Digital access opened up "a whole new world" for Learning for Life student Saphirra

Man holding mask — Dennis Atkinson shows off one of the masks Saphirra has made.

Saphirra is on The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program, and as her guardian, Mr Atkinson understands the importance of school students being properly digitally connected.

And it’s not just students who need that connection. With activities from excursion permission slips to parent-teacher interviews now being conducted online, parents and carers need to be able to navigate the online world as well.

For families experiencing disadvantage, not having access to essential digital tools means they’re unable to fully engage with education, with children at increased risk falling behind their peers at school.

It gave her a whole new avenue for her art.

Saphirra’s joined discussion groups on art, writing and reading. She’s connecting with like-minded young people and that has expanded her world.

She’s even started making a podcast with her friends.

It’s had a big influence on her motivation with schoolwork by helping her refine her interests and better focus on what she wants to do after school.

Dennis Atkinson, grandfather

For families experiencing disadvantage, not having access to essential digital tools means they’re unable to fully engage with education, with children at increased risk falling behind their peers at school.

Being disconnected has an immediate impact on a student’s educational engagement and can have longer-term impacts on their capacity to develop the core digital skills they need to complete their education and to participate in the jobs of the future.

Despite the growth of access to technology, the latest Australian Digital Inclusion Index shows nearly one in four Australians today are still digitally excluded. And the gap is widening between the most advantaged households, and low-income households.

I’d like to say I know what I’m doing but, truth be told, I have no idea, he said.

I rely on my granddaughter to be able to explain things to me.

While she is only in Year 8, the online world is becoming more and more influential in her life. She’s doing the majority of her schoolwork, along with everything else, online.

Dennis Atkinson, grandfather.

Having a suitable device and being able to access reliable, affordable internet is fundamental to bridging the digital divide. But digital inclusion requires more than that, it also relies on everyone having the confidence, digital skills and support they need to use devices.

A recent in-depth study involving 40 families with children participating in The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program found that parents want to support their children online as much as they do offline. But their confidence is undermined by a lack of visibility and understanding around what their children are doing and using digital devices.

That’s a feeling Mr Atkinson knows all too well.

He often has discussions with Saphirra about how she uses the internet at home.

He said it’s essential for parents and carers to have a level of trust that their children will act responsibly online and come to them if they encounter trouble.

“You put a lot of trust in them being able to help you understand what’s going on.”

“It’s a huge learning curve for anybody who didn’t grow up with technology in their lives.”

The Smith Family’s Digital Learning Essentials program will help provide the hardware, digital connections and skills required to allow a student experiencing disadvantage to make the most of their education. The aim is to have all families with students on the Learning for Life program digitally connected by 2027.