By Fr. Ambrose Pereira, SDB
Social Communications secretary
Gabutu, Port Moresby, PNG, 02 August 2022 -- Don Bosco Technical School, Gabutu Salesian Educators participated in an interactive in-service session on 28 July 2022 entitled: ‘An insight into Media and Social Communications’.
The Salesian Educators, 50 in all, were also joined by Dn Sylvester Kuli in the two-hour session. Presenting the session, Fr Ambrose Pereira touched on Media and its objectives, Spheres of connectivity and the aspect of Sacred space and Holiness. Then followed an intensive discussion in groups of 5, where each group dealt with two aspects of the Formation and Social Communications reflection document. Each group then highlighted relevant points from the discussion and practical goals for themselves and the institution.
Some of the discussion points were:
1. Formation sessions on social media need to be given to the staff members twice each term.
2. Upgrade the facilities to encourage digital learning, by equipping the classrooms with projectors and smart TVs or at least have more AV halls equipped with TVs and projectors. Install CCTVs in classrooms and workshops and introduce e-learning.
3. Discuss and work on a policy on how to address social media issues in school. Workshops on how to integrate the digital space when teaching need to be organized.
4. Listen and follow what the students post on social media and encourage them to be responsible users of the media.
5. Encourage staff and students to be honest in their profiles by putting up their real identity.
6. Utilize the digital space to educate, entertain, inform and above all inspire the young. Remind the students constantly of the positive and negative aspects of Digital Media.
7. As educators our compass should be the evangelical counsels, thus being an inspiration to others.
8. While we adapt to the digital space, we need to constantly evaluate our own position in the digital space.
9. Guidelines on the risks and the dangers of social media will enable us to be responsible and self-disciplined.
10. Use the school page not merely for announcements but to announce the daily Word of God and occasionally share inspirational videos online as well as during the homeroom periods.
Even though Papua New Guinea enjoys little connectivity at a very costly rate, the digital natives are already glued to their screens and their devices. Future sessions on social media will enable the educators to be good guides for their students.
