AI has boundless potential in education, offering benefits like personalised learning, adapting to students’ individual needs, and providing additional support and automated administrative tasks. However, while AI enhances classroom practice, it doesn’t replace the essence of education: the human connection. Teachers set the tone, cultivate a sense of belonging and insist on civility, ethics and values. Through these efforts, they deliver the ‘secret sauce’ of education and the power of learning through conversation.
Today’s digital world offers incredible opportunities but it also exposes young people to risks that are often hidden and fast-moving. Tackling these issues requires a shared responsibility, open conversations and expert guidance.
This year, we had the privilege of welcoming cyber safety expert Susan McLean to educate students, teachers, and parents about child online safety issues, as well as the use and abuse of social media by young people today.
Susan McLean is Australia’s foremost expert in the field of cyber safety and youth. She was the first Victorian police officer appointed to a position focused on cyber safety and young people. She took her first report of cyberbullying in 1994 and has since conducted extensive research, completed advanced training, and pursued tertiary studies in both the USA and the UK. She is a highly sought-after presenter and advisor to schools, as well as to state and federal governments.
Susan explained that in today’s world, children have access to and are accessible to many millions of people worldwide through a vast array of websites, applications, and online games. The unprecedented amount of personal information available on these platforms makes them an ideal target for individuals who seek to identify and gain the trust of their victims.
It is a fact that children operating online are at high risk of being exposed to inappropriate content, cyberbullying and harassment, the exchange of inappropriate images, and identity theft. Teens are often unaware that their words or photos, which may have been intended for a small audience, can sometimes reach a much larger one, often resulting in unexpected and undesirable consequences.
Susan educated the community about the harsh realities and risks of being online, focusing on building awareness around the strategic techniques used to target children specifically through gaming sites and applications. She also discussed privacy concerns, the misuse of personal data, online grooming, and the steps children and adults alike can take to protect their identities.
The content presented by Susan was both sobering and essential to ensure that students, parents and teachers have the tools and knowledge to recognise the risks of operating in the online space, while still being able to enjoy the benefits and navigate the online world safely.