WELSTech-ers may recall a past Ministry Resource post on Common Sense Media, a site which features reviews and recommendations on all types of media which is directed at children including movies, books, TV, games, apps, and websites. It’s a great resource to share with parents, and can be very useful at this time of year especially as they shop for appropriate media-centric gifts for their children.

Education reviews

Common Sense Education is another site which is produced by the same organization and geared specifically toward educators. Once again, they provide ratings and reviews of children’s media, but this time the focus is on edtech websites and apps that are organized by grade level and subject matter. Search criteria can even be narrowed by price, so the frugal educator can easily identify free resources. For each tool listed, the Common Sense ranking as well as teacher submitted ranking is displayed. Each tool includes a description and overview of what it teaches as well as suggested lessons and activities plus standards supported.

Digital citizenship curriculum

Another offering from Common Sense Education is their K-12 digital citizenship curriculum. The curriculum covers the following topics:

• Internet Safety
• Privacy & Security
• Relationships & Communication
• Cyberbullying & Digital Drama
• Digital Footprint & Reputation
• Self-Image & Identity
• Information Literacy
• Creative Credit & Copyright

As demonstrated in this sample lesson, each lesson includes a downloadable lesson guide as well as student activities and a family tip sheet. There are also downloadable videos and video discussion guides. And if that isn’t enough, there are student games and interactives, student badges, classroom posters, toolkits, and more!

Professional development

Common Sense Education also offers a variety of professional development to assist teachers.

• Digital Citizenship Curriculum Training – Each grade level takes about an hour to complete, and a certificate is awarded at the end of the training.
• Free webinars – Real time and archived webinars cover important topics in education technology, and each includes a certificate of completion for watching. Join the upcoming webinar – Online Security, Privacy, and Risk: How to Avoid Becoming a Headline – next Thursday, December 7 at 1 pm Pacific – 11 am Central.
• Premium Professional Development
• Common Sense Education blog
• Common Sense Educators Community – Join the Facebook group and follow @CommonSenseEd on Twitter
• Video Library – Learn more about digital tools, best teaching practices and technology integration. This sample video – 5 Essential Media Literacy Questions for Kids – includes a student worksheet with teachers guide.

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