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DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY: A CHAT SHOW WITH THE EXPERTS

The impact of COVID 19 outbreak has had schools turn towards the virtual way of schooling. As the online platform has seemingly become an integral part of the students’ lives, EIS in partnership with Wapping High School, London initiated a conversation around the importance of digital hygiene.

The Head of Counselling of EIS, Kinjal Goradia and the Head of Languages Coaching & Mentoring Lead, Tiffany Ingram of Wapping High joined in for a chat show on ‘Digital Responsibility’. The chat show was moderated by Aradhita Saraf, founder of Weloquent.

Miss Ingram put forward the idea of embedding digital hygiene in the school curriculum to spread awareness on the practices and behaviours favourable for a balanced digital life. Schools in partnership with parents can take preventive measures to ensure that children are not misusing their digital devices and are not becoming victims of cyber bullying. Mrs Goradia recommended how parents can be good role models to their children by modelling wise digital behaviour. Avoiding passive scrolling and forwarding irrelevant messages, fact-checking before sharing information, inculcating device-free dinner and sleeping habits can trigger the need for moderate use of digital devices. Ensuring that children are engaging in quality media and educationally enriching activities and apps can instil a sense of digital responsibility in children.

Digital world is an evolving landscape; and children need to be aware of the permanence of their digital footprints in terms of the activities that they engage in any online platform. The chat show unfolded etiquettes related to formal and informal communication online. It was a delight to have the experts share insightful information on the importance of promoting values of kindness in virtual life, reviewing the security settings, and organizing the devices, inboxes and important resources as some of the ways to maintain a hygienic digital life.

Digital responsibility is a discussion that needs to be endorsed to mitigate the unforeseen harms of the digital world. By initiating these conversations, EIS along with Wapping High, London is working actively to promote a positive ecosystem in education.