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Digital Skills for Democracy: Assessing online information to make civic choices

In this activity, students : think about the importance of making sure they have trustworthy information before they make a decision on a political or electoral issue explore a series of scenarios designed to teach five strategies for verifying information: find the original, verify the source, check other information, read factchecking articles, and turn to places you trust  reflect on the impact of false and misleading information in politics

A Co-Viewing Christmas: Dealing with Problematic Classics

Many families have media traditions around the holidays – whether that’s watching A Charlie Brown Christmas together or staging a Mario Kart tournament on New Year’s Day. It’s great to make media a family activity, and it’s also an opportunity to co-view with your kids. In fact, holiday movies practically demand co-viewing: whether your tastes run to It’s a Wonderful Life, Die Hard or Christmas Vacation, odds that that if you watch with your (appropriately-aged) kids you’ll see something that makes you uncomfortable. Maybe it’s a racist stereotype in a cartoon, or a scene that makes stalking and harassment look romantic, or yet another kids’ movie with just one female character. What do you say? 

Building Better Tech Habits: A Guide to Digital Well-being

Screen time is one of parents’ top tech-related concerns, according to MediaSmarts’ research, and it’s the most common source of tech-related conflict between parents and young people in Canada. Kids are worried about their screen use too: almost half say they spend too much time on their phones.

Frequent tropes in news

Tropes in news function as shorthand for audiences, allowing for more efficient narrative construction and reducing cognitive load, often at the cost of flattening complex realities.

Managing media with tweens (10-13 years old)

Helping Kids Build Safe and Smart Digital HabitsThere are four main strategies to help kids become resilient to online risks. We can:Curate our kids’ media experiences;Control who can access our kids and their data;

Meaning and action in games

At its core, a game is constructed from several essential components: a defined Goal (the end state players are trying to reach), Rules (the formal structure establishing what can and cannot be done), Obstacles (elements preventing easy goal achievement) and a Core Dynamic, "the main action of a

The comics industry

The comics industry is currently experiencing a period of immense transformation and expansion, marked by surging sales, rapid digital disruption and a dramatic diversification of readership and content. Far from the niche market it was decades ago, today's industry is a global one where new technologies and distribution methods are reshaping how stories are created, circulated and consumed.

Responding to Online Hate Guide

The Responding to Online Hate guide assists law enforcement personnel, community groups and educators in recognizing and countering hateful content on the Internet – especially as it pertains to youth.

Cyber Security Consumer Tip Sheet: Protecting yourself from Malware

Malware is a general term to describe destructive programs that can harm your computer or any other device that connects to the Internet, including smart phones, mp3 players and tablets.