Bellingham Public Schools聽is committed to preparing students for a rapidly changing world. We realize that our students need guidance as they learn to be critical thinkers, respectful and compassionate humans, and honest citizens in digital spaces. Our schools are continually developing programs to support student learning using technology in healthy, safe, and ethical ways.

The resources below provide more information for how families can support students developing skills to navigate a connected world.

:聽 This collection of family resources is from the leading independent nonprofit dedicated to helping kids thrive in a media and technology rich world.聽聽 You鈥檒l find a collection of resources for common parent concerns as well as top picks for apps, websites, and other learning tools. Check out their for tips on how to set rules; choose the right phone and service plan; and stay on top of what your child is doing on their phone.

:聽 Find resources mentioned in the documentary Screenagers, including family screen time contracts and ideas for family tech time Tuesdays.

:聽 Family resources from the American Academy of Pediatrics, including , including an online family media plan and media time calculator.聽 For more detailed information on the AAP guidelines for media use in school age children, please reference this report:聽

A variety of resources and safety tips tailored for parents, tweens, teens, and younger children.

: Provides up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents. It is intended to be a resource for parents, educators, law enforcement officers, counselors, and others who work with youth.

: The Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital and Harvard Medical School studies the positive and negative effects of the digital media that young people 鈥 from birth through young adulthood 鈥 use and how they use them.

Like nutrition or exercise, staying digitally healthy requires effort, but as with eating well or working out, digital wellness is best achieved by taking a balanced approach. In other words, digital wellness is not an end state, but an ongoing process of intentional engagement with our online and offline environment.鈥

: Nonprofit organization dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety, privacy and security. Here you鈥檒l find research-based safety tips, parents鈥 guidebooks, advice, news and commentary on all aspects of tech use and policy.

: Established in 1993 in Victoria B.C. the family run company is dedicated to providing pro-active Internet and Social Media safety, digital literacy and workplace violence prevention training to schools, businesses, corporations, law enforcement and government.

:聽A resource for teens and tweens on how to be safe and smart on social media.

Resource List for Smartphones: A resource of links created by School Safety and Emergency Management to support families.

: Infographic from Georgetown University illustrating why it鈥檚 important to reduce screen time before going to sleep.

 

How do we develop rules/structure at our house for using technology?

There are a number of quality resources online to support developing family technology plans.

 

Bill Palmer,

Director of Teaching and Learning 鈥 Integration Technology

360-676-6470 ext. 2209

 

Educational Technology

Student Device Check-Out Form Instructions

Healthy Technology Promise, updated 2023