Digital technologies shape how children and young people learn, communicate, and understand the world. Information now travels faster, further, and in more complex ways than ever before. Alongside new opportunities for learning and connection, this environment also brings challenges: the spread of misinformation, the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI), and the persistence of online harm and bullying. Navigating these issues requires more than technical skills. It requires information literacy, critical judgement, and shared responsibility.
The DRONE Handbooks were created to support parents, teachers, and school leaders in addressing these challenges in practical, realistic ways. They are not academic textbooks or abstract policy documents. Instead, they are designed as clear, usable reference guides for people working with real situations, real constraints, and real concerns.
Across families and schools, digital issues rarely exist in isolation. A misleading online claim can affect student wellbeing. A new digital platform can raise questions about data protection and trust. AI-generated content can blur the line between reliable information and manipulation. Online bullying can escalate quickly, crossing from digital spaces into classrooms and homes. Responding effectively requires coordination, clarity, and confidence.
At the heart of all three handbooks is information literacy: the ability to question sources, understand context, recognise manipulation, and make informed decisions. Information literacy is not about mastering every new technology. It is about developing habits of critical thinking that remain relevant as tools and platforms change. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, these habits are more important than ever.
Each DRONE Handbook addresses a specific audience and role:
- Digital Compass supports parents in guiding children through digital environments with confidence, helping them understand risks, support resilience, and address issues such as misinformation and bullying at home.
- Digital Navigator equips teachers with practical strategies for the classroom, offering tools to model critical thinking, address harmful content, and foster respectful dialogue and digital citizenship among students.
- Digital Pathfinder focuses on school leaders, providing guidance on leadership, policy, and system-level responses to digital challenges, including crisis management, trust-building, and safeguarding.
While each handbook stands on its own, they are designed to work together. Digital challenges are most effectively addressed when parents, educators, and school leaders share a common language and approach. Consistency builds trust. Clear processes reduce uncertainty. Calm, informed responses prevent escalation.
The DRONE Handbooks emphasise practical action. They focus on what can be done in everyday situations: how to respond when concerns arise, how to communicate clearly, how to support wellbeing, and how to create safe and trusted systems. They recognise that perfection is neither realistic nor necessary. What matters is preparedness, reflection, and the willingness to learn.
In an evolving digital landscape, no single guide can provide all the answers. The goal of the DRONE Handbooks is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to help readers navigate it with confidence, responsibility, and care.