Headlines By James Saunders 8th February 2019
It has been an important week for technology. Tuesday was Safer Internet Day - a day designed to help inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively. In school Mr White has been tackling this theme within his assembly this week. However, internet safety is not just something we should focus on for one day, it should be of constant interest to us all. The national website for this event contains some useful resources for parents to engage in: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/ safer-internet-day-2019/education-packs/activitiesparents-and-carers I don’t think it was an accident that in the week of safer internet day there was the publication of fresh advice regarding screen time for young people. I don’t think it told us anything we didn’t already know. As a father I struggle with getting the right balance between healthy and unhealthy use of technology and I welcomed this advice. Some of the key advice included the following: not using phones and mobile devices at the dinner table - talking as a family is very important for development keeping screens out of the bedroom at bedtime talking as a family about keeping safe online and about cyber-bulling and what children should do if they are worried not using phones when crossing a road or doing any other activity that requires a person's full attention making sure children take a break from screens every two hours by getting up and being active policing their own use too - parents should give their children proper attention and quality family time and never assume they are happy for pictures to be shared It is worth reflecting on the impact our use of technology can have - adults as well as children.
As a school that embraces technology, it has always been our belief that educating about the risks is better than just taking action that can drive the behaviour associated with such risks underground and I would recommend that parents engage in the conversation. Just this week I have had a couple of situations in school that began outside of school. Situations such as these would not happen if social media had not been misused by children operating out of earshot late at night. Whilst we do our best to educate everyone about how to behave online and through social media, it is a collective responsibility to ensure our learners are safe in their use of technology in and out of school. Parents, do you know how your children are using their technology in the evenings? I have had a few conversations this week with parents about the difficulty in finding the right balance between trusting your children with the freedom to grow and monitoring their every move. In truth, there is no perfect solution as it is down to the individual. I found it quite interesting that before Christmas I read several articles about how the leaders of the world’s top tech companies, those who produce the stuff we all use, are placing heavy restrictions on their own children’s use of technology - even completely banning access to certain things. It is as if they are well aware of the damaging effects to health that ungoverned use of the technology they have created can have. If ever there is a time for us all to work together to keep our children safe in the use of technology, it is now. I would like to thank you all for your continuing support with this. Have a nice weekend. Thank you to: Megan Brennan 10TGi, Lily Cox 10LBr, and Roxie Orrow 10KCo for organising our C7 Disco to raise funds for St Helena Hospice £10.00 challenge, and to Lauren Bishop 10TGi, Lily Burns 10TGi, Lily Goodey 11SDa and Tilly Rose Wilkin 10MRa for supporting. Well done to everyone involved it was great event
which C7 thoroughly enjoyed.