Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of media and technology, has recognized Grapevine-Colleyville ISD as a Common Sense District.
GCISD has demonstrated its commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing its students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect and learn, while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying. The recognition acknowledges GCISD’s commitment to creating a culture where the whole community is invested in helping kids thrive as digital learners and citizens.
“This has been a challenging year learning how to reach all of our students either in the building or at home,” said Kurstin Diggs, GCISD Digital Materials and Library Media Specialist. “Earning this distinction is important this year because the information has come to our staff, students, and parents at just the right time. The family tip sheets, articles, and media agreement give parents a jumping-off point to talk to their children about what is a healthy amount of device time for them.”
“Throughout the last year, digital citizenship instruction has become more important than ever,” said Janie Stach, GCISD Coordinator of Instructional Technology. “Whether learning in person or remotely, the digital citizenship instruction provided to our students was evident in their knowledge and skills as they navigated their digital world. The instructional technology team provided ongoing professional learning for teachers, and the librarians were instrumental in providing digital citizenship lessons to students through Seesaw and Canvas.”
GCISD has been using Common Sense Education's innovative and research-based digital citizenship resources, which were created in collaboration with researchers from Project Zero, led by Howard Gardner at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The resources teach students, educators, and parents tangible skills related to internet safety, protecting online reputations and personal privacy, media balance, managing online relationships, and media literacy. The free K-12 curriculum is used in classrooms across all 50 states, in more than 50,000 schools, by more than half a million educators.
"We applaud the staff of GCISD for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students' education," said Liz Kline, Vice President, Education Programs, Common Sense Education. "GCISD deserves high praise for giving its students the foundational skills they need to compete and succeed in the 21st-century workplace and participate ethically in society at large."
To learn more about the criteria required to become recognized as a Common Sense District, visit https://www.commonsense.org/education/recognition-districts.