STAFF at St Columban’s College kicked off the school year on a high following a two-day retreat that focused on the theme “Liberation in the Digital Age”.
Renowned international speaker Dr Mike Ribble, author of Digital Citizenship in Schools and Raising a Digital Child and Christian Brother Damien Price co-facilitated the two-day conference.
Br Price and Dr Ribble treated those attending to a world-class retreat that covered the key elements of Edmund Rice spirituality and digital citizenship.
College principal Ann Rebgetz said significant progress had been made at St Columban’s in the area of Digital Citizenship in the past year.
She said the presence of Dr Ribble provided validation for the Digital Citizenship Taskforce that had been operating at the college over the past 12 months.
“It was extremely edifying to have an expert like Dr Ribble commending the taskforce on the advanced work they have done in progressing the college in terms of Digital Citizenry” Ms Rebgetz said.
“Given the college has a school-wide one-to-one laptop program embracing a culture of digital citizenship is an essential aspect of promoting responsible and appropriate use of technology within our community.”
Ms Rebgetz said the digital citizenship framework was intrinsically aligned with the key elements of Edmund Rice Spirituality – Guest, Presence, Compassion and Liberation.
“These were beautifully presented by Br Damien who throughout the retreat reinforced the innate dignity of each individual in our community – a shared imperative with the concept of digital citizenship.”
It was Dr Ribble’s first visit to Australia, and he also provided a one-day workshop on the fundamentals of digital citizenship to more than 300 staff from 11 BCE schools before completing his journey in Perth.
