In the framework of the design-based research of the CyGen project, two workshops have been implemented in the context of the Greek design cycle: the data workshop and the design workshop. The first of the two CyGen workshops, the data workshop, aimed at leading students towards understanding safe online behavior through meaningful creations to them. These creations, according to the project guides, consisted of Lego and play-dough constructions as well as drawings students usually create at this age (10 year- old children), all relating to opportunities and challenges the children face online such as recreation through the internet (watching movies, listening to music), dangerous situations (gaming), discussed issues like viruses, scary situations (e.g. blue whale), effects like sharing personal data. Students came up with such constructions as Lego viruses, robotic figures, mobile/tablet and computer screens/consoles, constructions showing messenger or other media communications.
The second CyGen workshop, the design workshop, focused on initiating discussion on general and specific online dilemmas already derived from the previous data workshop, that is, children’s constructions regarding online opportunities and problematic situations. Children identified challenges like ‘Talking to Strangers’ ‘Phishing messages’, ‘personal data’ and their sharing, ‘surfing unknown web pages’ and ‘playing dangerous games’; they had to stick to one of the above problems, work on their own in order to construct the identified problem by using a different kind, from the previous data workshop, material. Then, students had to draw a poster in their groups in order to depict ‘their group’s problematic situation’ and offer relevant advice to other children or people through their posters.