Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, has recognized both Scotts Ridge and East Ridge middle schools as Common Sense Certified Schools in the area of Digital Citizenship.
Both Scotts Ridge and East Ridge Middle Schools have demonstrated a 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 cyberbullying.
"We applaud the faculty and staff of both Scotts Ridge and East Ridge Middle Schools for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students' education," said Jessica Lindl, Head of Common Sense Education. "They 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."
Ridgefield’s middle schools have 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 90,000 classrooms nationwide.
For more information about Scotts Ridge Middle School or East Ridge Middle School visit the Ridgefield Public Schools website at www.ridgefield.org. To learn more about the criteria these schools met to become certified as a Common Sense Certified School, visit http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/certification.