Applewild School Certified as a Common Sense School

Applewild School in Fitchburg has been certified as a "Common Sense School" by Common Sense Media, a national nonprofit organization. The designation recognizes Applewild for educating its K-eighth grade students to be safe, smart, and ethical digital citizens. Common Sense Media is dedicated to helping children and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology.

Amelia Herring, librarian at Applewild, has been using Common Sense Media's innovative, research-based digital literacy and citizenship resources, which were created in collaboration with Dr. Howard Gardner of the GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The resources teach students, educators, and parents tangible skills related to Internet safety, protecting online reputation and personal privacy, what to share and what not to share, managing online relationships, and respecting creative copyright. Herring and Mike Grant, the school's Technology Director, have presented a workshop on keeping children safe in the digital world, using resources from Common Sense Media. An excerpt from their presentation is available at www.applewild.org.

For more info about Applewild School, go to www.applewild.org. To learn more about the criteria Applewild had to meet to become certified as a Common Sense School, visit http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/certification.