The COVID-19 Letdown

I feel like I should knock wood when I say this, but it feels like maybe, someday, this lockdown might be over.

We’re still in rocky days as I write this, with active cases not dropping off as much as we all would like, and shops and attractions not as open as we would hope. But the vaccine is getting out there, albeit slowly, and some of the people we know have even received it already. Progress is being made, and we can start to dream of a time when life opens up again and we feel safer and more able to do the things we love to do.

Managing Your Passwords Online

Our older two teens are close to finishing high school, and we’re starting to think about moving them into the adult phase of their lives. That means managing their own online presence and technology, and making sure they have full ownership of their profiles.

And that led to the big password talk.

Quebec Competencies Chart - Mixed Signals: Verifying Online Information

Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts
Level: Grades 7-9
Lesson Length: 60-75 minutes
Subject Area: English Language Arts, Visual Arts, Ethics and Religious Culture
Lesson Link: https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/mixed-signals-verifying-online-information

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The Family Chat

Our youngest is about to turn 14, and that means it’s time for the last member of our family to get her own cell phone.

We decided back when our oldest was heading off to high school that age 14, Grade 9, is cell phone time for our family. We’ve been happy with that decision – it seemed like the right time in terms of maturity, and also it became clear that having a phone to use in class at high school was beneficial and even expected.

Media Literacy Week Workshops

Communicating Safely Online: Tip Sheet for Youth

a. Types of Unhealthy Online Relationships

Exploitation: Some people use digital media to get teenagers involved in relationships they’re not ready for. They do this by finding someone who is vulnerable and then showering them with attention, sympathy, affection and kindness, all to persuade the victim that they love and understand them.

Communicating Safely Online: Tip Sheet for Parents and Trusted Adults

a. Types of Unhealthy Online Relationships

Online exploitation is when someone uses digital media to find teens and get them involved in romantic or sexual relationships.

Outcome Chart – Newfoundland & Labrador – Biology 3201

Unit 1: Cell Reproduction and the Continuity of Life

Overall Expectations: Cancer and the cell cycle

7.0 use library and electronic research tools to collect information on a given topic [GCO 2]

8.0 select and integrate information from various print and electronic sources or from several parts of the same source
[GCO 2]

26.0 work cooperatively with team members to develop and carry out a plan, and troubleshoot problems as they arise [GCO 2]

Outcome Chart – Newfoundland & Labrador – Biology 2201

Unit 1: Ecosystem interactions and population dynamics

Overall Expectations: Biomes

9.0 use library and electronic research tools to collect information on a given topic [GCO 2]

22.0 synthesize information from multiple sources or from complex and lengthy texts and make inferences based on this information

Specific Expectations:

MediaSmarts Resources