South West Grid for Learning is offering this unique accreditation opportunity in Digital Citizenship for educators working with children and young people from Foundation Stage through to Key Stage 4.

Building on its successful international partnership with Common Sense Media, the Grid’s accredited trainers offer this training that consists of one full day / whole school training with follow-up webinars and includes:

• Raising awareness of key risks and behaviours in online safety and planning an education and intervention strategy
• Familiarising educators with the Common Sense Media and SWGfL Digital Literacy Curriculum
• Exploring cyberbullying, parental media and gender toolkits
• Workshop on teaching exemplar lessons
• Tracking student achievement through “Digital Passport”
• Using the Graphite tool to find innovative and engaging apps and resources
• Teaching a unit of work across eight weeks
• Getting parents and the local community on board
• Reflecting on and share practice with other colleagues and plan an digital citizenship curriculum for your school or setting

Led by a Google Educator/Edmodo Ambassador and SWGfL Consultant, participants will be required to:

LEAD: register your headteacher as an educator at www.commonsense.org/educator. Appoint a project lead.

PARTICIPATE : join and engage in a dedicated online community using Edmodo which will also be used to deliver and support users with information and tasks.

LEARN: attend an initial one-day whole-school training session with one of our Common Sense Media Accredited trainers. Learn to navigate around the wide range of resources and identify opportunities for teaching lessons. SLT and Digital Literacy Lead attend a subsequent follow-up webinar to:

• Reflect on and share practice
• Provide evidence of impact
• Share school implementation plan.
• Guidance in completing the Common Sense School online application form.

TEACH: determine in which two year groups digital literacy and citizenship lessons will be taught over an 8 week period.

At a minimum, your school needs to:

• In at least two year groups, teach one full unit (five lessons) from the Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum to the same group of students;

OR

• in at least three year groups, teach three lessons to the same group of students.

Use the Common Sense Media Scope and Sequence to help you decide which lessons to teach.

(Note that the Digital Passport™ (for Years 4-6) qualifies as one unit (5 lessons)Go to www.digitalpassport.org to register).

SHARE: Foster a home/school connection by completing at least 3 of the following activities:

• Assign students homework that includes parent participation
• Put a link to Common Sense on your teacher OR school website
• Send home the Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum or Digital Passport™ introductory letter to parents
• Distribute a Common Sense parent tip sheet or our Family Media Agreement to the parents of students in your classroom

IMPLEMENT: Introduce Common Sense and what you’re doing in the classroom to your headteacher, and encourage him or her to roll out a school-wide digital citizenship program. Also, let your colleagues know about your efforts.

DOCUMENT: upload materials (pictures, videos, weblinks, documents, newsletters) that can document your digital literacy and citizenship activities. (You will need this digital evidence which will be uploaded in the online application form)

COMPLETE THE COMMON SENSE EDUCATOR APPLICATION FORM: this is the final task to be done. The online form is mostly check-boxes with a few open-ended responses. There will also be a need to attach some of the documentary evidence that has been collected. 

On successful completion, the school will become an accredited Common Sense School and receive logos to use on letter-heads, certification and a plaque. Your success will also be celebrated through the SWGfL and Common Sense Media international websites, newsletters and social media feeds.