Hello! My name is Janine Thomas, and I teach at Randall Elementary School. For the past two years, we’ve been using a special program called the Common Sense Media digital citizenship curriculum. This program helps us have important conversations in the classroom about being safe and smart online. What’s really great is that these conversations often continue at home with parents, which is super important.
Sometimes, I give students a parent tip sheet as homework. This sheet helps them talk with their parents about what we’re learning in class. The next day, we discuss these conversations in class. My own daughter often brings home flyers and tells me, “Mommy, you need to read this!” This helps us talk about who she talks to online and what she shares with others.
The curriculum helps parents understand what their kids are learning. One fun activity we do is the media smarts quiz. Students take this quiz and then give it to their parents. When we return to class, we compare the answers. This helps everyone learn together!
For example, my daughter learned about creating strong passwords at school. She even asked me about my passwords and suggested I make them stronger. This shows how much she’s learning and thinking about online safety.
Our school district believes in giving parents the tools they need. We have links on our website with helpful Common Sense materials. I also get emails from Common Sense Media about current issues, which I share with parents. This helps families, especially those who might not have a lot of time, understand how to keep their kids safe online.
We host a parent night focused on internet safety and digital citizenship. This event gives parents a quick overview of what we’re teaching in class. It’s a great way for parents to learn about online safety and how to protect their families.
Many parents have told us that they learned new things they didn’t know before. I also ran a workshop for parents at the start of the school year. It was easy to organize because I had all the materials ready. At the end of the night, I gave parents resources to help them talk more with their kids.
Talking to parents about these topics is important because kids are online a lot, and parents might not always know what they’re doing. As teachers, we need to support our students and their families. While technology can sometimes take away from family time, programs like Common Sense Media help bring families together. They encourage conversations that both parents and kids want to have and learn from.
Imagine you are teaching your parents about digital citizenship. Create a short skit with a partner where you explain the importance of online safety and smart internet use. Perform your skit for the class and discuss what you learned from teaching your parents.
Take the media smarts quiz home and challenge your parents to answer the questions. Bring the completed quiz back to class and compare your answers with your classmates. Discuss any surprising answers and what you learned from your parents.
Work with your family to create a digital safety plan. Include rules for online behavior, privacy settings, and how to handle online interactions. Share your plan with the class and discuss how it can help keep your family safe online.
Create a poster that highlights key aspects of digital citizenship, such as creating strong passwords or being respectful online. Display your poster in the classroom or at home to remind everyone of the importance of being a responsible digital citizen.
Invite your family to a tech talk night at home. Use resources from Common Sense Media to guide a discussion about online safety and digital citizenship. Share what you learned in class and listen to your family’s thoughts and experiences.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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My name is Janine Thomas, and I teach fifth and sixth grade at Randall Elementary in the Milpitas Unified School District. We’ve been using the Common Sense Media digital citizenship curriculum for two years now. I feel like it promotes great discussions in the classroom, and those discussions often carry over to home as well. I think that’s a really important part of the curriculum; it’s essential for the kids to be able to talk to their parents about what’s going on at school.
Sometimes, for homework, I send the kids home with a parent tip sheet. They have discussions with their parents, and I ask the kids to show me that the discussion took place. This way, we can come back the next day and discuss it together. My daughter often brings home flyers and immediately hands them to me, saying, “Mommy, this is something you need to read.” It has allowed me to have conversations with her about who she talks to, the types of questions they ask her, and the answers she gives.
The curriculum involves parents in the same understanding and concepts that the kids discuss with their teachers, which provides an opportunity for open communication. One of the things we do to build parent involvement with our Common Sense curriculum is the media smarts quiz, which is part of one of the lessons. The students take the quiz and then give their parents the same quiz. When we come back to class, we review the answers and compare the students’ responses with their parents’.
When my daughter came home from school, she mentioned that they were learning how to set up passwords and how to create secure ones. She even asked me questions about my existing passwords, suggesting that I might not be protected enough and should consider changing them.
As a district, we believe it’s important to provide resources to parents. We have links on our websites that parents can access for Common Sense materials. I also receive emails from Common Sense Media that keep me informed about current issues, which I pass on to the parents. This has facilitated communication between parents and students about online matters, especially at Randall, where many families may be socioeconomically disadvantaged. It’s been beneficial for parents to receive this education, particularly when many families have both parents working and may not be home during the day. They need to know about these issues in advance to set boundaries for their children while they are online.
To build parent involvement with our Common Sense curriculum, we host a parent night focused on internet safety and digital citizenship. This event provides parents with a quick overview of what we are covering in the classroom. The program offers a way for parents who may not be familiar with these topics to understand what is out there and how to protect themselves and their children.
We have received a lot of feedback from parents who expressed that they were unaware of certain issues, and it has been an eye-opener for them. I also ran a parent workshop at the beginning of the school year, which was easy to organize because I had all the necessary materials in a straightforward lesson format. At the end of the night, I provided parents with resources to help spark further conversations with their kids.
It’s important to talk to parents about these topics because kids are online all the time, and parents may not know what they are doing. As educators, we need to support our students, recognizing that this is part of their everyday lives. While technology can sometimes take away from family time, Common Sense Media helps bridge that gap by facilitating conversations that both parents and children want to engage in and learn more about.
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This version maintains the core message while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.
Digital Citizenship – Being responsible and respectful when using technology and the internet. – Example sentence: Our teacher taught us about digital citizenship so we can use the internet safely and respectfully.
Online Safety – Practices and precautions taken to protect personal information and stay safe while using the internet. – Example sentence: We learned about online safety to make sure we don’t share our passwords with strangers.
Parents – Adults who take care of children and help guide them in learning and making good decisions. – Example sentence: Our parents attended a meeting at school to learn how to help us with our digital citizenship skills.
Students – Children or young people who are learning in a school or educational setting. – Example sentence: The students worked on a project about how to use the internet responsibly.
Curriculum – The subjects and materials that are taught in a school or educational program. – Example sentence: Our school’s curriculum includes lessons on online safety and digital citizenship.
Conversations – Exchanges of thoughts, ideas, or information through speaking or writing. – Example sentence: We had conversations in class about how to communicate respectfully online.
Passwords – Secret words or phrases used to access accounts or devices securely. – Example sentence: It’s important to create strong passwords to protect our online accounts.
Resources – Materials or tools that help with learning and completing tasks. – Example sentence: Our teacher provided us with resources to learn more about internet safety.
Internet – A global network that connects millions of computers, allowing people to access information and communicate. – Example sentence: We use the internet to research information for our school projects.
Communication – The process of sharing information, thoughts, or feelings with others. – Example sentence: Good communication is important when working on group projects, both in person and online.
