Digital Learning

(Repeat)

Welcome back for Term 4! 

Hard to believe we have an eye on 2025 already as we enter the final term of 2024.

Next week, we hope to launch our new JB Hi-Fi Parent Portal giving families access to discounted prices on iPads. The portal will be available via the newsletter, our website and via a Compass post that will be sent out to families.

Throughout the term, we will be revisiting key takeaways from our Parent Information Evening from the Alanah & Madeline Foundation. Two areas that families were particularly interested in were screen time and the benefits and risks of gaming.

Screen time can be split across two types. Active or passive screen time.

Different types of screen time

One way to assess the potential benefit of screen time consumption is by considering whether it’s active or passive.

Passive

Passive consumption is when a child passively absorbs information from the screen or consumes an app or a game through mindless repetition. Passive activities can include monitoring social media (infinite scrolling with minimal interaction), watching videos on YouTube (especially if autoplay is on, i.e. the next video is not chosen, but watched only because it was offered), playing repetitive games and binge-watching shows.

The main characteristic of passive screen time is that no thought, creativity or interaction is required to progress.

Active

Active screen time involves cognitive and/or physical engagement in the process of using a device. This might include activities like making YouTube videos, playing educational games, editing pictures, coding a website etc. Kids are expected to reply, draw a picture, create or move. More than that, language, social and physical skills are developing.

Any software that involves effort on the part of the child might have an educational side which can potentially promote learning. Even video games can sometimes be regarded as active screen time if they promote physical or cognitive activity.

Limiting Screen Use Tips

• Have screen-free zones
• Screen-free times such as when eating or before bed
• Set limits and involve children when making rules
• Use a timer to set breaks
• Replace with puzzles, books, dress-ups, drawing, word games, outdoor play, active family time

Recommended maximum time limits in Australia

Age 2 and under – avoid media use, except for video calls

Age 2 – 5 – one hour or less of active screen time

Age 6 – 12 – no more than 2 hours of screen time

Teens - no more than 2 hours of screen time

Adults – less than two hours of screen time for recreation. The more you use screen for work, the less you want to use it for entertainment.

For more information on screen time, please check out the following links – 

How to manage screen time and Screen time both articles from the eSaftey Commissioner. 

Gaming

Gaming is a big part of many Willy Kids’ lives. For some, it is playing games on an iPad with some opportunities to play with friends online. For others, it is played on a console like Playstation or Nintendo. Through our eSafety lessons, many students share experiences of playing online with friends. We continue to let the kids know that if they are playing games online with other people, parents should know you are playing the game, and they also know who you are playing against/with. Students should never play online games with people they don’t know.

We also remind students of the age appropriateness of the games they are playing. Favourite games include Roblox, Minecraft, Fifa (EA FC24) and NBA2K. We also have a number of students who play games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. All of which are rated above or well above the age of our students. Parents are strongly encouraged to monitor the types of games students are accessing.

At the information night, there were benefits and risks shared with gaming. 

These included – 

Benefits

• Improved cognitive functions
• Problem-solving skills and the use of logic
• Faster and more accurate decision-making
• Hand-to-eye coordination and eye for detail
• Social activity and teamwork

Risks

• Gaming disorder
• Links to gambling
• Physical and mental issues
• Sharing personal information with strangers
• Lead to unhealthy interactions

Check out this article from the eSafety Commissioner on the benefits and risk of gaming.

The most important thing as a parent is to be actively involved in the games that your child is playing and know the risks and benefits associated with each game.

Regards,

Steven Puhar

Leading Teacher - Curriculum Leader

Apps List 2025

Digital Statement

Williamstown Primary School acknowledges the recent Human Rights Watch report on Edutech in privacy violations and findings. 

Williamstown Primary works closely with the DET’s Digital Learning and privacy teams to ensure that all DET guidelines regarding the implementation of digital devices are followed.

Attached is the school’s digital statement outlining the online platforms and their privacy policies that the school uses on a day-to-day basis. 

As part of the school’s ongoing student education, the school will further enhance key understandings around user privacy, as well as the tools available on selected devices.

This will be embedded within the current school’s eSafety program that currently sees students undertake numerous digital workshops run by both school leadership, classroom teachers and external providers such as the Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s eSmart organisation.

Parents are advised of a key iPad feature to turn tracking off. This feature will be explicitly demonstrated to students within the school-based workshops.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking.

The list shows the apps that requested permission to track you. You can turn permission on or off for any app on the list.

To stop all apps from asking permission to track you, turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track (at the top of the screen).

Williamstown Primary Digital Information

Below is a link to the schools Digital Learning page. This page contains key information about the school's implementation of the digital technology curriculum as a tool within a blended learning environment.

Further GoogleSuite for Education Information 

Please find attached documents released by DET.

The first document gives a deeper understanding of the DET licences G Suite for Education, how it is set up and how it differs from the public Google platform.

The second document provides families with supporting resources on how to protect individuals privacy online.

The Department of Education information pack for parents is available from the following link: