A huge thank you / terima kasih to all the parents who joined the first online Digital Drop-in on Monday evening. The drop-in was established to introduce the role of Head of Educational Technology and Digital Wellbeing for Secondary, Damian Doyle, and outline how these new support sessions will operate. The primary goal is to build community and culture around healthy digital habits, ensuring all parents have an opportunity to engage with these critical topics outside of typical school hours.
To respect valuable family time, these sessions are structured to be kept to just 30 minutes, comprising a focused 20-minute presentation on a core theme of digital life, followed by a dedicated period for Q&A and community discussion.
The Head of Educational Technology and Digital Wellbeing role, implemented this year for both Primary and Secondary campuses, approaches digital wellbeing with a unique perspective, drawing on both professional industry and teaching experiences to understand the psychology of student digital engagement today and put in place practical applications to support our educators.
Core Focus of the Digital Wellbeing Initiative
The purpose of these drop-ins and the supporting role is threefold:
- To enhance the strategic use of technology in the curriculum.
- To promote responsible digital citizenship and student wellbeing.
- To empower parents with the knowledge and understanding needed for important discussions about living in an increasingly digital world.
Crucially, the focus is not about increasing the volume of technology used; it's about ensuring that learning always comes first. Technology is an indispensable tool, but it must serve a clear educational purpose, never becoming the lesson itself.
A key insight shared was the importance of seeking nuance behind clickbait headlines regarding "brain rot" or other anxiety-inducing articles. Informed and balanced perspectives are essential for guiding our children. As parents and educators, our reactions to technology heavily influence a child's relationship with it. Instead of reacting with fear or prohibition, we encourage parents to:
- Look past the headline and examine the research's source and methodology.
- Focus on the behaviour, not the device. Is the technology distracting them from sleep, homework, or social interaction? That's the issue to address, not the screen itself.
- Model good habits. Children are far more likely to adopt healthy boundaries if they see parents putting their own devices away during mealtimes or conversations.
This approach helps avoid unnecessary parental panic and fosters a more open, constructive dialogue about digital life at home.
🗣️ Q&A Highlights: Practical Advisory Notes & Future Topics
The Q&A segment quickly focused on one of the most pressing concerns for Secondary parents: How do we effectively manage device use and digital distraction with our older students?
- Advisory Note on Digital Boundaries: The discussion highlighted the importance of helping students understand the reasoning behind the boundaries we set. For instance, reliance on tools like generative AI for assessments actively cheats them out of the critical thinking skills necessary for future success in university and careers. Our goal is to promote independent learning and intellectual honesty.
- School Policy Insight: In line with this focus on purposeful learning, the session confirmed the recent school policy requiring students below Sixth Form to keep their phones secured in their bags and lockers during the school day. This measure is intended to minimise digital distraction and maximise engagement in the classroom environment.
Parents also contributed to the future digital drop-in agenda by sharing suggestions for upcoming topics via a dedicated QR code. Highly requested themes that will shape future sessions include: Screen Time Strategies, Understanding AI Companions, and Social Engineering / Online Deception.
🗓️ The Next Digital Drop-in
Mark your calendars! The next Digital Drop-in will take place on Tuesday, 25th November, at 6:30 pm. Details and a joining link will be shared closer to the date. All parents are encouraged to attend; the more who participate, the richer the discussion will be!
If you missed this valuable first session, the recording is available for viewing:
Mr Doyle's digital drop-in - 2025/10/28 18:24 GMT+08:00 – Recording