Common Sense Education’s Professional Development Library

Common Sense Education is known for their extensive resources for classroom teachers, but did you know that it also has an entire professional development side? Included in this bank of resources are short educator videos, longer webinars, a professional development blog, and case studies of districts that have found success with Common Sense Education.

Offering professional development through technology is a great way to leverage learning opportunities for teachers, especially between in-person trainings. It takes time to develop skills, and these resources offer simple and easy ways to continue the learning process while offering different and convenient formats to engage. The variation of content offered in Common Sense Education’s Professional Development library ensures that teachers have choice in how and what they learn.

There are short videos in a video library, organized and labeled as either a student video or an educator video. Student videos would be great introductions to lessons, such as reading the news critically and introducing digital citizenship in just a couple of minutes. The educator videos are curated around specific topics for quick professional learning opportunities. A few examples included in the video bank are:

• Zearn in 30 seconds
• BrainPOP Jr. in 30 seconds
• Storybird in 30 seconds
• ReadWorks in 30 seconds
• Google Search Tricks

Common Sense Education also offers longer webinars for more in-depth training and discussion. The webinars (typically under an hour in length) that teachers can access offer a host of topics: digital citizenship, social media (and teaching students how they might navigate the social media world), socioemotional learning, privacy, assessments, and many other topics. Teachers can sign up for webinars that are scheduled, and can also view past webinars.

Finally, Common Sense Education provides case studies that are designed to highlight how teachers and schools are using the curriculum and resources.

One particular case study followed a large school district in Manteca, CA that found success teaching digital citizenship. They had a clear rationale for focusing their efforts around this topic, particularly as the district was moving to 1:1 devices. Before receiving devices, students earned their “digital driver’s license” through training. The resources and lessons – all developed around district technology guiding principles – were then implemented district-wide. Not only were teachers trained on how to teach digital citizenship, but counselors and administrators were as well, with key thinking around how to address technology-related infractions in a proactive (not reactive) manner. One key component of implementing the curriculum was ensuring that the parents also received training on supporting students to use the devices. Disseminating information and resources continues to be ongoing, so that clear conversations and language are being developed across schools and the district.

The case studies are helpful when considering a rationale for a district digital citizenship curriculum, as well as thinking through models and implementation. Check out the PD side of one of our core tools!