Prince Edward Island government to put digital literacy programs to all schools

Ottawa, ON (Sept 30, 2014) – MediaSmarts is pleased to announce that the Prince Edward Island Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has licensed its series of digital literacy resources for all teachers and classrooms in the province.

“We commend the government of Prince Edward Island for its commitment to ensuring students have the digital skills they need for safe and ethical Internet use” says Cathy Wing Co-Executive Director of MediaSmarts. “Our recent national survey of Canadian students shows that schools are an important source of digital literacy education, with almost half of students relying on teachers to learn about online issues”.

The resources include: Passport to the Internet and MyWorld classroom tutorials which use simulations of kids’ favourite online environments and activities to teach them about important topics like online safety, cyberbullying, protecting their privacy and authenticating online information. Educators also have access to the Web Awareness Workshop Series, which helps K-12 teachers understand and address these key issues.

“Prince Edward Island educators play a key role in ensuring that students have the knowledge and understanding they need to become responsible users of the digital world," said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Alan McIsaac. "MediaSmarts materials will provide educators with important tools to guide students in the appropriate and responsible use of digital resources.”

The licence agreement will make the series of award-winning, interactive resources available to approximately 20,200 students in 62 schools across the province.

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MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit centre for digital and media literacy. Its vision is that young people have the critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens. mediasmarts.ca @mediasmarts

Contact:
Maya Shoucair, Communications Officer, MediaSmarts
613-224-7721, ext. 231, mshoucair@mediasmarts.ca
mediasmarts.ca @mediasmarts