To train teachers so that they can guide children and young people towards a more informed, safe and responsible use of the Internet. This is the aim of "Train the Trainer", the new project from the Ludoteca of Registro .it dedicated to training on the topics of cybersecurity and digital citizenship.
The project was presented on 9 October in Pisa during Cybersecurity Day, organised as part of the 16th edition of the Internet Festival and promoted by the CNR Institute of Informatics and Telematics (CNR-IIT), Registro .it, the SERICS Foundation and Unione Industriale Pisana, with a view to exploring the new challenges in cybersecurity.
During the event, Andrea Passarella, director of CNR-IIT and head of Registro .it, Alessandra Nardini, councillor of the Tuscany Regional Council responsible for education, training and the Internet Festival, and Luciano Tagliaferri, director-general of the Tuscany Region's School Office, signed the memorandum of understanding marking the start of the collaboration between the three institutions.
"Train the Trainer", organised by the Ludoteca of Registro .it in collaboration with the CINI’s National Cybersecurity Lab, is addressed to teachers of Year 4 and Year 5 in primary schools and middle school teachers. The aim is to provide them with the knowledge, tools and methodologies needed to address cybersecurity and digital citizenship in the classroom, integrating them into their lesson planning and adapting them to the age and needs of their pupils.
The project stems from the realisation that familiarity with the Internet, digital platforms, social media, video games and artificial intelligence-based tools does not necessarily correspond to the ability to use them responsibly and safely. Digital literacy, in fact, also encompasses an understanding of the online risks, the protection of personal data and the digital identity, the ability to recognise threats, and the adoption of appropriate behaviour.
“As the CNR, we have been bringing digital literacy to schools for years through the workshops run by the Ludoteca of Registro .it, and over the years we have trained hundreds of students,” says Andrea Passarella. “But we need to do more, and to extend our efforts even further: that is why we have proposed a project addressed to teachers, to provide them with training and resources to pass this knowledge on to their pupils. Thanks to the support of the Tuscany Region and the contribution from the Region's School Office, we seek to develop a high-quality programme for teachers in Tuscany, evaluate its results and refine a model that can also be replicated elsewhere. We are proud that our pilot project is being launched right here in our region.”
Methods and tools for cybersecurity in the classroom
The training programme, scheduled for the 2026/2027 academic year, will have a total duration of 25 hours and will consist of eight online sessions, in-person workshops and a concluding webinar for discussion and evaluation. The training will alternate between theoretical content and practical activities, guiding teachers from an understanding of the key issues in digital security up to their practical application in the classroom.
The Ludoteca of Registro .it will oversee the educational aspects and methodologies for digital education, with a particular focus on game-based learning. Teachers will be able to discover and try out the resources in the Ludoteca dedicated to cybersecurity, including the video game “Nabbovaldo e il ricatto dal cyberspazio (Nabbovaldo and the blackmail from cyberspace)”, the board game “Nel mezzo dei Maghi (Among the Wizards)”, the card game “Prima pensa poi condividi (Think first, then share)” and the activities “Il cifrario di Cesare (Caesar cipher)” and “L’acronimo password (The password acronym)”. The programme will also include the presentation of worksheets and lesson plans tailored to different age groups, which can be used and adapted to suit the needs of individual classes. Part of the programme will also be dedicated to “SuperCyberKids”, the platform developed as part of the European Erasmus+ project of the same name, in which the Ludoteca of Registro .it also took part.
Content relating to cybersecurity will be managed by CINI’s Cybersecurity National Lab, with the support of Ilaria Matteucci, researcher at the Trust, Security and Privacy Unit of CNR-IIT. The programme will begin by looking at how the Internet, networks and secure communications work, before moving on to digital hygiene, the protection of school data, the main attack vectors, threats linked to artificial intelligence and the management of cyber incidents.
From Tuscany to a national model
"Train the Trainer" aims at moving beyond the approach of relying on occasional interventions by external experts, by directly involving teachers themselves, providing them with the tools they need to integrate cybersecurity education into everyday school life. Those taking part in the training will therefore not merely be recipients of the initiative, but will play an active role in building a shared culture of digital security within the school.
Tuscany will be the first area in which the pilot project will be put to the test. Support for the participating schools and the collection of data and feedback will enable us to evaluate the programme, identify any critical issues and validate a model that can be adapted to different school contexts, with a view to gradually rolling it out nationwide. The initiative may also help to foster the development of a community of trained teachers, capable of sharing experiences, adapting activities to the needs of their own classes and disseminating the skills they have acquired within their respective schools.
“As the Tuscany Region, we are carrying out various initiatives aimed at supporting the quality and innovation of teaching, and the ‘Train the Trainer’ training programme fits perfectly into this framework,” states Alessandra Nardini. “I would like to thank the CNR in Pisa, which, through Registro .it and its Ludoteca, is offering us this valuable opportunity to train teachers in primary and middle schools across Tuscany.” Together with the Region's School Office, we embraced this project from the very outset with conviction and enthusiasm, in the belief that schools should educate free and informed citizens, also with regard to the proper use of new technologies. It is essential not only to understand the opportunities they offer, but also to be aware of the risks so that they can be avoided. Training teachers is a forward-thinking decision, because it has a multiplier effect on students. “Personally, I have always been convinced that the answer is certainly not to ban the younger generations from using new technologies, but rather to provide them with education so that they use them responsibly and with awareness.”
“Our schools must be places where digital citizenship is learnt, passed on to families and spread, and where safety also means cybersecurity,” concludes Luciano Tagliaferri. "For this reason, together with the Tuscany Region's Department of Education, we have enthusiastically embraced the project proposed by the CNR, confident in the quality and authority of the content that will be provided. We are ready to do our part to promote it as effectively as possible amongst our school staff and help make it a sound, validated and replicable teaching model.”