In the middle school years, students are often introduced to a wider range of social media, they are given laptops at school and often smartphones at home, opening up a wide potential for learning and growth, while also introducing new risks and concerns.
Technology is ubiquitous in our lives now and it’s important that at school and home we are engaging our young people in conversations and learning around appropriate and safe use of technology. ISB sent home laptop use questionnaires for all parents to go through with their children, facilitating discussion and agreements to be made about home use of the laptops. We support parents in maintaining boundaries for student use at home. Students need this clear support at home.
At school, our Advisory teams have been or will be engaging students in lessons and discussions around digital citizenship.
Our focus includes:
- balance, including screen time, shutting devices off, and recognizing how much you might be reliant on them
- our digital footprints, including how much sharing/posting is too much and care around what we post
- cyberbullying, what it looks like when it’s happening and what it looks like when you might be doing it
Not all grades have done all these lessons, yet – many in fact will be doing so this upcoming week.
We recognize the importance of these ongoing conversations with young people as their interaction with media, devices, and each other grows exponentially. Now more than ever, we see the impact of technology on social interactions and development. Together, at home and at school, we can help students develop healthy habits and skills for their use with technology.
