On Friday 2 August, James Fallon High School students were armed with online safety skills after participating in Optus Digital Thumbprint roadshow, a free in-school program that supports young people to be safe, responsible and positive online. Over 500 students at James Fallon High School between Years 7 to 10 took part in Optus Digital Thumbprint program which aims to equip them with simple and effective tools for being safe online.
Matt Connell, Optus Territory General Manager for Southern New South Wales said he was thrilled to bring the roadshow to students at James Fallon High School as safe digital practice starts with a simple conversation around some of the challenging topics related to the online world.
As a leading provider of internet technology, its important for us to highlight to students that they dont have to be an expert at navigating the internet to practice safe habits. The Digital Thumbprint program ensures students are able to take home some valuable skills when it comes to cybersecurity, verifying credible information and what to keep in mind to create a positive digital footprint.
In this day and age students are always online, whether its to complete school work or stay in touch with their friends and family. The program has been designed to incorporate an interactive and original approach to educating students on key issues such as how to protect your identity and information online and building positive and respectful relationships online.
Students learned how easily things can spread when shared on the internet to make sure they are aware of how valuable taking precautions such as creating strong passwords and enabling privacy settings on social media can be.
As part of this roadshow, this week we have created awareness around how to be safe, responsible and positive online by bringing Optus Digital Thumbprint program to high schools in Leeton, Wagga Wagga, Albury and Wodonga, teaching Year 7 to 10 students how they can shape their future for the better.
James Fallon High School Relieving Principal, Mr David Johnson said: At James Fallon we recognise the importance for our students to be reminded of cyber safety, which is why we were keen to have Optus bring their Digital Thumbprint Program to our school. Their program was tailored to each year group, taking students through the important skills and habits to practice when it comes to staying safe online.
The programs facilitator and active presentation style kept students engaged during each session. We look forward to programs such as the Optus Digital Thumbprint to supplement the digital learning that occurs across the Key Learning Areas of the curriculum .
Since 2013, the government accredited Optus Digital Thumbprint program has educated over 300,000 primary and secondary students across Australia on how to be safer and smarter online.
Optus Digital Thumbprint is completely free for schools and does not promote any Optus products or services.
James Fallon High School students participating in the Optus Digital Thumbprint Program
