Welcome to the first ‘Circuit’ article in our new series on technology in education! As our world becomes increasingly digital, it’s crucial that schools, families, and communities work together to support students’ healthy use of technology. In this series, we’ll explore topics like cybersecurity, keeping students safe online, and new innovations in educational technology that we are using to enhance learning.
Our goal with these articles is to empower parents with knowledge and resources to guide your children through the digital landscape. The internet opens up countless opportunities for connection, creativity, and access to information and we want our pupils to be able to safely take advantage of these. By starting an open dialogue and establishing good digital habits early on, we can help students reap the benefits of technology while avoiding potential pitfalls.
We encourage you to read through these articles as they’re published, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions that arise along the way. This is new territory for many of us as parents, but by working together, we can ensure all students have safe, enriching online experiences that support their growth and prepare them for the future. Let’s get started!
5 Tips for Success
There is no shortage of advice for parents on digital safety but how to know what is truly helpful (and realistic)? Below are 5 simple recommendations that are research backed and child-tested. They are taken from taken from ParentZone’s ‘The 5 Digital parenting rules that REALLY matter’.
- Building a child’s digital resilience will keep them safer than blocking or filtering.
The ability to judge when and what to post, when to report, how to report, the confidence to say no among your peers. This knowledge is invaluable and will trump any internet filter.
- Don’t limit the talk you have with your child to ‘the online safety conversation’.
Talking about online safety is essential, but look for opportunities to go further. What do they like doing online? Which websites do they use? Be positive and supportive and let them know you can help them fix any mistake.
- Balance taking an interest with letting them be independent.
In the real world, you can’t always be there to help your children cross the road without coming to harm – they internalise the road-safety messages you teach them and then they learn to navigate journeys safely and independently. The same rules apply in an online environment.
- Don’t be afraid to set boundaries
This can be tricky as students get older but it is important. Are phones allowed in the bedroom? Discuss rules around sharing photos. How do we treat friends online?
- Concentrate on how children use digital media, not how long.
There is strong evidence that screen time alone cannot be used to judge the effect on wellbeing. Muc more important is how a young person interacts with the digital world. Is it for learning or relaxation? Socialising or spending some time on your own? Different situations have different impacts, it all comes back to balance.
Finally, we would highly recommend ParentZone’s Digital Parenting Blog and please do read the original article, ‘The 5 digital parenting rules that REALLY matter’
James Stevens (JS Head of Computing & Digital Learning)