Digital Technologies & eSmart

At Mount Waverley North Primary School, we recognise that our students are growing up in an increasingly digital world. Our responsibility is to ensure they develop not only the technical skills to use technology, but also the knowledge, judgement and behaviours to use it safely, creatively, ethically and responsibly.

We believe technology should have a clear purpose in learning. It should provide opportunities to create, solve problems, communicate and understand the world, rather than simply increase the amount of time students spend on screens.

Weekly Digital Technologies Specialist Program

Digital Technologies is taught as a weekly specialist subject from Prep to Year 6.

This dedicated program ensures that digital knowledge and skills are explicitly taught and developed progressively throughout a student’s time at MWNPS.

Students have opportunities to explore areas including:

• computational and logical thinking
• algorithms and sequencing
• coding and programming
• digital systems
• data and information
• problem solving and design
• creating and evaluating digital solutions
• communicating and collaborating using technology
• privacy and protection of personal information
• cybersafety and digital citizenship
• responsible and ethical use of technology.

As students progress through the school, they move from learning fundamental digital skills and routines towards increasingly complex opportunities to design, create, problem-solve and think critically about technology.

Technology as a Tool for Learning

Digital Technologies is explicitly taught through our specialist program, while technology is also used purposefully across other areas of the curriculum.

Students have access to school-provided digital devices and technologies when they are appropriate for the learning taking place.

Our approach is deliberately balanced. A device is not the default tool for every lesson.

Students continue to learn through explicit teacher instruction, books, handwriting, discussion, collaboration, practical experiences, manipulatives, physical activity, creativity and play, alongside purposeful opportunities to use digital technologies.

Teachers consider what students are learning first and then select the most appropriate tools to support that learning.

Creating, Not Just Consuming

An important part of our Digital Technologies program is helping students understand that technology can be used to create rather than simply consume.

Students learn to plan, design, test, evaluate and improve digital solutions. They are encouraged to experiment, solve problems, collaborate with others and persist when their first attempt does not work.

As students develop their skills, technology can provide opportunities to communicate and create in ways that may not otherwise be possible.

Our goal is for students to understand not only how to use technology, but also when, why and whether technology is the right tool for a particular task.

eSmart at MWNPS

Mount Waverley North Primary School is proud to be an eSmart school.

Our eSmart journey began in 2014, and over more than a decade we have continued to develop our whole-school approach to online safety, digital citizenship and responsible technology use.

eSmart is an initiative of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation that supports schools to build positive digital cultures and help students become safe, responsible and informed digital citizens.

Online safety is not treated as a one-off lesson at MWNPS. It is reinforced through our weekly Digital Technologies specialist program, classroom practices, school policies, student expectations and communication with families.

Students progressively learn about:

• protecting personal information and privacy
• passwords and account security
• respectful online communication
• cyberbullying and inappropriate online behaviour
• digital footprints
• safe sharing of information and images
• recognising unsafe, misleading or inappropriate online content
• knowing when and how to seek help
• identifying trusted adults
• developing healthy technology habits
• making responsible choices online
• understanding that online actions can have real-world consequences.

As students grow and their digital experiences become more complex, our teaching develops with them.

eSmart Resources for Families

Supporting children to navigate the online world safely is a partnership between school and home.

Families can access the eSmart website for current information and online safety resources.

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation also provides DigiTalk, a dedicated collection of resources to help parents and carers have conversations with children about online safety and raise safe, responsible and compassionate digital citizens.

We encourage families to explore these resources and continue conversations about technology, online behaviour and digital wellbeing at home.

Digital Wellbeing

Being a capable digital citizen also means knowing when to put technology away.

We teach students that healthy technology use involves balance. Face-to-face conversation, handwriting, reading, physical activity, creative experiences, practical learning and play remain important parts of every child’s development.

Students learn to think about how technology affects their attention, relationships, safety and wellbeing and to develop increasingly responsible habits as they grow.

Ready for the 2027 Digital Learning Changes

From 2027, Victorian government primary schools will operate under strengthened Department of Education expectations for student digital device use.

These changes include schools providing students with access to the digital technology required for their learning, rather than requiring primary school families to purchase or provide a personal device. They also strengthen expectations around purposeful and limited screen use, including minimal digital device use in Prep–Year 2 and limits for students in Years 3–6.

MWNPS is already well positioned for these changes.

Our students use school-provided devices, and our approach already prioritises purposeful, teacher-directed technology use alongside substantial device-free learning.

This means families are not expected to purchase a personal laptop or tablet for their primary school child to access the curriculum at MWNPS.

Our philosophy is simple: technology is used when it improves the learning, not simply because it is available.

Working in Partnership with Families

Children’s digital lives extend well beyond the school gate, making partnership between school and home particularly important.

We provide families with information and resources to support conversations about online safety, cyberbullying, gaming, social media, privacy, emerging technologies and age-appropriate digital behaviour.

We encourage parents and carers to talk regularly with their children about what they do online and to contact the school if they become aware of cyberbullying, unsafe online behaviour or other concerns involving members of our school community.

Through our specialist Digital Technologies program, longstanding eSmart commitment and balanced approach to device use, our goal is to develop students who can participate in the digital world with skill, creativity, confidence, critical thinking and good judgement.