Overview for Teachers

This lesson teaches students about Personally Identifiable Information (PII), how to recognise it, and the importance of keeping it safe online.

Slide 1

Welcome students to the lesson and briefly explain that today’s lesson is about information that can be used to identify a person.

Slide 2

Share the lesson objectives of what students will be learning today.

Slide 3

Facilitate a warm-up discussion by asking students for the types of information they choose to share online, such as their usernames. Then contrast the answers with what they should never share online, such as their passwords or home addresses.

Slide 4

Explain that Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to identify a person.

Slide 5

Use examples familiar to students, such as their student ID or school email addresses, to explain PII. Highlight how seemingly innocent information can be very telling.

Demonstrate PII with the following exercise, which can be modified to suit your classroom. Start by asking, “Can you tell me who I’m thinking of? I’m thinking of…”

• Someone wearing a blue shirt? (No, because this is not PII.)

• Someone named [student name]? (Yes, because names are considered PII.)

• Someone who likes to eat pizza? (No, because this cannot be used to identify a person). 

You may choose to include more relatable examples for your classroom to improve understanding.

Slide 6

Discuss the potential risks of sharing PII online with relatable examples, such as someone pretending to be them in an online game. Ask students for the online environments they frequent, such Roblox or YouTube, and why they shouldn’t share PII in public spaces.

Slide 7

Have students identify which labels are considered PII and which are not.

Tip for teachers: the yellow labels are PII while the purple labels are not.

Slide 8

Reinforce the message that PII is only the types of information that can be used to identify an individual.

Slide 9

Provide simple, actionable advice for keeping PII safe, emphasising caution before sharing anything online.

Slide 10

Introduce this activity where students have to determine if each piece of information is safe to share or not. 

Slide 11

Instruct students on the thumbs up/down response mechanism.

Slide 12-13

Ask students to decide with a thumbs up/down response. 

Your first and last name is not safe to share because you can easily identify an individual based on this information. It is considered PII and should not be shared online.

Slide 14-15

Ask students to decide with a thumbs up/down response. 

Your current location is not safe to share because locations can be used to track down exactly where you are, like your home address. Encourage students to turn off tracking settings in games or social media.

Slide 16-17

Ask students to decide with a thumbs up/down response. 

Your hobbies and interests are safe to share because they cannot be used to identify who the individual is. For example, sharing that you like basketball cannot be used to figure out who you are, as many people enjoy basketball.

Slide 18-19

Ask students to decide with a thumbs up/down response. 

Your school name is not safe to share online, as it can be a factor used in identifying an individual if it is paired with another PII, such as a student’s name.

Slide 20-21

Ask students to decide with a thumbs up/down response. 

Your favourite food is safe to share online as it is not identifiable information.

Slide 22

Summarise the lesson's key points, encouraging students to share what they’ve learned about identifying PII.

Slide 23

Emphasise the lesson's main messages, reinforcing the importance of being cautious with personal information online.

Slide 24

Congratulate the students on completing the lesson, encouraging them to apply these practices in their daily digital lives and to share their new knowledge with family and friends.