Earth Day: Maps as media - Lesson

In this lesson, students are introduced to Earth Day and the theme of “Green Cities”. After listening to a short presentation on the concept of a “green city” and elements that constitute a green city (e.g. renewable energy sources such as solar panels, more energy-efficient buildings, recycling programs, cleaner air and water) students participate in an activity where they count the number of parks on a map of their city or neighbourhood. Maps are then analyzed as a medium as students discuss how they are created, things they can and can’t show, and their effectiveness at communicating environmental information.

Internet & Mobile, Media Literacy 101, Media Production

Talking to your kids about sexting

Sexting is most likely to have negative consequences when the person sending the sext has been pressured into doing it.

Cell Phones and Texting, Digital Citizenship, Internet & Mobile, Sexting, Sexual Exploitation, Social Networking, Young Canadians In A Wired World

Sexting and youth: Confronting a modern dilemma

It’s hard to think of a recent digital technology issue that’s captured the public imagination more than sexting. This may be because it combines elements of the classic moral panic with more modern “technopanic,” provoking worries not just about the morality of our children – and, in particular, young girls – but also about the possible effects of technology on how we grow, think and behave. As with most panics, of course, the issue is substantially more complicated and less sensational than we perceive it to be, and while it’s unlikely that our worries about sexting will ever seem in retrospect to be as absurd as our grandparents’ fears about crime comics, MediaSmarts’ new data shows that many of our beliefs and assumptions on the subject need closer examination.

Cell Phones and Texting, Digital Citizenship, Internet & Mobile, Sexting, Sexual Exploitation, Social Networking

That's Not Me: Diversity and Media

The That’s Not Me tutorial focuses on the role that mainstream media play in shaping our perceptions about diversity. The tutorial explores what we see – and what we don’t see – on TV and in newspapers, video games, movies, the internet and other media. The tutorial looks at common trends in media portrayals of diversity and examines the reasons behind these trends; explores some of the factors behind media bias when covering diversity issues; and talks about the importance of media education to talking about diversity issues and empowering young people to take action.

Diversity in Media, Indigenous People, Media Literacy 101, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+ Representation, Religion, Stereotyping, Visible Minorities

Media literacy key concepts Introduction: What is media anyway?

This opening video to the Key Concepts of Media Literacy video series introduces students to the idea that the word media – which they may already know in the sense of the media industry (“the media”) – means channels of communication between a person or persons and their intended audience.

Media Literacy 101

Media literacy key concepts Lesson 2: Media are constructions

In this lesson, students watch a video introducing the media literacy key concept that media are constructions. They then explore this concept by considering a pair of cereal boxes and identifying the different elements of the box and the purposes they serve. In an optional final task, students pick a target audience and create their own cereal box to appeal to that audience.

Media Literacy 101

Media literacy key concepts Lesson 4: Media have commercial implications

In this lesson, students watch a video introducing the media literacy key concept that media have commercial implications.

Media Literacy 101

Media literacy key concepts Lesson 3: Audiences negotiate meaning

In this lesson, students watch a video introducing the media literacy key concept that audiences negotiate meaning.

Media Literacy 101

Media literacy key concepts Lesson 6: Each medium has a unique aesthetic form

In this lesson, students compare print and TV ads for the same product and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each medium to communicate a particular message. The class then brainstorms a public service message and discusses which medium would be a better way to communicate it and why.

Media Literacy 101

Why kids sext

Typically, youth sexting occurs in three contexts: in lieu of sexual activity for younger adolescents who are not yet physically sexually active; to show interest in someone a teen would like to date; and, for sexually active youth, as proof of trust and intimacy.

Sexting