With more youth and families accessing information online, there is a greater need for digital literacy and safety skills for children, parents, and teachers. Common Sense has existed as a non-profit organization since 2003.
Common Sense is the nation’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.
Common Sense Website
Common Sense Education supports K-12 schools and youth organizations by providing a research-based, award-winning Digital Citizenship Curriculum. The six core topics include: (1) media balance & well-being, (2) privacy & security, (3) digital footprint & identity, (4) relationships & communication, (5) cyberbullying, digital drama, & hate speech, and (6) news & media literacy.
All the lesson plans include objectives, vocabulary words, and other resources (such as videos, handouts, worksheets, and take-home activities for the entire family). The lesson plans can be filtered by grade level for easy access. Additionally, Common Sense Education offers free, online professional development for educators. The Teaching Digital Citizenship course is a one-hour training is interactive and empowers adults to be ready to teach these skills to young people. The Protecting Student Privacy course is a 45-minute interactive online course for educators will introduce the topic of student online privacy and offer concrete best practices for managing the risks to students. These trainings are great for 4-H professionals, volunteers, and teachers!
