Roblox and KATOM have collaborated to publish a digital citizenship guidebook for students, parents, and teachers.
The guidebook uses various scenarios that can occur while using the Roblox platform to emphasize the cultivation of digital citizenship for a safe and positive digital environment.
Specifically, it incorporates the importance of educational support and self-reflection, considering the relationships, learning, play, and creative activities that young people engage in on Roblox.
Roblox and KATOM Partner to Launch New Guidebook Promoting Healthy Online Experiences for Students, Parents, and Educators
Roblox, an immersive platform for creation and learning, and the Korea Association of Teachers for Media Literacy (KATOM) announced the release of a new guidebook for students, parents, and educators to promote digital citizenship across generations. The full text of the guidebook, released on the 12th, is available on the KATOM website.
Developed based on qualitative research with over 60 students from 9 elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as interviews with parents and teachers, the Roblox guidebook is designed to educate the digitally native generation who prioritize social interaction in virtual worlds, along with their parents and educators. Through the example of the Roblox platform, a space where people interact online, it outlines the common sense understanding of ‘digital citizenship,’ the values and norms that all three groups should adhere to in order to create a safer, more positive, and inclusive digital space.
The main content includes, based on the definition of digital citizenship, △the rights and responsibilities users can enjoy on Roblox for each group, △platform features and methods for safely using and creating Roblox experiences, and △self-reflection on activities in the digital world, including Roblox. It also includes checklists for parents and teachers to review Roblox experiences with their children. This guidebook aims to contribute to ensuring that children's lives within online community platforms like Roblox develop in a positive direction and empower them with the skills to explore the online world with greater confidence and safety.
According to KATOM's qualitative research, children and adolescents today experience a variety of social activities on Roblox. For example, Roblox allows individuals to form various types of relationships, learn, play, and create their own games, items, and virtual experiences. During this process, research participants indicated that they needed educational support from teachers or parents at times, demonstrating that Roblox and the digital world, in general, are an extension of the real world for children and adolescents, a space where learning and assistance are needed. The study emphasizes the importance and necessity of proactive digital citizenship education for this generation, focusing on these characteristics.
Tami Bhaumik, Vice President of Citizenship & Partnerships at Roblox, said, “Roblox is collaborating with numerous leading companies and organizations both domestically and internationally to conduct digital citizenship campaigns to create a healthy and safe community environment. We hope that this guidebook will serve as a stepping stone to further strengthen the digital citizenship capabilities of online users in Korea.”
Park Yu-shin, President of the Korea Association of Teachers for Media Literacy (KATOM), also shared his thoughts, saying, “The guidebook created with Roblox is designed to help all stakeholders develop proper digital usage habits and understand the rules, not through blind restrictions on the digital environment, but based on a deep understanding of adolescents, parents, and teachers. We hope that this guide will serve as a bridge connecting today's digitally native generation with the older generation.”
Meanwhile, the Roblox guidebooks for students, parents, and teachers are available on the KATOM website, and teacher training will be conducted based on the materials.
Website: https://www.roblox.com/
Contact Roblox Public Relations KPR Jiyoon Kim, AE +82-2-3406-2226