In this episode, we chat with Keith Tramper about digital wellbeing. We discuss what digital wellbeing is, how it relates to our lives, and how teachers and students might benefit from being mindful of their own digital wellbeing. We also review apps from Apple and Google that help support digital wellbeing goals and Stacey Schuh joins us to help us unpack the conversation with Keith.

Here are some notes about the episode:

Keith talks about the concept of a mentoring gap that exists between children and adults in online spaces. Carrie James is part of Harvard's Graduate School of Education. She discusses the mentorship gap in Disconnected: Youth, New Media and the Ethics Gap. Keith learned about this concept through Digital Citizenship in Action by Dr. Kristen Mattson. Here's the relevant excerpt from page 10 of Mattson's book:
In online spaces, we have come to accept a mentorship gap between children and adults. As noted by James (2014), we feel an obligation to tell our students the "rules of the road," but policy, fear, expectations, or curricular priorities keep us from jumping in the passenger seat and guiding our students as they navigate new digital terrain.
So how can we close this mentorship gap? How can we ensure that we are teaching all aspects of citizenship, digital citizenship included, through life experiences and not solely through lecture? As educators, part of our responsibility is to create time and space for this type of learning to occur.
Keith shares that he’s part of a Digital Wellbeing Project to support teachers and students. If you’re interested in helping out, express your interest in the Digital Wellbeing Project Interest Form.
We mention that a middle school in Jeff’s past school district has started a new student cell phone policy this year. The school is Stevenson Middle School in the Wayne-Westland Community School District. WDIV Local 4 Detroit reported on the policy.
Keith mentions that he attended a session that I facilitated at the 2019 Lake Michigan Tech Conference. Supporting Learning with Student Agency in Mind is the name of the session. The article Part 1: What Do You Mean When You Say “Student Agency”? heavily influenced my design of the session.
Here's a good primer on well-being in general and a video about the PERMA model of positive psychology.
Podcast PD is a great way to extend your learning while listening to the Digital Backpack.
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Strong Student Relationships in Online Courses

The Digital Backpack: Your Resource for Online LearningBy The Digital BackpackAug 23, 2019