In an effort to boost parent and carers’ digital knowledge, Rochester primary schools are inviting parents and carers to attend the ‘Raising kids in a digital world’ seminar, run by Inform and Empower.
The seminar will focus on the role that parents and carers play and how they can better protect their children in online spaces.
It also gives parents the same information that students have learnt in school and creates an opportunity for parents to discuss these things with their children.
St Joseph’s Primary School Rochester principal Liz Trewick said the role parents play is significant when it comes to controlling the digital spaces children are in.
“It’s really about educating the children and educating the parents because the parents are the ones supporting the children at home,” she said.
“They have more time in that digital space with the children, that's often an uncontrolled digital space, whereas at school or anything we do on devices is quite controlled.
“Parent knowledge is huge when it comes to the digital space; we buy the devices for the children, but we often don't know how to use them and so, I think that's why Inform and Empower is just fabulous.”
The Inform and Empower platform gives schools the tools to teach students how to be safe cyber citizens.
The program provides activities and quizzes to get students thinking before they watch a monthly seminar that covers a different topic each month.
The school learnt of Inform and Empower at the end of last year and immediately brought it to the local primary schools at the start of this year.
Ms Trewick said after a successful turnout for ‘The Phone Pledge’ information night last year, she found that the community was happy to attend events and learn together.
The seminar will be led by primary school teacher and digital safety educator Martin McGauran, alongside psychologist and mum Carley McGauran.
Ms Trewick said the seminar aimed to encourage student safety online by creating a network of support between teachers, students and parents.
“It’s the children’s world... if we’re not educating children for the digital world, we're actually not doing our job because we're teaching children for a world that we have no concept of,” she said.
“It’s just all about partnership — parent partnership, school partnership, teachers and student partnership — everyone is successful and everyone feels safe when we're actually all working together.”
The seminar was made possible through a grant from Campaspe Shire Council, which was applied for on behalf of the schools by the Rochester Business Network.
It will be held on Thursday, July 31 at the Rochester Shire Hall from 7pm.
Bookings can be made at https://tinyurl.com/dtjsnnva
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