Ontario Digital Media Literacy Textbooks

MediaSmarts has developed four online multimedia textbooks to support the Ontario curriculum for Language 1-8 and English 9. These freely available textbooks are designed to give educators flexibility in meeting both the Overall Expectation relating to Digital Media Literacy (A2) but also related Overall and Specific Expectations in the A, C and D strands, including Critical Thinking in Texts; Creating Drafts; and Publishing, Presenting and Reflecting. While these are the primary focus, we also identify which lessons meet other sub-strands such as Transferable Skills, Knowledge About Texts, and Developing Ideas and Organizing Content.

Each textbook contains twenty or more lessons, providing teachers with multiple ways of satisfying different curricular outcomes; most of the lessons can also be customized to be delivered in a single lesson, over two or three days, or as an extended unit.

The textbooks are divided into teacher and student sections. The teacher sections include unit outlines, learning goals and curricular connections, professional development materials, instructions, answer keys, rubrics, and question prompts. Student sections include media and reading content, assignments, and activities, including interactive activities like quizzes, games, interactive videos and puzzles.

Textbooks

Building Blocks of Digital Media Literacy (Grades 1-3)

Discovering Digital Media Literacy (Grades 4-6)

Exploring Digital Media Literacy (Grades 7-8)

Navigating Digital Media Literacy (Grade 9)

Online tutorials

MediaSmarts has also developed two self-directed online tutorials to support the textbooks. The tutorials contain an overview of the project and of the different parts of the curriculum addressed by it, as well as best practices for teaching digital media literacy.

Please contact info@mediasmarts.ca to report any issues you encounter with the textbooks as they are currently in beta testing. We appreciate your feedback.

Funding provided by: