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Digital Protection

What is Digital Protection?

Digital protection simply is online/digital safety. It is important to help build skills in students for them to independently be aware of the potential risks that come along with having an online presence. 

In today’s digital world, people carry devices with them that let them record others through pictures, videos and sounds. People can post their location, what they are doing, all without realizing that information can be harmful or dangerous to give away to the public. 

As discussed in a post about digital citizenship, teaching children about digital security is a community job that must come from both school and home. As educators, it is our job to be teaching students the importance of digital security within the classroom. Below are 2 posters - 1 being a great resource to send home to parents and 2 is a great visual to have in the classroom for students. 

Both posters - Morris (2019) 

I have never heard of “Yappy,” but it is a great acronym to teach students as a reminder to not share personal information. Although security isn’t a major issue within our school (P-5), it is just as important for students to recognize digital protection when using devices at home.  

Below is a great video to show students in the classroom about the importance of being mindful of what they post and share online. This video would create a meaningful discussion about their personal experiences or how they could learn from this information in their future digital use.

Protection Policies at School 

When asked to explore what my current school has in place for protection policies, it took me a long time to figure out where it was. So is it easily accessible? No (red flag!). A policy that is put in place at my current school is confidentiality and consent to images online. It is very clear that parents must consent to their child's picture being taken before it can be posted anywhere online. It is also clear that teachers are expected to be confidential in sharing information about students no matter the circumstances. The document is clear and concise for both educators and parents to understand. This topic also opens up a great conversation with students about giving consent. Teaching students to ask their friends or peers to share pictures/information about them teaches them how to be good citizens. Students may not be aware of why it’s good to ask for consent before posting… Therefore, being implicitly taught how to ask for consent or say no to others is an essential skill for digital protection. 

So what can we do moving forward?!?!?!

Ways we can keep students protected at school:

Internet/content filtering: Making sure that certain websites/platforms are blocked from students that could lead to the dark side of the internet. 

Teaching students about cyber security (YAPPY, not sharing personal information, not sharing passwords, etc.).

Privacy protection plans: Understanding the procedures to keep students safe (ex. confidentiality). 

Teaching students how to be good digital citizens

Collaborating with parents and teaching them about digital protection

References:

Morris, K. (May16th, 2019). 10 Internet Safety Tips for Parents (How to Help Your Child to be Safe Online) http://www.kathleenamorris.com/2019/05/16/internet-safety-parents/

Smile and Learn (March 12th, 2020). Online privacy for kids - internet safety and security for kids. YouTube

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Pov: you're creating a digital boundary and taking a break from posting the rest of your blog posts.

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Digital Wellness

What is Digital Wellness?

Digital wellness is about balancing a healthy relationship with technology and the digital world. We want to use digital wellness to help us enhance our well-being rather than face the negative effects of the digital world. 

I was challenged to look at my screen time in a week - I honestly was surprised by my results in a good way. My screen time average is 1 hour and 31 minutes per day (1 hour and 26 minutes being Tik Tok). This was during a normal work week - as a grade 1 teacher I don’t really have the flexibility of checking my phone a lot throughout the day, which is why I think my screen time is on the lower side. However, I am going to redo this challenge now that I am on summer break to see how it will change (I know it will become a lot worse). One personal boundary I have set up for myself daily is reading 1 hour before bed instead of scrolling. This was a 2023 goal for me that has helped me fall asleep way easier and has also helped my goodreads goal (bonus!). 

Digital Boundaries: How to Make Boundaries and Keep Up With Them

In this video, it describes ways we can create digital boundaries for ourselves. The video goes into detail about how putting in specific boundaries can reduce stress. 

It can be hard to create boundaries for ourselves, but if we don’t establish boundaries we will face the negative effects of screen time and digital use. A boundary I have put into place as a teacher is not answering or checking emails after contract hours. When I was a first year teacher I didn’t have this boundary and parents would email me at 8:00pm and expect an answer almost immediately. Knowing this was causing stress for me, I decided I wouldn’t be doing that moving forward, which has helped my stress levels and has maintained a healthy work-home life. I think it is really important to make yourself accountable for creating boundaries and sticking to them. Below is a model that shows the 4 aspects of digital wellness. This model is a great resource to check in with yourself and ensure you are doing what is best for your own digital well-being. 

There are many ways we can teach others to have a balanced digital wellness lifestyle. Some of the ways include:

Managing screen time: Being conscientious about the amount of time you actually spend on your devices. 

Taking digital breaks: Stop using your phone for scrolling before bed each night and see how it makes you feel. 

Digital boundaries: Creating boundaries so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the end of each day with the amount of screen time you’ve had. 

Applying tools that help you keep up with your boundaries (ex. Night time mode on your phone - doesn’t allow notifications or app use for certain times in the night). 

References:

Image: https://swgfl.org.uk/topics/digital-wellbeing/

Model: Jisc (2019) https://digitalcapability.jisc.ac.uk/what-is-digital-capability/digital-wellbeing/

The International Association of Wellness (March 8th, 2020). Creating digital boundaries to reduce stress. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWk8cRQblHo

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As teachers, it’s our responsibility to authentically integrate digital citizenship into the curriculum in a positive way. - Edtech Endeavors

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Netiquette

What is Netiquette?

Netiquette is simply how a person uses etiquette online. Netiquette can be used both in a professional setting and at home setting. We want to teach society about netiquette to ensure internet safety. 

Poster Explaining Netiquette: 

Netiquette for Children

Just like when communicating person to person, we want children (and adults) to be able to communicate respectfully and appropriately online. Below is a video on netiquette for kids. The video describes how to use the internet and social media safely by respecting everyone. This video uses kid friendly language and it is relatable to a students’ perspective on internet use. 

This video is a great source for P-5 teachers. As a grade 1 teacher I struggle with finding age appropriate ways to teach about netiquette since the students are at such a basic level of using the internet and technology. This video shows that it doesn’t matter what age you are, there is always room for conversations about internet safety and netiquette. 

Student use of Netiquette on Social Media

As a teacher, the biggest worry with the internet and social media is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can come in many forms, but most students will see it through social media platforms (Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.). By teaching students netiquette, they will have a better understanding of how cyberbullying can have a huge impact on their mental well-being. The internet can be used as a mask for people and it makes it easier to say hurtful and mean things to others without ramifications. Both teachers and parents can guide children to becoming good digital citizens and lessen the likelihood of cyberbullying happening. 

Although cyberbullying is a huge issue in today’s society on the internet, social media also comes with its own set of mental health issues. Students will begin to compare themselves to others, leading to mental health diagnoses such as depression, body dysmorphia and externalizing problems at a young age. Nesi (2020) states that there has been a significant impact on adolescents mental health with suicide rates going up 56% from 2007-2017 due to social media use. As a parent and teacher, this information is really concerning and it shows how important it is to teach adolescents the importance of digital citizenship and netiquette online. Students are using social media to connect with one another more and more, and adults need to step in to ensure the communication is happening respectfully and safely. 

What Can We Do to Ensure Netiquette?

Teaching netiquette explicitly in the classroom

Show children videos and posters on netiquette and have discussions on why it’s important to have netiquette. 

Keep students accountable for their online actions 

Discuss real life examples 

Foster and reward good digital citizenship 

Talk about empathy and role play using empathy 

Get parents/guardians involved and provide information to teach them as well 

Create boundaries for students being on their devices

References:

Poster found here:

Smile and Learn (March 15th,  2022) What is netiquette? Internet behavior rules for kids. Youtube.

Nesi, J. (March 2nd, 2020) The impact of social media on youth mental health: challenges and benefits. NCMJ vol. 81, no. 2 https://ncmedicaljournal.scholasticahq.com/article/55247.pdf

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Digital Citizenship

POV: you're a digital citizen.

What is Digital Citizenship?

To me, digital citizenship is when society uses digital devices safely and ethically. As a society, we have become addicted to our hand held devices and computers. Screens have become a part of us both at home and at work. Since becoming a teacher, it has been important for me to teach my students how their personal digital responsibilities contribute to a safe digital environment. 

In school, digital citizenship covers a variety of topics such as:

Online safety: How sharing personal information or photographs can lead to dangerous outcomes. It is important that students are aware of the risks that come along with sharing personal information with strangers. 

Social media/cyber bullying: Social media is a huge influence on students and how they see the world. Most students use social media as a form of communication with their peers daily. Students should have a strong understanding of how social media/cyberbullying can have harmful effects to their mental well being and what they can do to protect themselves or their peers online. 

Excessive use of technology: As I’ve mentioned above, technology has become a part of us. In the video “Addicted to Your Phone” (Marketplace 2017), a young boy who was only 8 years old was spending up to 10 hours on a device unsupervised. We as teachers need to teach students and parents about the negative effects excessive screen time can have on a child's brain development. We are the first generation who will be raising children with screen addictions - teachers can do their part by creating a healthy balance within the classroom.

Here is a great visual (see below) that could be used in the classroom to teach students about what it means to be a digital citizen. “SMART” acronym  stands for safe, materials, accept, reliable and tell. 

What can we do as teachers to help students and parents be aware of digital citizenship? We can…

Create more information around technology addictions and how it can impact children as learners for parents/guardians. Parents may not be aware of the direct effects excessive screen time can have on their child’s brain development.

Create a healthy balance at school for screen time for students who might have a lot of screen time at home. 

Teach internet safety for children who might have a lot of screen time at home unsupervised (what websites are safe, when to ask for permission from a parent, etc.)

Help students and parents create healthy boundaries at home with screen time - challenge families to only use screen time for 1-2 hours max a day for a week. Will they see changes? 

Continue to teach safe practices of being online (this should be ongoing). 

References:

Poster found at this website; Play it smart online https://www.graniteschools.org/edtech/2016/09/digital-citizenship-posters/

Marketplace, 2017, November 3. Why you’re addicted to your smartphone (marketplace). YouTube.