By Kendal Bazermen
Talon Staff
In a world where access to social media and devices in general begins early in an individual’s life, figuring out how to make their online experience positive is difficult. However, there are certainly ways to do so, one being learning about digital citizenship from a young age.
Barrington Public Schools is a Common Sense Media certified district as of this school year. This distinction is a representation of a dedication to “helping students think critically and use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate,” according to the independent, nonprofit organization’s website.
The Common Sense Media (CSM) online platform offers myriad lessons in online safety, news-sourcing, finding balance in one’s life amidst a technologically laden world, and more. The lessons are tailored to students at each grade level and are used in all six schools in the district to create a unified educational path when it comes to digital literacy.
It’s a very valuable investment for districts to be using the Common Sense curriculum, both for students and families.
Dr. Suzanne Costa explains that “at Barrington High School we rely on Common Sense Media to help our students, teachers, parents and administrators navigate the challenges of our digital world.” According to Dr. Costa, the school’s library media specialist, is proud that BHS was the first high school in the state to receive Common Sense Media Recognition for “our commitment to teaching students the importance of evaluating online resources for credibility and scholarship and for supporting our families and community with informative research on Internet use and some strategies that help protect our students and make the most of their time online.”
However, Barrington is certainly not the only place doing it. Over 850,000 educators across the world are teaching CSM curricula, some of which was designed specifically to help students analyze device use during virtual learning. Although most people understand it is very important to be conscious of how technology can greatly impact an individual’s life and learning, most people know that, many don’t know how to harness the idea of digital citizenship, educate oneself about it, and use devices and online platforms for good.
Comments