LIMPOPO – Education specialist Karen Walstra at the EdTechAdvance Workshops says: “We can’t continue to teach children the way we were taught if we want to equip them for a future where technology will play a key role in advancement.”
The workshops were part of a series of education seminars presented at the Resource, Equipping and Training (RET) Centre. In South Africa, there are about 91.3 million cell phone subscribers, but only 56.7 million inhabitants. Studies show that people born after 1990, use cell phones to mainly play games and use social media.
Walstra advised the educators and parents who attended the courses how to use technology as a tool in schools and how to safeguard against it if you
have children active on social media. “Everyday life is becoming more digital. How are you preparing your children for this? The world needs people who are problem-solvers, team players, good communicators and critical thinkers,” she says. “Most children have access to devices, so we can’t say we don’t have access to technology.”
Parents of teenagers need to teach their children values and responsibility. “At home, you would encourage your children to do chores and act responsibly, the internet is no different.”
Her top tips for internet safety are:
• Have a strong password.
• Don’t share your password with anyone else. However, parents should know all the passwords of their children’s devices.
• Be careful what information you share on social media. Don’t share your full name, address, school’s name or phone number.
• Double check what kind of photos you take and share.
• Use the privacy settings and restrictions available on the various platforms to boost your security.
• Never lie about your age. The age restriction on social media platforms is 13.
• If you are being bullied online, save the messages and alert your school, parents and the police. Then block that person’s access to you.
