What counts as media? What is media balance? These are questions that we addressed last week with Grade 4 in the computer lab. The students had a worksheet they filled out to help visualize the what, when, and how much media. With this information we began the conversation about what makes a media choice healthy or unhealthy and how that can vary from student to student. At the end of the class, we challenged the students to be conscience of their media balance moving forward and to make a healthy media choice in the coming week.
Another goal of doing this lesson was to take a swing at addressing the overarching subject that is digital citizenship. While this may seem like a daunting task, the great people over at Common Sense Media have broken it down into smaller sections that each have a unique focus. Haven’t heard of them? They are one of the leading promoters of safe technology and media use for school age children. Just a few of the other areas of focus that are provided by them are privacy, digital footprint, and cyberbullying.
We are proud to have three Common Sense certified teachers here at Corpus Christi and working on becoming a Common Sense Certified School. This distinction honors our commitment to “helping students think critically and use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.”
Common Sense Media is also a great resource for parents searching for more information on kid appropriate movies, games, and apps. On their website you will find information about everything previously mentioned as well as some tips on how to get the conversation started at home!
We take digital citizenship very seriously here at Corpus Christi. These kids are growing up as explorers on a new frontier. Social media, round the clock news cycles, access to information on an unprecedented level. Our goal is to equip them with the tools they’ll need to maintain their own safety and integrity as they explore the wild west that is technology. After all, we will all be relying on these kids to take us, responsibly, to the next stage of understanding technology and its role in our lives.