Student Digital Learning Program

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I’ve had the privilege of delivering presentations to students, teachers and parents since 2009 about the impact of technology on children’s and teens’ physical health, mental wellbeing and learning. Whilst the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, I’ve pondered how I could genuinely (and quickly) build rapport with students and create learning experiences that resulted in real change… all within a 60-minute time slot on a Tuesday afternoon. To be honest, I’ve recently questioned whether delivering a one-off presentation to hundreds of students in an auditorium or school hall really results in substantial changes in students’ digital habits and behaviours. After much rumination and discussions with teachers and school leaders, the answer became a clear no.

I’ve made the difficult decision to no longer deliver in-person student workshops. I feel the best way to create significant behavioural change and deliver learning experiences that meaningfully engage the students is to offer virtual masterclasses that can be delivered in tutor groups, wellbeing lessons or during pastoral care time to allow time for discussion, student interaction and hands-on experiences that will drive real change. Some schools are using a flipped learning model, whereby students watch the videos as part of their homework and then use time in class or tutor groups to facilitate discussion and interaction.

I’ve created two student masterclasses on Digital Wellbeing and Digital Distraction as these were the topics that were most in-demand in schools. Each masterclass comes with:

Five video modules each (between 5-20 minutes in duration)
Student workbook (available as a print or digital version)
Discussion starters
Teacher resources

Topics covered in the program:

Digital Wellbeing

1. Overview
2. Digital appeal
3. Physical health
4. Mental wellbeing
5. Digital DNA

Digital Distraction

1. Overview
2. Attention spans
3. Digital distractions
4. Multi-tasking myth
5. Taming attention

Masterclass Target Audience

These virtual masterclasses are designed for students in Stages 3-6 (aged 11-18 years). They are designed to be watched in small groups (such as tutor or house groups) and to be paused at various stages to allow time for student discussion (student voice is so important in building healthy and helpful digital habits).

To get a feel for the content, here’s a snippet from the Digital Distraction (Multi-tasking myth module) and Digital Wellbeing (Digital DNA module) masterclasses and the corresponding excerpts from the Student Workbook and Discussion Starter documents.

Student Learning Program Workbook Example_Download

contact my team to enquire about delivering this in your school

Dr Kristy is a former teacher, lecturer at Macquarie University and Notre Dame University, author, media commentator and one of Australia’s most sought-after digital health, learning and wellbeing experts. She translates the latest neuroscience and technological research into practical advice and simple strategies for parents and educators. Kristy has spoken to thousands of teachers across the country, from early childhood to tertiary level, about the impact of technology on students’ health, wellbeing and learning. She is a keynote speaker at educational conferences and has delivered hundreds of professional development seminars to educators across Australia. Dr Kristy is also regularly called upon by the media for her expert opinion.

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