Between Monday, 19 October and Friday, 23 October 2020 Vienna International School celebrated the Digital Citizenship Week, designed to teach its students how to be responsible and safe online. Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology by anyone who uses computers, the Internet, and digital devices to engage with society on any level.
The younger students in Primary School watched a short video and discussed the online safety concept, the focus being on asking a trusted adult for help if they see or hear something online that does not seem appropriate. Grade 2 students looked at using digital devices within their inquiry work on the brain and how we learn. Older students in the Primary School are given different online scenarios and discuss possible solutions to these issues. In the Primary Library, students listened to stories to reinforce awareness of digital citizenship and Grades 4 and 5 learned about ‘Think before you click’, especially when downloading games or apps.
Inspired by the Netflix Documentary “The Social Dilemma”, the School decided to focus on the topic “Can media be addictive - Are we addicted to our devices, and, if so, are companies to blame?” for Grade 12 students. There have been very interesting discussions and teachers have been positively surprised that students are well aware of these dangers and that there are different strategies in place to reduce screen time.
Separately, the School prepared useful tips and advice for the parents to introduce digital citizenship to families and take co-ownership of the effort, for it to succeed and have our students acting as responsible digital citizens of the world.