Students Benefit from Broadcasting Commission Outreach Session

At least 250 students of the Constant Spring Primary and Junior High School in St. Andrew benefitted from an outreach session staged by the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ).

The event, held on the school grounds on Thursday, February 28, was part of a series under the Commission’s media literacy project. Some of the topics discussed were: ‘The Digital Switchover’; ‘Children’s Code for Programming’; ‘Managing Your Digital Self’; and ‘Traditional and New Media’.

Students of grades seven, eight and nine participated in the session, led by the Assistant Executive Director of the BCJ, Karlene Johnson, under the theme: ‘The Future is Digital’.

Vice Principal of the school, Michelle Wiggins, expressed appreciation for the visit by the Commission, noting that the students as well as teachers “have gained a lot of knowledge”.

“Our students are so technologically inclined and they need to be aware of the risks that they may encounter as young people, because a lot of them are on Facebook and they are not really aware of how dangerous that can be,” she said, during an interview with JIS News.

Miss Wiggins, who is responsible for the Junior High Department, said the students will be encouraged to practise what they had learnt, adding that the teachers will continue to encourage students to post positive images and thoughts on their Facebook pages.

She stated that the school would welcome a “follow-up visit” by the Commission to reinforce what was taught.

“We have to work together to educate our students. There are so many things going on in society. It is a challenge because some students are exposed to certain things and they bring it in the school and influence other students,” she stated.

After the session, head girl and grade nine student, Ramona Lyttle, said that she will be making a few adjustments on her Facebook page.

“I am going to change my date of birth and take off some of the pictures. I don’t want people to know my date of birth and see how I look,” she stated. “I will leave the baby pictures,” she added with a smile.

Another grade nine student, Sheryl Walker, said the session taught her not to send improper text messages to her friends. “I will be sending things that are worthy of God and of me,” she told JIS News.

The Commission has been taking its media literacy project across the island over the past two years. So far, the Commission has visited more than 20 schools and engaged over 3,000 students.