18.09.2018

Beacon & Families Conference Cycle raises the theme of Conscious and Responsible Use of the Internet

Beacon is a school in dialogue with its time. Considering the challenges of the digital era, the school commenced the Beacon & Families Conference Cycle of the 2nd semester with the theme “Conscious and Responsible Use of the Internet”. The lecture was given by Kelli Angelini, a lawyer specialized in Cyber Law.

Faced with the challenges of educating, social media can be a supporting tool, considering its space of sharing, collaboration and discovery. At the same time, it is an unknown place with rules and limits that often break the boundaries of ethics and respect for others, and thus we have been guiding our students and educators in the development of competences and in the construction of values that extend to the digital world. To use and use well, to work and share, to know and to protect oneself are actions that are part of our EdTech curriculum (Educational Technology).

Beacon invited specialist Kelli in order to improve our actions and provide guidance on what the school and the families can do, so that the students may surf the internet as citizens, who are aware of the array of possibilities but also of the risks of digital tools. She brought up subjects such as moral and ethical values, overexposure, freedom of speech and information security regarding the prevention of cyber issues.

One of the issues discussed was the dilemma between forbidding the use of the internet and using it as per parents’ guidance, so that it is used with responsibility. The speaker defended the position that the access should be based on a reflection and an ongoing open dialogue between parents, educators and students. It is undeniable that the internet is a source of knowledge and a spring of opportunities, but it is necessary that essential values be taught on a day-to-day basis. Respect for a harmonious interaction, with no offenses or prejudice; tolerance in accepting the beliefs and choices of others; and empathy, when we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and strive to understand the feelings of others. These insights are part of the aimed-at guidelines so that children and teenagers do not surrender to acts of violence or illicit use regarding the digital culture.