Tech On Purpose: Helping Students Navigate Technology, Social Media and AI

Technology is a big part of our students’ lives, and helping young people navigate it well is a shared responsibility.

This school year, Stillwater Area Public Schools is launching a yearlong family education campaign focused on helping students use technology, social media, and artificial intelligence safely, responsibly, and intentionally.

The goal isn’t to tell students to avoid technology. Technology is an important part of how students learn, communicate and participate in the world. Instead, we want to help families and schools work together to give students the knowledge, skills and support they need to make healthy and responsible choices.

Join us October 7

Join us on Wednesday, October 7, from 6–7:30 p.m. at Lake Elmo Elementary School districtwide family education event. The event will also be recorded and made available to district families for up to 30 days. The recording will not be downloadable or publicly available.

Erin Walsh, co-founder of the Spark & Stitch Institute and author of It’s Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence, will lead a parent presentation focused on youth development, screens and social media.

Walsh has worked with families, educators and communities across the country for nearly 20 years. Her practical, research-based approach helps adults move beyond fear and conflicting messages and focus on strategies that support young people.

Staff will also be available before and after the presentation at family resource tables, where families can:

• Learn about family resources and support available through the district
• Register for the winter book study and other family learning opportunities

We would invite all that plan to attend the October 7 event to RSVP via our google form. Childcare will be available for children in grades PreK-grade 5 for a limited number of attendees. 

The October 7 event is just the beginning. Throughout the school year, families will have opportunities to learn more about:

• How technology and social media intersect with youth development
• How Stillwater Schools uses technology and AI intentionally to support learning
• The safeguards, expectations and restrictions in place at school, including our Phone-Free Schools approach
• Practical strategies families can use at home
• Resources and information to help families navigate an ever-changing digital world

We hope this yearlong campaign will create a shared understanding between school and home and give families practical tools they can use every day as we help students navigate a technology-rich world.

Have suggestions or feedback? You can email us at communications@stillwaterschools.org