Smartphones, sexting and status updates: The smart student’s guide to social media
Note: There are two versions of this workshop, one for grades 6-9 and a second one for grades 10-11 (with additional information on preparing older students to enter the working world).
Our children are digital natives, growing up in a wired world we could never have imagined during our own high school years. The Internet and smartphones place an incredibly powerful set of resources at their fingertips, allowing them to communicate, entertain and inform themselves at all times and in all places. These tools have fundamentally altered the way teens socialize with friends, handle dating, do their schoolwork and communicate with family members.
But the vast opportunities offered by these technologies also come with a set of challenges and responsibilities. How can we, as parents, teach our sons and daughters to put them to use in ways that are creative and productive, but also safe and responsible? How can we work with their schools to ensure they are getting these messages consistently and effectively? The good news is that you can – and should – lay the groundwork for good judgment, resilience and open communication.
This workshop is a practical discussion for students about what they need to know about engaging in safe, respectiful, creative and productive use of technology.
- How technology use has changed the nature of friendships, dating, schoolwork and sleep and what that means for them;
- Why privacy matters and practical guidelines for deciding what should — and shouldn’t — be online;
- How to safely navigate the sometimes confusing, sometimes conflicting, sometimes frightening information online and search safely;
- What cyberbullying is, and how to avoid being a bully, a bystander or a victim;
- How to keep tabs on what information about themselves exists online and what to do if something goes wrong;
- Practical tips on amazing online resources for teens about all sorts of useful and important stuff, from sex to mental health.
- How to deal with the technology concerns of parents and teachers.
To discuss how this workshop can be customized for the needs of your school or community organization, contact us here.
