Earlier this summer at ISTE we got a chance to talk with Common Sense Media about Graphite.

Graphite, is a platform that works similarly to Common Sense Media but instead of evaluating how age appropriate an app, game or website is for kids, it looks at how educational websites, games and apps are.

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.

Common Sense just released their back to school list of top tech tools for teachers. With half of the nation’s kids already back to school and the rest of them headed back after Labor Day, now is the time to see what tools will make a difference this year.

Eight of the entries on the Common Sense list made Bill Gates’ list of favorites as well. 

Here are the top 10 from the Common Sense list

1.	BetterLesson URL: http://betterlesson.com/ Exemplary Common Core-aligned lessons from rock star peers at large	Grades Pre-K-12 Type Website	Price Paid	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
2.	Common Curriculum URL: http://www.commoncurriculum.com/ Sleek lesson planner replaces bulky binders, promotes collaboration	Grades Pre-K-12 Type Website	Price Free	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
3.	ST Math: K-5 URL: http://web.stmath.com/ Game-based, visual activities get below the surface for deep learning	Grades K-5 Type Website	Price Pricing available upon request.	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
4.	Front Row URL: https://www.frontrowed.com/ Zero in on Common Core math with personalized practice and assessments	Grades K-8 Type Website	Price Free	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
5.	ReadWorks URL: http://www.readworks.org/ An ELA teacher’s one-stop shop for reading comprehension resources	Grades K-8 Type Website	Price Free	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
6.	Goalbook URL: https://goalbookapp.com/ Tailor kids’ targets with pricey but worth-it kit of tools, strategies	Grades K-12 Type Website	Price Paid	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
7.	JumpRope URL: https://www.jumpro.pe/ Upgrade your grading with tool for mastery-based planning and tracking	Grades K-12 Type Website	Price Free	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
8.	Teaching Channel URL: https://www.teachingchannel.org See colleagues in action with digital PD for discussion and reflection	Grades K-12 Type Website	Price Paid	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
9.	Quill URL: http://www.quill.org/ Let students do the writing to make grammar lessons more meaningful	Grades 1-8 Type Website	Price Free	Learning Rating Teacher Rating
10.	TenMarks URL: http://www.tenmarks.com/ Responsive and adaptive math practice for every grade level	Grades 1-12 Type Website	Price Paid

You can see the rest of the list here at graphite.org