Senior primary school students are being recruited to mentor their younger buddies about cybersafety as part of an innovative program run by The Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation equips students to enjoy the benefits of technology in a smart, safe and responsible manner.
An independent evaluation shows the cybersafety initiative, eSmart Schools, is having a real impact in schools across the country, with more than 90% of principals and coordinators saying it helped them embed safe and responsible behaviours.
While more than 80% saying teachers, students and parents’ understanding of expected behaviours online had improved as a result of the program.
Williamstown Primary School assistant principal Steven Montgomery, whose school has appointed four Grade 6 students as eLearning Leaders, said eSmart has provided Williamstown Primary with a simple framework to deal with cybersafety.
“Having eSmart in our school has empowered our teachers and students to deal with cyber issues, and has enabled the kids to feel safer when online,” he said.
“The involvement of the eLearning Leaders has also been a fantastic initiative. It gives the older students ownership of the issue and instills a real understanding of the importance of leadership and setting an example for the younger students.”
eSmart Schools Manager, Judi Fallon, who has over 22 years’ experience in the education system as a teacher and principal, said the program helped schools to identify gaps in their cybersafety policies and provided guidance on how to prevent unacceptable online behaviour.
“The program is about genuine cultural change within the whole school community. It’s not a quick-fix – it’s a long-term process,” she said.
“With this in mind, we are thrilled with the results of the evaluation, which show that even though the program has only been running for two years, it is having a real impact across the country.”
eSmart Schools is currently being rolled out in almost 1,900 schools across the country. The program commenced in Victoria in 2011, with the support of the Victorian Government.
Minister for Education Martin Dixon said he was thrilled with the results of the evaluation.
"The Coalition Government is committed to ensuring Victorian school communities are able to learn and teach in an environment that is safe, inclusive and supportive,” he said.
"At the heart of our work in this area, we have developed the Bully Stoppers anti-bullying package, including online learning courses, lesson plans and podcasts, for students and teachers alike.
"Our $14.5 million investment in this area has seen over 1,700 Victorian government and non-government schools involved in the eSmart initiative, as well as ongoing funding for school support programs and grants for specialised local programs, designed for students, by students."
The evaluation of the eSmart program, led by the Foundation for Young Australians, collected data from over 4,000 respondents, including over 500 principals and coordinators.
Key findings from the evaluation include:
- More than 90% agree eSmart assists schools to embed the smart, safe and responsible use of technology across the curriculum
- More than 90% agree eSmart supports improving teacher, student, parent understanding of expected online behaviours
- More than 80% agree eSmart supports schools to improve teacher, student, parent knowledge of how to manage bullying and online incident
- Almost 80% agree eSmart is effective for changing school culture.
Photo: The Alannah and Madeline Foundation ambassador, Princess Mary of Denmark with a student
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