Education

In Hwa Chong, Cyber Wellness education is done via different platforms and activities. The two major anchors are the assembly talks and CCE lessons which are conducted by Sec 4 cyberwellness reps and form teachers. In addition, the school also uses awareness posters provided by MOE CCE branch and ad-hoc awareness messages posted on the school's electronic message board (a.k.a. iEMB) to engage students in timely reminders about Cyber Wellness issues. More of these can be found under the sub-section on Cyber Wellness Topics.

Assembly Talks (1 hour per year per level)

Sec 4 Cyberwellness reps will share about issues which youths face with their mobile devices and in cyberspace. These talks take place during the level assemblies and are regularly reviewed between the school and the vendor to ensure that there is a wide range of topics covered over the four years, each being extremely relevant to the students and are updated with current trends and anecdotes.

The topics generally fall under three domains:

Cyber Wellness: Protecting Self & Others
Media Literacy: Discerning & Skillful Use of Media
Digital Citizenship: Proactive Contribution to Community

Below are the key topics addressed during the talks at the various levels:

Sec 1 - Managing Virtual Worlds, Virtual Consumption & Overuse of Video Games and Social Media & Online Privacy
Sec 2 - General Online Aggression & Positive Online Communication and Evaluating Online Content: Discerning Facts & Opinions
Sec 3 - Countering Extreme Online Aggression & Cyber Bullying and Media Violence, Harmful Content & Aggression
Sec 4 - Media Literacy: Media Persuasion, Advertising & Consumption and Evaluating Online Content Producers: News Feeds & Media Bias

CCE Lessons (est. 2 hours per year per level)

Form Teachers will take the lead in these lessons as they will engage the students in a classroom setting in Cyber Wellness issues, following up from the assembly talks where appropriate. Most of the lessons will evolve around contemporary issues that will be relevant to the students, such as the use of social media, screen time, cyber bullying, etc.

Cyber Wellness representatives from each class will also have the opportunity to lead the class in some of the discussions, as well as facilitating some of the initiatives planned by the Cyber Wellness Unit, including those that are organised by the Cyber Wellness Ambassadors.

Monthly Theme / Focus for Cyber Wellness Awareness

January: Device Care & Safety

Loss of devices left unattended or forgotten
Setting a password for personal devices

February: Internet & Online Safety

Exposure to offensive / inappropriate content (e.g. sexual grooming)
Excessive usage of social media and screen time

March: Gaming Addiction

Detrimental effects of gaming addiction on mental health (violence, coarse language)
Effects of excessive gaming on well-being (sleep, social life in reality, academics, etc.)

April: Online Media Literacy

Discerning between news and reports from different sources / differing underlying messages
Danger of fake news on person (cheating) and society

May: Online Etiquette

Appropriate behaviour and responsible usage of the Internet
Managing differing opinions in online forums and platforms

July: Cyber Bullying

Difference between cyber bullying and trolling
Protecting oneself against cyber bullies

August: Cyber Security – Phishing

Dangers from being a victim of phishing
Preventing one from being a victim of phishing

September: Cyber Security – Scams

Knowing about the various types of scams and the consequences
Preventing one from being a victim of scams

Note: No content will be proposed in the months of June, October, November and December due to school holidays and year-end examinations.

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