Riverwood Named Common Sense Certified School

From Riverwood International Charter School: For the second year in a row, Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, has recognized Riverwood International Charter School as a Common Sense School.

Riverwood 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 cyber bullying. The recognition acknowledges the school’s commitment to creating a culture of digital learning and citizenship. Certification required the involvement of the entire school – teachers, students and administrators.

"We applaud the faculty and staff of Riverwood for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students' education," said Liz Kline, VP, Education Programs, Common Sense Education. "Riverwood 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."

Riverwood, with over 1,600 students, has been using Common Sense Education's innovative and research-based digital 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 reputations and personal privacy, managing online relationships, and respecting creative copyright. The free resources are currently used in more than 100,000 classrooms nationwide.

"We're honored to be recognized as a Common Sense School," said Charles Gardner, Riverwood Principal. "By preparing our students to use technology safely and responsibly, we are providing them unlimited opportunities to maximize and personalize their learning."

For more information about Riverwood, go here. To learn more about the criteria Riverwood met to become recognized as a Common Sense School, visit here.

Image via Riverwood International Charter School: Cathy Blodgett, Media and Educational Technology Instructor at Riverwood International Charter School, advises a student on digital citizenship.