Educator & Facilitator Spotlight

Tom Myers
Digital Wellbeing Certified Educator

Tom is the Digital Wellbeing Club advisor at Two Rivers High School for the second year. 

This year the club members defined Digital Wellbeing as:

A healthy balance of screen use and intentionally managing technology use and real life connections in the modern world.

For the students, Digital Wellbeing prioritizes:

• Emotional, Mental, and Social Wellbeing
• In-person connections
• Spreading positivity to self and others

Kathy Kraemer
Digital Wellbeing Certified Educator

Kathy, a School Library Media Specialist, completed her Certification while at the American Cooperative School of Tunisia

Kathy’s certification practicum involved an “all in” approach from partnering with many stakeholders in the school centered around Advisory to cross promote, share lessons learned, and celebrate wins together.

She organized LiveMore ScreenLess weeks! The last day consisted of high school students leading middle school students in a choice activity such as boxing, mindful coloring and drawing, outdoor games and ping pong. After the activity, each high school student led a digital wellbeing discussion

with a middle school group during a “log off” lunch. Kathy reports that the quote that sums up the whole program was one made by one of the high school student leaders. She said the best part of the LiveMore program was… “Being proud that I made this happen.”

On her experience with the Certification Kathy shares: “Thank you for having the foresight to put this program together. It is brilliant.”

Greg Martinson
Digital Wellbeing Certified Educator

Library Media Specialist at Roseville Area High School

Greg’s certification practicum was a team effort collaborating with colleague Melanie Chaput and student teacher Madeline Formica and involved small group student discussions, school-wide student involvement. Greg created an open-ended survey for the 10th and 11th grade with reflection questions from the 5 dimensions of wellbeing.  Greg also created  in-person intentional community building to activate and partner with his school leadership team about revisiting their cell phone procedures for the next school year.

Greg describes his experience: “It has become incredibly clear from our observation of students and discussions with them that they would like to engage in social activities away from the digital space.”  To that end, they provided an opportunity for current students to create and color decorative/artistic bookmarks and write advice for rising 9th graders. “Students enjoyed the process of developing these artistic bookmarks and the 8th graders loved getting the advice from the older students. “

Greg is aware of the complexity of device use and Digital Wellbeing with young people. He concluded his final reflection by stating: “What is clear is that part of the challenges our young people face today is that all-day everyday access to social media tools requires new ways to engage our young people in developing their healthy, best selves.  My hope is that this work will become the start of behavioral change and boundary setting skills that our kids and adults need.” 

Sylvia Hawley
Digital Wellbeing Certified Facilitator

Graduating Senior, Mounds Park Academy

For her Digital Wellbeing certification project, Sylvia organized a “Phone-Free Week”  challenge for the high school student body to voluntarily give up their phone for the entire school day throughout one week.

During the week, she planned and facilitated  activities during lunch and recess periods when technology seemed to be at its peak among students. To attempt to get much of the community engaged, she also offered a pizza party at the end of the week.

Throughout the week, there were as many as 60 students participating. The consensus during the discussion was that Phone-Free Week was positive for students’ lives as students describe:

• “[Phone-Free Week] helped with my focus”
• “It was really helpful strengthening connections with my friends when otherwise during that downtime I would be on my phone.”

To aid others looking to organize an event like Phone-Free Week, Sylvia made a booklet guiding readers on steps for a successful event.