliberately framed as safety, citizenship, and data protection, not as a tools or technology course.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. Digital competence as a curriculum standard

Participants examine where digital competence sits within the Flemish reformed attainment targets and the French Community Tronc Commun referentiels. The lesson traces how digital competence moved from a separate skill to a transversal key competency embedded across subjects. Participants analyse the specific digital-competence descriptors in the Flemish eindtermen and the FWB transversal referentiels, identifying where their own subject teaching already addresses these standards and where gaps exist. The activity involves mapping one unit of their current teaching against the digital-competence descriptors and identifying one gap to address. Participants can afterward locate the digital-competence standards in their Community's framework and begin aligning their teaching to those standards.

Lesson 2. GDPR in the school context

Participants learn the core GDPR principles lawful basis, data minimisation, purpose limitation, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality as they apply to everyday school operations. The lesson distinguishes between the school as data controller and the teacher as data processor, clarifying who is responsible for what. Participants work through a typical school data-flow scenario enrolment, progress records, special educational needs documentation, photographs identifying where each GDPR principle applies and where common compliance failures occur. The activity requires participants to audit one routine data-handling practice in their own classroom against the GDPR principles. Participants can afterward identify the lawful basis for processing pupil data in common school situations and recognise when a data-processing activity needs adjustment.

Lesson 3. The pupil data lifecycle

Participants trace the full lifecycle of pupil data from collection through storage, sharing, and eventual deletion. The lesson covers what data schools may collect, how long different categories of data must be retained under Belgian record-keeping rules, and the procedures for secure deletion. Participants examine the interaction between GDPR retention principles and the Flemish Decree on pupil guidance, which specifies documentation requirements for the four guidance domains. The activity involves mapping a pupil's data journey through a school year, identifying each point where data is created, accessed, or transferred, and checking compliance with retention schedules. Participants can afterward manage pupil data in their own practice with awareness of the full lifecycle and the legal obligations at each stage.

Lesson 4. Choosing edtech responsibly

Participants develop a framework for evaluating digital tools before introducing them into the classroom. The lesson covers the GDPR requirement for a data-processing agreement with any edtech provider, the need to assess whether the tool collects more data than necessary, and the school's duty to conduct a data-protection impact assessment for high-risk processing. Participants apply the framework to three common edtech tools, scoring each on privacy, security, pedagogical value, and accessibility. The activity requires participants to evaluate one tool they currently use or plan to use and document their assessment. Participants can afterward apply a structured evaluation process before adopting any new digital tool and know when to escalate concerns to the school's data-protection coordinator.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Online safety and pupil protection

Participants examine the online risks that pupils face, including grooming, exposure to harmful content, and unwanted contact, and the school's duties under the Lanzarote Convention to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse in digital contexts. The lesson covers the structured concern pathway for online-safety incidents, showing how a teacher recognises a concern, consults the CLB or Vertrouwenscentrum Kindermishandeling, and follows the verontrusting escalation procedure. Participants work through a scenario involving a pupil who has received inappropriate online contact, identifying each step of the response. Participants can afterward recognise online-safety concerns, know the correct escalation pathway, and understand the limits of their duty to act under Belgian law.

Lesson 6. Cyberbullying response

Participants learn to distinguish cyberbullying from offline bullying and from peer conflict, and to apply the school's guidance policy to online peer harm. The lesson covers the psychosocial guidance domain of the Flemish Decree on pupil guidance, which requires schools to address psychological and social functioning, including online peer relationships. Participants examine the specific features of cyberbullying persistence, audience size, anonymity and practice a structured response protocol that includes securing evidence, supporting the targeted pupil, addressing the behaviour with the perpetrator, and involving parents. The activity involves role-playing a cyberbullying disclosure and documenting the response steps. Participants can afterward recognise cyberbullying, respond appropriately within the school's care structure, and document incidents for the guidance record.

Lesson 7. Sexting and image-based harm

Participants examine the legal and safeguarding dimensions of sexting among pupils, including the distinction between consensual sharing among peers and non-consensual distribution or possession of images. The lesson covers the Lanzarote Convention's provisions on child sexual abuse material and the school's duty to respond without criminalising children. Participants work through a scenario in which an intimate image of a pupil has been shared without consent, identifying the safeguarding response, the involvement of the CLB, and the circumstances in which police liaison is necessary. The activity requires participants to draft a classroom discussion guide on sexting that balances prevention with non-judgmental support. Participants can afterward respond to sexting incidents safely and lawfully, and teach prevention messages appropriate to their pupils' age.

Lesson 8. Media literacy and disinformation

Participants learn to teach source evaluation, critical consumption, and verification of digital content as part of the media-literacy strand of the key competencies. The lesson covers the Flemish transversal eindtermen and the FWB competences langagieres that require pupils to analyse, evaluate, and produce media messages. Participants practice a structured verification protocol lateral reading, checking the source, verifying claims against authoritative sources and design a short classroom activity that teaches pupils to apply the protocol to a news article or social media post. The activity requires participants to adapt the protocol for their own subject and age group. Participants can afterward teach pupils a repeatable verification strategy and integrate media-literacy instruction into their subject teaching without adding a separate unit.

Lesson 9. Digital citizenship and rights

Participants examine pupils' rights and responsibilities in digital spaces, drawing on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the citizenship competencies in both Community frameworks. The lesson covers the right to privacy, the right to be heard, and the right to protection from harm as they apply online, and the corresponding responsibilities of respectful communication, lawful behaviour, and critical participation. Participants analyse a set of classroom scenarios involving digital behaviour and identify which rights and responsibilities are at stake. The activity requires participants to design a classroom norm-setting activity that helps pupils co-create their own digital-citizenship agreement. Participants can afterward teach digital citizenship as a rights-and-responsibilities framework and facilitate pupil participation in setting classroom digital norms.

Lesson 10. Screen use and well-being

Participants examine the relationship between screen use and pupil well-being, including sleep disruption, attention effects, and social-emotional impacts, within the preventive-health guidance domain of the Flemish Decree on pupil guidance. The lesson covers evidence-based recommendations for age-appropriate screen time, the importance of breaks and physical activity, and the school's role in modelling healthy digital habits. Participants evaluate their own classroom screen-use practices and identify changes that could support pupil well-being without reducing legitimate educational use of technology. The activity requires participants to plan one adjustment to their classroom screen routine and a brief pupil conversation about balanced use. Participants can afterward make evidence-informed decisions about screen use in their classroom and address pupil well-being concerns related to digital habits.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Accessibility and the digital divide

Participants examine how digital inequality affects pupils' access to learning and their ability to meet digital-competence standards. The lesson covers the equal-opportunity aims of the pupil-guidance framework and the duty to provide reasonable adjustments for pupils with disabilities, including in digital contexts. Participants analyse the barriers that pupils without home internet, pupils with disabilities, and pupils from low-literacy backgrounds face, and identify inclusive practices such as offline alternatives, assistive technology, and differentiated digital tasks. The activity requires participants to audit one digital assignment for accessibility barriers and redesign it to be more inclusive. Participants can afterward design digital learning activities that do not disadvantage pupils based on access, ability, or background.

Lesson 12. Communicating with parents digitally

Participants learn to communicate with parents and carers using digital tools in a way that respects privacy, maintains professional boundaries, and complies with GDPR. The lesson covers the lawful bases for different types of communication, the importance of using school-approved platforms rather than personal accounts, and the need to obtain consent for certain types of digital communication such as class messaging apps or photo sharing. Participants examine a set of common parent-communication scenarios and identify the correct GDPR-compliant approach for each. The activity requires participants to draft a privacy notice for their own parent-communication practices. Participants can afterward communicate with parents digitally in a way that is lawful, professional, and respectful of family privacy.

Lesson 13. Incident response and data breaches

Participants learn the school's obligations when a data breach occurs, including the GDPR requirement to notify the data-protection authority within 72 hours and to inform affected data subjects when the breach poses a risk to their rights and freedoms. The lesson covers the types of breaches common in schools lost devices, unauthorised access to records, accidental sharing of personal data and the steps a teacher should take immediately upon discovering a breach. Participants work through a breach scenario, identifying the containment steps, the notification requirements, and the documentation needed. The activity requires participants to draft a breach-reporting checklist for their own classroom or team. Participants can afterward recognise a data breach, take immediate containment steps, and follow the correct reporting procedure.

Lesson 14. Records, consent, and images

Participants examine the specific rules around taking and using photographs, video recordings, and audio recordings of pupils in school settings. The lesson covers the GDPR requirement for a lawful basis typically consent or legitimate interest the need for clear, specific consent from parents or guardians, and the distinction between educational use and promotional use. Participants analyse a set of common scenarios class photos, school performances, video for assessment, social media posts by the school and identify the correct consent and documentation requirements for each. The activity requires participants to review their school's existing image-use consent form and suggest improvements. Participants can afterward handle pupil images and recordings lawfully, obtain proper consent, and respect pupils' and parents' rights regarding their image.

Lesson 15. Building a class digital-safety agreement

Participants synthesise the course content by designing a digital-safety agreement that they can co-create with their pupils at the start of the school year. The lesson covers the elements of an effective agreement clear expectations, pupil voice, consequences, review procedures and the process for involving pupils in drafting and committing to the agreement. Participants examine sample agreements from Belgian schools and identify the features that align with the digital-competency standards, the guidance framework, and the school's safeguarding policy. The activity requires participants to draft a one-page digital-safety agreement template for their own classroom, including a process for pupil input and annual review. Participants can afterward facilitate a class session in which pupils co-create a digital-safety agreement that is enforceable, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with the school's policies.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.