The disruption of traditional learning environments has had an instant impact on students, parents, and teachers. In support of mental health awareness month and in partnership with Facebook, the National Board held a live panel on May 20 to provide Tools to Help Students Manage Their Digital Wellbeing.
This webinar was part of the National Board’s Core Connections series, which has included 35 webinars since March 16. Replays and resources, including certificates of attendance are available for all events including the digital wellbeing webinar.
The conversation was moderated by Ph.D., NBCT and President of Learn ELAtion, Stacey Donaldson, and provided a platform for teachers, students and national organizations to share strategies, activities, research, and resources for how they are supporting youth, educators and parents to build healthy relationships, build resilience and lead with empathy.
Experts who joined in the conversation included:
- Facebook’s North America Head of Safety Jennifer Hanley
- Director of Youth and Media at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard Sandra Cortesi
- Education Director at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley Vicki Zakrzewski
- NBCT and English Teacher & Restorative Justice Lead at Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy at Roosevelt High School Aileen Gendrano Adao, NBCT
- Student Ambassadors at Beyond Differences Ruby Haack and Zak Yudhishthu
4,217 people engaged in a deep conversation about how they are supporting their students and colleagues and balancing their own digital wellbeing. Three themes emerged from the conversation.
- Balancing time online with teacher wellness and professional development
- Engaging students who struggle to engage during distance learning
- The importance of maintaining strong relationships with students in virtual environments
Educators also shared openly about the challenges they are facing specifically with how to best support special education students and rural communities with limited connectivity. Parent engagement was also discussed widely as educators continue to look for how to best communicate with parents who are also balancing work schedules, home school, and their own digital wellbeing.
The event turned out an array of valuable resources including Facebook’s Get Digital Tip Sheet which contains tips and lesson plans for educators, youth and parents centered around Digital Wellness, Engagement, Empowerment, and Opportunities.