Digital Compass, Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship Student Interactive for 6th-8th Graders, Named 2016 Best Website for Teaching & Learning by AASL

San Francisco – Common Sense Education's Digital Compass interactive has been honored with a prestigious Best Website for Teaching and Learning award by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla.

The annual AASL award -- now in its eighth year -- honors 25 "best of the best" web-based tools that foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. The awardees are also honored for being user-friendly and encouraging a community of learners to explore and discover.

"Everyone at Common Sense is so honored to be recognized by AASL in this way," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense. "Digital Compass is unique in its design, providing an interactive experience perfect for middle schoolers where they can really explore how decisions made in their digital lives -- both good and bad -- can impact their relationships and futures. We want to thank the AASL for this recognition, as well as all of our educators who make Digital Compass a part of their classrooms."

Released just over a year ago, Digital Compass has already had more than 1.5 million games completed. This web-based interactive for middle school students promotes and fosters critical 21st-century skills and helps empower students to become safe, responsible, and respectful digital citizens.

"Digital Compass is a creative and engaging way to spark reflection about the digital dilemmas that are routine in young people's lives today," said Dr. Carrie James, research director of Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. "This dynamic platform is a great addition to Common Sense Education's extensive collection of digital citizenship resources."

Learn more about Digital Compass by visiting www.digitalcompass.org.

About Common Sense Education
Common Sense Education provides teachers and schools with free research-based classroom tools to help students harness technology for learning and life. Our K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum and interactive games teach students how to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions in the digital world. Our educational ratings and reviews platform helps educators discover, use, and share high-quality digital products that propel student learning. Common Sense Education works with more than 300,000 member teachers in over 100,000 schools to help ensure all children have the opportunity to thrive in the 21st century.

Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families and educators thrive in a world of media and technology. To see all of Common Sense's education resources, visit https://www.commonsense.org/education/.

About AASL
The American Association of School Librarians, www.ala.org/aasl/, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change, and develop leaders in the school library field.

Press Contact:
Corbie Kiernan
[email protected]
415-582-6656

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