Common Sense Media Graphite
A year ago at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in San Diego Common Sense Media introduced Graphite.
Common Sense Media is the company, that for the past eleven years, has provided parents, families, care-takers, and educators a simple and easy to use platform to find out if something is age appropriate for their kids. Sure video games are required to provide a rating on all their products but is that game that’s rated E for everyone really ok for a five year old?
Common Sense Media doesn’t just look at whether something is violent or inappropriate but whether or not a kid can really enjoy that game, app or website. Maybe an introductory level on a hit game is a piece of cake for a five year old but at the second level it gets much harder and boring to a child that age. Common Sense can let you know.
Parents, guardians and family members are using Common Sense on the web or their mobile app before making a purchasing decision that could turn out to be a waste of money. On the flip side Common Sense Media is also used to help parents, families and guardians find products that are perfectly age appropriate but may not have had a million dollar advertising budget to get in front of children.
Last year at ISTE Common Sense introduced Graphite a new platform designed to find the best digital learning tools by presenting them with independent ratings and reviews based on rigorous rubric that evaluates learning potential.
Not to be confused with their original product, Graphite can tell an educator if that “educational game” really has educational value.
Amy from Common Sense Media explained that while a product may be perfect for a ten year old it may not be educational. Which of course is fine, but that product shouldn’t be used as an educational tool in schools or at home, or at least educators and parents should know the background before hand.
Certified educational experts from a variety of educational backgrounds rate the products on Graphite and give them thorough reviews so that educators can weigh decisions on those products.
We got a chance to speak with Amy at ISTE in Atlanta. Check out the video below and for more info check out graphite.org.
