Dive Brief:

• Common Sense Media has changed its K-12 digital citizenship curriculum, starting with a new version aimed at students in the 3rd-5th grade.
• The curriculum will better integrate with Google’s educational suite, and be more adaptable so teachers can apply the lessons to their own styles of teaching, according to Education Week.
• Students will also encounter new topic areas, such as “thinking dispositions and habits of mind,” designed to help children think through decisions in more real-world situations.

Dive Insight:

Digital media changes as rapidly as it’s created. New apps appear monthly, and sites rapidly change their rules and tools as well. Guidelines written one year may not dovetail with how students and adults use them a year later.

Whether educators or administrators adopt Common Sense Media's new curriculum, it’s worth knowing what the nonprofit is suggesting, particularly around making choices online. Children need to understand the digital world is a forever medium, can’t be thrown out with the trash, and can be rediscovered fresh and anew even decades later.

That’s always been the mission of the organization — to help educators, parents and students understand the nuances of moving about online, and behave sensibly and safely. Learning how to thinking critically before going online is a necessary skill — like learning to swim before jumping into a pool. The digital world is not going away, but educators and families can work together to teach children how to take safe steps before they wade in and paddle on their own.