The Digital Wellbeing Award
An Introduction to the new Digital Wellbeing Award for primary and post primary schools.
The Digital Wellbeing Awards programme for schools draws together the many perspectives on digital wellbeing and define it as shown in the model.
Digital wellbeing should have the following elements:
- A range of skills and competences in using digital technologies appropriate to the person’s age and maturity;
- An understanding of the strengths of digital technologies to enhance learning and relationships;
- A set of attitudes, skills, values and knowledge that create awareness of issues of personal health and wellbeing as well as that of others;
- Resilience in overcoming online events that have the potential to undermine wellbeing;
- Behaviours which display an ethical and constructive approach to others;
- An understanding of the presence of their online footprint and how organisations and systems use a person’s data;
- A strong sense of digital citizenship and personal responsibility to foster and promote ethical use of digital technologies;
- Willingness to engage in open dialogue about digital wellbeing;
- An understanding of how disinformation and misinformation operate in the digital world.t
THE Digital Wellbeing Award Framework Explained
The framework is learner focused, highlighting the need to nurture and sustain positive and resilient digital attributes that can develop into lifelong practices. The Digital Wellbeing framework contains the statements, examples where they might be applied in schools, and support references.
There are five statements, each describing what good practice looks like in that area. Each statement is derived from a range of National and European education policy initiatives and current best practice. They are:
- Leadership and vision;
- Teaching and learning;
- Professional development;
- Student digital experience and;
- Resources, infrastructure and safeguarding.
Examples have been provided to show the sorts of evidence schools can submit for the award. It should be noted that these are for guidance only and schools may have other forms of evidence not listed on our site. Also, schools should consider up to a maximum of five pieces of evidence for each statement. Try to ensure that evidence is representative of a wide and diverse range of applications for each statement.
Additional links, resources and sources to support further development.
Each statement has a range of references, sources and additional information that schools may wish to draw on for developmental support.
Finally, when applying for the award, each school should compare its practice and stage of development against each statement. Although it is NOT necessary to adhere to every detail of each statement, schools should be able to submit enough evidence to demonstrate good practice in that area.
Together, the three elements augment the latest policy, research and best-practice models, easy-to-use teaching and learning strategies aimed at integrating age-appropriate wellbeing practices into the skills and knowledge already taught.
The framework is suitable for schools starting their ‘wellbeing journey’ as well as those where digital wellbeing is an established feature of their digital deployment.
