Module 7: Digital Well-being
“You must have the drive within yourself to replace screens with trees, headphones with drums.”
—Joachim Bonnetrouge, Elder from Fort Providence, NWT
Learner notes
Review
We recommend that learners complete Module 1: Ethical and Legal Considerations before starting this module. Keeping Module 1 available for reference while working through this module will also be helpful.
Module description
This module will assist learners in understanding that a digital citizen will use technology to support their well-being and the well-being of their students. A digital citizen will have strategies for managing technology if it negatively impacts the spiritual, emotional, physical, or mental health of themselves and their students. This module provides tools for having healthy boundaries with technology, using those boundaries intentionally, and teaching students to not use digital technologies in ways that harm themselves or others.
Learning outcomes
Successful learners will gain an appreciation of digital well-being by:
- Managing technology to be in balance through actively implementing strategies for spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health.
- Understanding that a digitally literate person will have healthy boundaries with digital technologies, use them intentionally, and will not use digital technologies in ways that harms others.
- Learning to model and teach digital well-being.
Self-Assessment #1
Take a few minutes to think about what comes to mind when you hear the words “digital well-being.” What does digital well-being mean to you? What is the first answer that comes to mind? Be sure to write down that answer. Here are some questions to consider, but do not limit yourself with your answers. This is just the starting point.
- Do you have your cell phone on you at all times?
- How often do you check your phone? How often do you check social media?
- Does it make you anxious if you are off your phone or devices for a few hours?
- Do you have multiple digital devices or screens going at the same time?
- Do you limit your time in front of digital devices?
- Are you aware of digital burnout? Have you experienced digital burnout?
- Do you use “do not disturb” on your devices to block out work or offline time?
- Do you schedule offline time?
Feel free to brainstorm words, images, and emotions that come to mind when you think of digital well-being.
Record your responses in your Toolkit.
Self-Assessment #2
Does this picture look like digital well-being or digital burnout to you
Go with your first reaction. There is no right or wrong answer.
Record your responses in your Toolkit.
Attributions
- “Man sitting on surface” photo by Tony Tran is free to use under the Unsplash License.
