Quebec Competencies Chart - Promoting Ethical Behaviour Online: Our Values and Ethics

Author: Emmanuelle Erny-Newton, MediaSmarts
Level: Secondary Cycle One
Subject Area: Moral Education, Physical Education and Health
Lesson Link: Promoting Ethical Behaviour Online: Our Values and Ethics

Description: In this three-part lesson, students learn about online privacy and ethical behaviour by exploring their digital footprints to better understand that our online interactions may not be as anonymous as we think they are.

This lesson satisfies the following competencies from the Quebec Education Program:

Ethics and Religious Culture

Reflects on ethical questions

Analyzes a situation from an ethical point of view

• Describes a situation and puts it into context
• Formulates a related ethical question
• Compares points of view
• Explains tensions or conflicting values
• Compares the situation with similar situations
• Compares his/her analysis of the situation with that of his/her classmates

Examines a variety of cultural, moral, religious, scientific or social references

• Finds the main references present in different points of view
• Looks for the role and the meaning of these references
• Considers other references
• Compares the meaning of the main references in different contexts

Evaluates options or possible actions

• Suggests options or possible actions
• Studies the effects of these options or actions on oneself, others or the situation
• Chooses options or actions that foster community life
• Reflects on the factors that influenced these choices

Physical Education and Health

The Cycle One program states:

The messages conveyed by the media can have major repercussions on the behaviour of adolescents. Therefore, it is important that students be encouraged to maintain a critical distance with regard to the media. For example, during a big sports event, certain networks show violent images involving the athletes. Reports on doping, which some athletes resort to, raise ethical questions about respecting rules and about honesty and fair play. Advertising uses an infinite amount of female body images to demonstrate the effects of products that enable you to obtain the perfect body with no physical effort. This sometimes contradictory information cannot help but challenge students, who must exercise critical judgment when they situate this information in relation to the various contexts in which they develop the subject-specific competencies.

The broad area of learning Media Literacy is thus part of this program.