It feels fitting for my first blog entry to be about Common Sense Media. If you are unfamiliar with this great resource, do yourself a favor and get familiar with it immediately. You can thank me later. The website is http://www.commonsensemedia.org/.
I have been a longtime follower of Common Sense, and have really enjoyed watching them grow. Five years ago, I stumbled across it and was completely thrilled that I could check out movies before showing them in class...never again was I to be surprised by an inappropriate word or gesture! The world was at my fingertips! Since then, Common Sense has grown to quite the clearinghouse. Today, you can find so much more than movie reviews. They review games, apps, and books as well. They offer parenting tips to help parents maneuver their way through this digital age. This is seriously great stuff!
But I think the best part about Common Sense is their educational content. They have prepared lessons for K-12 about Internet Safety, Internet Literacy, and Cyber Bullying. You know as well as I do that a majority of schools (and parents) are ill-equipped with the knowledge they need to protect their kids from all the scary things they will encounter online. Common Sense does a great job of teaching teachers, parents, and students about how to use technology safely. There are even lessons so that schools can hold their own parent education nights. I firmly believe EVERY school should be teaching these important lessons.
If we are going to change society...and really make a difference in the world...THIS is where we should start....
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
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