Online interactions are becoming conversations like face-to-face connections. Cyberspace is matted in our daily routine now and as an important aspect of day to day activities. The involvement of children and youth in online connections has lifelong consequences. Every shift towards the cyber world has its own benefits and advantages. It also brings its own risks and challenges.
NexSchools has initiated an awareness campaign to bring the three core values in the forefront and hence named it “Digital Citizenship, Online Safety & Civility”.
As the founder of NexSchools Mradula Singh points out the objective of this awareness campaign, “to empower children, parents and schools among others who share eco-system in education fraternity by fostering resilience, skills and knowledge to navigate cyber world safely.” The education will crucial play in raising the level of users safety online; schools and parents will be equally required to tackle issues as they have educated children about road safety, stranger danger etc.
The youngest of all the users are at a greater risk so it necessitates equipping and empowering them with the knowledge, responsibility and information in this fast-evolving digital world.
The Three Core Elements of NexSchools Campaign
The three core elements of NexSchools campaign are also developed taking care of the mindful experience of cyber world meaningfully and creatively.
Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents understand what students should know to use technology appropriately.
What are your rights and responsibilities as a digital citizen? As a global citizen?
What role do you have in shaping our shared online culture? ...
Cyber Civility – Responsible & respectful etiquettes or Netiquettes
Then there are additional expectations of civility such as being a good neighbour, polite in public settings, a productive employee, involved in your community, and similarly in cyber world it all about sharenting, appreciative behaviour, sensitive and tolerance so civility is all about using cyber tools in public domain responsibly and respectfully ...
Online Safety
Having knowledge of rules and tools can make the children safe on the internet world, the key lies in more information, more understanding of all the threats out there.
Our Support Team
The campaign for safer internet use has got overwhelming support from schools, parents and eminent educationists.
It is also supported by Mr. Rakshit Tandon, Cyber Security expert and Director Council of Information Security
Why Do We Need Such Awareness?
The Internet has been an amazing force for good. For the first time, it has opened the line of communication, innovation and new business model that was unimaginable. It is open and free, but this development has also created risks and behaviours that were not acceptable in real life are also condemned in the online world. We need to rise up to confront the challenges, equip and educate our younger generation. Develop solution, adapt to a new social culture framework and react quickly to build new social norm. All this requires sparking conversation/debates among intellectuals, schools, parents and teachers for what is acceptable and not acceptable, empower users to manage risks and stay safe while leaving their footprint positively.
We as a community have to work closely and together, our invitation is extended to schools, tech community, educators, parents and NGOs to join hand.
We have an ambitious plan and rightly so. The problems created by new technology need innovation in teaching kids at home and schools, work a way around in incorporating new curriculum and new human resources who are more tech savvy.
With existing barriers, the government, schools, thought leaders, tech companies and parents need to come together to build a new framework.
Initiatives for Cyber Safe & Cyber Civil Culture
NexSchools has adopted a two-pronged strategy to take this message to every stakeholder.
1. Work with schools & parents
2. Work on the ground with workshops
To keep the interest alive NexSchools has been running Lil Bloggers Contest for the children from 8 years to 18 years by combining efforts to illuminate the spark to know about online safety and civility that comes in posting a blog. The blogging has been chosen very carefully because it has many benefits in inculcating the values need to traverse safely and responsibly in the cyber world.
How to Blog workshops gives an opportunity to talk and give hands-on experience tools and skills needed for blogging.
We have been running Blog contest for children successfully for the last 3 years.
NexSchools Lil Bloggers Contest Touches A New Height in 2018
The third edition of Lil Bloggers Contest for children from 8 to 18 years received 200 entries from children, 20 schools and participation from across India besides 3 other countries. This is the first of its kind contest for kids in India that has brought a unique opportunity to unleash the digital education in a positive way for children. Blogging serves as the right step towards future ready kids -building confidence, improving self-expression, a strong base for etiquettes of digital communication, supporting writing skills and encouraging correlating thinking with learning. Children, parents and schools have expressed a real sense of fulfillment from published work of children.
Judges for NexSchools Lil Bloggers Contest 2018
The blog submissions were judged on the basis of creativity, originality, grammar and language, content and clarity of views and topic selection. The contest was judged by eminent educationist – Dr. Nirmala Krishnan, Mira Sood and Kavita Bajpai. The judges were impressed by fresh, pure and innocent blogs posts of children which conversed about nature, global warming, peace, education system, cyberbullying, environment and love for traveling among others…
In this process, children attended workshops on Online Safety and Civility and also to understand the new way of digital communication by way of blogging. They were introduced of creative use of the digital media and paradigm shift towards booming linguistic careers.
At the end of blogging contest on 8 June 2018, the award presentation ceremony was held for Lil Bloggers Contest 2018 to felicitate the children who participated and winners of the blog contest. The occasion was graced by Ms. Leela Broome, children’s book author as the special guest. The Trophy for the outstanding team was presented by Ms Mradula Singh, Founder NexSchools in school category to CM International School, which was graciously accepted by Director Dr Sajid Alvi and Principal Ms. Rupali Aniruddha Dhamdhere of CM International School, Pune. Children and parents were overjoyed by seeing the published work of the children on the website of NexShools.com.
Children bagged awards for Internet Smart Kid – Arjun Chakravarty and for the outstanding lil bloggers in various age group specific categories. Congratulating the winners Mradula Singh, Founder of NexSchools said, “We are overwhelmed by the contributions of the children for the third edition of Lil Bloggers Contest. This year has been our most successful year as we saw participation and support from all quarters. The creative star bloggers helped us spread the message of internet safety and good digital citizenship and safer and meaningful digital experiences.”
The campaign will be a part of continuous and integral part of NexSchools activities.
NexSchools.com has been working relentlessly to spread various awareness campaigns free for all concerning education eco-system of India. We have partnered with like-minded organisations and individuals and proactively looking to collaborate with other like-minded organisations, corporate and community leaders.