Digital Literacy: A Joint Partnership

by: Librarian Marie Unanue and Director of Technology Brad Williams

Today's students are growing up in a world surrounded by screens and social media. In an ever-changing world, Rossman School strives to prepare them to make healthy and safe choices. Digital literacy and citizenship, therefore, is a conversation that begins with our youngest students. In the library, we use Common Sense Media as a resource to guide these conversations. Common Sense Media provides a comprehensive curriculum for educators that begins with Kindergarten and extends through twelfth grade. The lessons are designed to help kids learn to use technology in thoughtful, healthy, and safe ways both at home and at school.

The digital literacy curriculum at Common Sense Media builds its lessons and activities around six major tenets:

• Healthy habits and media balance
• Online privacy and safety
• Digital footprint and identity
• Communication
• Cyberbullying
• Media literacy

Rossman School uses this curriculum as a foundation for discussing what it means to be a good digital citizen and what a healthy media balance looks like. Combined with picture books and games, the curriculum designed by Common Sense Media has supported engaging, interesting conversations across all grade levels. In our youngest classes, these conversations begin with what media balance looks like, how to show kindness when using technology, and how to turn off technology when you may not want to. In these lessons, the kids have lively conversations about how and when they use devices, the games they play, the videos they watch, the family rules they have about screens, and all the many things they enjoy doing when “unplugged” and why that’s important.

In our oldest students, these discussions become more relevant to their personal experiences both at home and at school. They center on the importance of creating device-free moments, dealing with cyberbullying, maintaining privacy online, and recognizing when screentime is too much. In these lessons, the kids have thoughtful conversations where they ask questions, share experiences, and openly debate the pros and cons of technology use.

At Rossman, digital citizenship and digital literacy are not “one-off” lessons. They are part of an ongoing partnership between school and home. While we lead lessons on healthy screen habits, protecting personal information, online safety, and cyberbullying, these conversations don’t end when students leave campus.

One of the reasons we use Common Sense Media’s curriculum at Rossman is that its support extends beyond the classroom. They provide exceptional, practical, and easy-to-use parent resources that help parents feel supported and capable. Families can find up-to-date movie and TV guides, advice on setting up restrictions and parental controls for online gaming, and recommendations tailored to different ages. They even have a podcast series called Carpool Conversations, designed to spark conversations between parents and children. If you are looking for a place to start, we recommend watching this video from Common Sense Media.

Our ultimate desire is to see digital citizenship as a shared partnership that benefits from ongoing collaboration. What we introduce and reinforce at school is most effective when it is echoed at home, making parents and educators feel like vital partners in this effort. We want parents to feel equipped, informed, and supported, not overwhelmed. If questions arise or if you would like guidance on tools and resources, we are here to help. The work we do in our sessions is just one part of the equation. The partnership between Rossman and our families is what makes it all effective. Regardless of grade level, we are pushing students to start thinking about what technology looks like in their lives now and in the future, both as students and as digital citizens in 2026.