School is out. The kids are home and you may be searching for a way to be a part of their education. To help, we’re making a wide variety of Common Craft videos available to view in Packs focusing on specific subjects.

These Packs, geared for students middle school and up, are designed to explain technology and digital responsibility concepts in short, animated videos. We encourage parents to watch the videos along with their kids and talk to them about what they're learning. The packs will be available to view for a limited time.  

We currently have five packs available, with more on the way:

• Digital Citizenship (8 videos)
• Research and Study Skills (12 videos)
• Internet Safety (11 videos)
• Intellectual Property (5 videos)
• Financial Responsibility (8 videos)

If you know parents or educators who could benefit from these videos, feel free to share using this link: https://www.commoncraft.com/video-packs

We've published a new video, the 102nd in our video library. It is part of our Net Safety category. 

Ransomware - Explained

What it Teaches:

Like a kidnapped person, the information on your computer can now be held hostage by criminals, who demand a ransom to release it. This is called a ransomware attack and, unfortunately, it’s a growing problem. This video explains ransomware. It teaches:

• Why ransomware attacks happen
• What actions can lead to an attack
• How criminals access your computer and data
• What criminals want in exchange for your data
• What can be done to prevent ransomware attacks

Watch the Video or Browse All Videos

One of our earliest videos (from 2007!) explained online photo sharing. While much of that video is still relevant, photo sharing has changed significantly over the years and now plays a much bigger role in our online lives.

So, we've created a completely new version of the video which focuses not only on why photo sharing matters, but how to do it safely and responsibly. This new video will replace the older version in our library.

Online Photo Sharing - Explained

What it Teaches:

Today, we’re taking and sharing more photos than ever before. In the moment, it’s easy to forget that sharing photos can represent both fun and risk. By understanding the basics of online photo sharing and how to share responsibly, we can reduce the risk and focus on the fun. This video teaches:

• Why photo sharing is more popular than ever
• How people often interact with online photos
• What kinds of data and information are included when sharing online photos
• How online photos create a digital footprint that can become a risk in the future
• What you can do to reduce the risks

Watch the Video

Blockchain: New and Potentially Huge

Every once in a while, we come upon a subject that is both extremely complicated and potentially transformational. We treat these subjects with care and work hard to capture the big, fundamental ideas that create a foundation for learning more in the future. 

Today, that subject is Blockchain, which is the backbone of the digital currency Bitcoin and a concept that could be used more widely in the future. 

The video below uses an analogy to show why blockchain may represent a better way for a small village to manage ownership of village property. 

Watch the video

What it Teaches

This video provides a big picture look at why blockchain matters. Using the story of a village, it explains how villagers, who had a centralized authority for ownership, discover a new, decentralized way to manage ownership of village property. It teaches:

• How central authorities (banks, government) currently account for changes in ownership
• Why a fundamentally new accounting system is now possible using the internet
• How blockchain works to create a decentralized system that users manage
• Why this new system is considered safe, secure and transparent

Watch the video now.

IP Addresses Explained by Common Craft

At the very heart of the web are a set of rules or “protocols” that let us send and receive information. By understanding Internet Protocol Addresses or IP Addresses, we can see how information is delivered on the web.

What it Teaches

Without IP addresses the internet could not function. They are essential. Unfortunately, because IP addresses are often hidden from view, we rarely hear or learn about them. This video reveals the powerful role they play on the web through a useful analogy involving traditional mail. It teaches:

• Why rules or “protocols” are important in the basic functions of the web
• Why traditional mailing addresses are an example of a protocol
• How IP addresses are used to request and receive information on the web
• Why there are two versions of IP addresses

Watch the video.

You've heard of open source software and you may even use it every day. But have you ever wondered why it matters? That's one of the questions we're hoping to answer with this video. How is open source different from proprietary software? Why is open source software useful and popular? 

What it Teaches:

This video follows the story of a software developer who created a new tool and is trying to figure out how the tool will be shared and supported in the future. It teaches:

    •    Why open source makes sense for some types of software
    •    How open source differs from closed source, or proprietary software
    •    What motivates people to work on open source projects
    •    How businesses work with open source software

Watch the full video now