ISSUE 8, MONDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2015 have the opportunity, in many cases, to experience the joys of just being in nature. Our protectionist view of the world can create a limited perspective of what the real world can offer young children in their learning adventure.
PRINCIPAL, JEFF DAVIS As I reflect back on life growing up in a small country town, I reminisce about how my parents would allow my brother and I to roam the neighbourhood with friends finding exciting activities by the lake or in the council gardens and fill our time with a wealth of experiences. In each of us, this instilled a sense of adventure and opportunity and made us more determined to find out more of the world in which we live. As I fast track to the communities in which we are involved today, it is quite apparent that the majority of children no longer play on the streets or roam the neighbourhood looking for fun or even
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Instead, we tend to allow our children more time to sit inside, watch endless videos or play computer games when they are not searching the internet, as we endeavour to keep them safe from the potential dangers of the outside world. More and more research is being gathered to show that this approach is a fallacy. In fact, we seem to be fostering a generation of young people, who are more addicted to digital technology than anything else in life. We are seeing digital detox centres being established worldwide as parents seek to restore their children back to normal behaviours. Parents are becoming more aware of the long term dangers that digital technology can negatively impact upon our children. At Hillcrest, we are determined to develop a learning platform that includes digital technology as a tool for enhanced learning. While we are expecting our students to use computers more frequently in their studies, we would also expect that students would
only be using computers to create and research rather than just to consume information. This is an important definition when we are considering why we are using computers for our learning. Throughout the next period of time, there will be many opportunities for parents to better understand this approach and to see why it is essential in developing a learning environment where the rate of learning is maximised. As an educator, I am fully aware of the benefits that digital technology can bring to learning, but I am also acutely aware of the dangers that digital saturation can cause to individuals in the way that they think, and more importantly in the way that they act. Schools, throughout the world, are readjusting to the epidemic of social media and the way in which this significantly impacts negatively on the school community. While we may lord the excitement of having Facebook pages to keep up with our friends and relatives, the reality is that in many cases, these are the ideal bullying pages that many students use in an attempt to gain notoriety and superiority. I would ask all parents to support us in our intention to break the digital cycle and become part of a community
committed to ensuring our students are digitally safe from the addiction and abuse of social media. NEXT WEEK, WE HAVE INVITED INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED SPEAKER, BRAD HUDDLESTON, TO ADDRESS OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY ABOUT THE DANGERS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. Brad is a qualified a computer scientist who has become aware of the dangers that technology can bring. For the last decade, Brad has researched the impact that excessive use of technology can have on adolescents and how parents, in particular, are totally unaware of the dangers that this presents to their children. His presentation will look at both the physical and emotional impact that excessive technology can have on the operation of the brain, which will help many parents explain the behaviours they are seeing in their children. Brad's latest book, Digital Cocaine, looks at the impact that screen time has on the brain and the way in which it has an identical effect to using illicit drugs. This is a meeting that all parents should attend, as we seek to provide a safe and secure community in which our children are to grow up.
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BRAD HUDDLEST0O1N5 ber 2 7PM, 17 Septem TRE HILLCREST THEA e Families welcom
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21 Bridgman Drive, Reedy Creek Q 4227 | PO Box 2503, Burleigh Waters Q 4220 | 07 5593 4226 | hillcrest.qld.edu.au | office@hillcrest.qld.edu.au ACN 010381334 ABN 68 947 459 366 CRICOS 01043C Hillcrest Christian College is an interdenominational ministry of Reedy Creek Baptist Church and is operated by Hillcrest Christian College Ltd.