DBTI hosts orientation programme to start academic year

The National Education

THE Don Bosco Technological Institute (DBTI) in Port Moresby held a four-day orientation programme for over 300 of its students to start the academic year.
Held from Feb 3 to 6 at DBTI’s main hall, the sessions included from a peak into campus life, academic policies, technological visits, code of conduct of the school, DBTI traditions, talent show and a campus tour as well as other important information.
Last Tuesday, a session on the responsible and safe use of media was facilitated by Fr Ambrose Pereira.
It focused on social media and its purpose, humanity’s position in today’s world of technology, a Biblical reference comparing technology in the past and its exponential growth today and its connection with present day digital natives.
Fr Ambrose explained of how people were slowly losing themselves in the world of social media through the use of smartphones and encouraged students not to allow these products to dominate their lives.
Dwelling on artificial intelligence, he described phones as having “no soul” and reminded the students that artificial intelligence was programming our lives, manipulating our values and attitudes and destroying our culture and heritage.
He invited students to carefully evaluate the use of their phones and reminded them that they were human beings with an intellect, a will and a soul.
Some comments from the students were:

  • “WE spend productive time on our smart phones doing unproductive things. It is a waste of time and money”;
  • “WE realise that we spend time with people we have not met rather than with the people we meet face to face”;
  • “I HAVE been addicted to social media and I now need to be responsible in using my digital device”; and,
  • “WE need to reduce our cyber footprint so that our academic excellence will soar.”