Hang in there, homeschooling parents, more help is on the way! Common Sense Media has just launched its Wide Open School platform, a free collection of high quality online learning experiences for families and educators. Common Sense Media recognizes that our education system is not prepared for this abrupt transition to remote learning, and that while some schools are offering full days of online learning, others can only offer a few hours a day. They have stepped in to coordinate and curate a free and open collection of learning resources and social and community services to help equalize students’ opportunity to learn during these chaotic times.
The people at Common Sense Media are working with education publishers, media and tech companies, non profits, and teachers to gather and make a great assortment of resources available to all. Their initial partners include Amplify, Scholastic, Sesame Workshop, Zoom, Noggin, Khan Academy, Google, PBS Learning Media, National Geographic, Understood (which offers resources for families with kids with learning and thinking differences) and Libby (which gives students access to ebooks from the public library), and the list of partners is growing.
The content is organized by topic and grade, and there are portals for parents and teachers. The site features a daily calendar which offers a custom schedule of learning for each grade. Common Sense Media will continue to roll out content from the current and additional partners in the coming months.
Check out Common Sense Media’s Wide Open Schools. Let us know what you think. We will continue to source materials and send them your way.
