I am seeing the phrase “parenting in the digital age” pop up considerably these days. In connection with this blog series on the counselor-instructional technologist partnership, focusing on ways to support parents is an excellent example of how counseling-IT collaboration can provide needed support in the greater community.

During my first year back in the US, I was fortunate to work with a counselor who believed that it was in her job description to help develop materials to help parents come up with ways to speak with their children about using technology. Here is a post that describes the partnership and program.

Counselors and instructional technologists can provide a menu of choices for parents to further their understanding of how to parent in our digital age. My second school also supported the idea of providing workshops for parents. I created a parent resource website and an online version of the workshop for parents who could not attend the sessions.

Today many providers are offering online courses and materials to help parents as they discuss and develop guidelines on how their families use technology. Kim CofinoJeff Utecht, and their Eduro Learning team provide parents with materials and courses. The image above comes from their parenting page

I can see districts and individual schools sharing the Eduro course information with parents, who can then register and take the classes independently. I can also see individual school PTAs offering a blended version of Kim and Jeff’s coursework via face-to-face discussion groups guided by counselors and instructional technologists.

This role of the counselor as a life coach for parenting fits in well with my thinking for future posts. I see counselors rebranding themselves as life coaches working in partnership with teachers, learning support staff, instructional technologists, and principals to design life, wellness, and growth plans for all students around their physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development. While I have read of some schools doing IEPs for all their students, my focus is more forward-focused on guiding students toward attaining the habits of mind, dispositions, and general life skills that will help them move toward actualization. 🙂

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