Guest blog by Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Whether it’s a video doorbell, a speaker with a built-in voice assistant, or even “smart socks” for your baby, these things all have one thing in common: they collect information about you and your family.
How much information they collect, though, is at least partially up to you. Here are some steps you can take to manage your privacy when using smart devices.
So, parents, you may or may not have noticed that Taylor Swift has announced a tour that will in fact include six Toronto dates.
Ohhhh, you have noticed? Because you tried to get nearly impossible-to-get tickets like 38 million other people did?
Yeah, you aren’t alone.
In this lesson, students learn how their personal information is key to how most of the “free” apps and platforms they use make money. They learn practical strategies and tools for managing their privacy and plan how these can be used to limit what audiences have access to their personal information.
In this lesson, students are introduced to Earth Day and the theme of “Green Cities”. After listening to a short presentation on the concept of a “green city” and elements that constitute a green city (e.g. renewable energy sources such as solar panels, more energy-efficient buildings, recycling programs, cleaner air and water) students participate in an activity where they count the number of parks on a map of their city or neighbourhood. Maps are then analyzed as a medium as students discuss how they are created, things they can and can’t show, and their effectiveness at communicating environmental information.
In the digital world, we can lose control of the information we share. It’s important to respect other people’s privacy and take control of your own.
Our friends and family pay attention to what we share online. Just like a journalist, it’s our responsibility to make sure something is true before we share it.
- Don’t share things right away.
Social media is designed to make you share things right away, but it’s better to wait a few minutes to think about it first. Give your “thinking brain” time to take over from your “feeling brain.”
What happens online can have a real impact. It’s up to us whether the impact is positive or negative.
What are some ways of using digital tech for good?
Being a digital citizen is about working to ensure you are contributing to the health and well-being of your communities. How are you contributing to a positive culture online?
This printable activity sheet introduces basic media literacy skills and concepts and is suitable for use in homes, schools and libraries. It can be completed independently, but children will learn more if you discuss the activity with them. Younger children may need help reading the instructions and completing the activity.