Common Sense Media.org is probably one of my most heavily used sites, both as an educator and as a parent. The site describes itself this way: “Common Sense is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.” I trust this platform to help me make informed choices as a parent and as an educator in the media decisions I make daily. I love their concise, current “Best Of…” lists for everything from gaming to television to books.
As a parent, I visit CommonSense.org most often for movie and book reviews. They are a quick reference site for a description of the rating and reasonings behind a specific movie rating. In addition, I can read reviews from other parents and students regarding movie content and how it might impact my child. A few times, I have consulted parent resources on digital citizenship and specifically, social media platforms. I believe them to offer a well rounded picture of different sites, always offering the pros and cons of use from different parent, professional, and even kid perspectives.
As an educator, I use CommonSense.org as a go-to site when lesson planning for Digital Citizenship curriculum. Educators are prompted to create a free account, linking them to a plethora of resources on a variety of subjects, including lesson plans aligned to ISTE, Common Core and AASL standards. Though some of the curriculum they offer is not current, it serves as a great starting off point and outline for basic DC curriculum development. Or just use their content for ancillary purposes; they have great toolkits, printables, and resourceful short videos for digital citizenship specific vocabulary.
There are SO many good things that I could say about this site. It should be one of your top five bookmarks! I promise, you won’t ever thing to move it once it’s there.
A. Charland LIS 568 