Cyber Wellness in Dunearn
Find out how Dunearn Secondary School helps students stay safe online and become responsible digital users, with support available for those facing cyber wellness issues.
What is Cyber Wellness?
Cyber Wellness (CW) refers to the positive well-being of Internet users. It involves an understanding of online behaviour and awareness of how to protect oneself and others from cyber risks such as excessive internet use and cyber bullying.
In Dunearn Secondary School, we believe that it is important for students to be equipped with the necessary life-long knowledge, social-emotional competencies and sound values so that they can become safe, respectful and responsible users of the internet. At the same time, they should also share the knowledge and spread the key Cyber Wellness messages so everyone in the community can participate safely online.
The school will partner parents in the process of inculcating Cyber Wellness values in their children by helping parents to understand cyber wellness issues and risks, as well as involving parents in reinforcing Cyber Wellness principles at home.
Cyber Wellness Framework in Dunearn
The 3 Principles of Cyber Wellness
The focus of CW is about helping students to become responsible digital learners, guided by the following principles:
1. Respect for Self and Others
Students should:
uphold their own dignity when online (e.g. share appropriate content and participate only in legal online activities)
respect other people online (e.g. put themselves in others’ shoes, accept diverse views and opinions, give credit when using other people’s work and seek permission where necessary, avoid sharing hurtful materials).
2. Safe and Responsible Use
Students should:
have an understanding of the risks of harmful and illegal online behaviour, and take steps to protect themselves (e.g. keep their personal information private, verify the reliability of information using various sources, take steps to avoid dangers they may encounter online).
make wise and healthy choices (e.g. maintain a healthy balance of their online and offline activities)
3. Positive Peer Influence
Students should:
be a positive role model online (e.g. share healthy and positive content, harness the affordances of technology to do good for society)
advocate positive online behaviour (e.g. stand up for their peers online, report cases of cyber bullying to a trusted adult/authority, post encouraging remarks on social media)
The Approach
Students will learn to infuse the following 3-step process when they engage in cyber activities:
Sense – Students should be able to “sense” any harm when they are exposed to any danger or risk in the cyber world
Think – Students should be able to analyse and evaluate issues related to Cyber Wellness
Act – Students should be able to apply what they have learnt to become responsible users when they are online
The Programme
Our vision is to develop Dunearnites to be responsible online users who also have positive online influence. To do so, we have a 3-pronged approach:
Cyber Wellness Curriculum
Lessons are delivered via the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum. Follow-up class discussions are also conducted during Form Teacher Time periods.
The key messages for students are:
Embrace technology yet maintain a balanced lifestyle between the physical and cyber worlds
Harness the power of ICT for positive purposes
Be a safe and responsible user of ICT
Be responsible for personal well-being in cyberspace
Maintain a positive presence in cyberspace
Need Help To Solve Cyber Wellness Issues?
You don't have to be alone to solve your Cyber Wellness problems. Besides the school teachers, you may also contact the following parties for help!
1) Dunearn School Counsellor
Contact our school's counsellor, Mdm Fitriah Abdul Ghani, who is always ready to provide counselling help for your Cyber Wellness problems.
Email: fitriah_abdul_ghani@schools.gov.sg
2) TOUCH Cyber Wellness
TOUCH Cyber Wellness is a one-stop resource centre which provides counselling services for Cyber Wellness problems for all age groups.
Email: cyberwellness@touch.org.sg
TOUCHLine: 1800 337 2252 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm)
Website: https://www.touch.org.sg/about-touch/our-services/touch-cyber-wellness-homepage (opens in new tab)
3) Help123
Help123 is a Cyber Wellness and digital parenting platform by TOUCH Community Services and supported by Singtel. Youths or parents who are facing Cyber Wellness issues can contact their friendly counsellors for help via their hotline or email.
Hotline: 1800 6123 123 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm)
Email: hello@help123.sg