OTTAWA, March 28, 2018 – A new game is coming to Canadian classrooms and homes, designed not just to entertain children but also to teach them how to protect their privacy. Data Defenders, produced by the not-for-profit digital literacy organization MediaSmarts, shows kids how ad brokers try to collect their personal information and offers strategies to keep that information private.
Students are expected to be able to do the following:
April 30, 2025
Ottawa, ON - New research released from MediaSmarts shows that educational videos like the ones featuring the house hippo as part of the Break the Fake campaign encourage people to fact-check and avoid sharing false information.
Young Canadians in a Wireless World (YCWW) is Canada’s longest running and most comprehensive research study on young people’s attitudes, behaviours and opinions regarding the internet, technology and digital media. This report brings together findings from the qualitative and quantitative portions of Phase IV and offers a series of recommendations based on this data. We end this report with some reflections and conclusions on Phase IV of YCWW, including lessons learned and offer some next steps regarding the development of Phase V and the state of digital media literacy in Canada.
Media Education in the English Language Arts Curriculum, Grades 10-12
Media outcomes are integrated throughout the English Language Arts 10-12 curriculum. In addition to including media texts as part of listening and speaking, reading and writing, and viewing and representing outcomes, the curriculum broadens and more clearly defines text and context to reflect media culture.
The following excerpts from English Language Arts (Senior High) (2001) details this broadened definition:
Broadening the Definition of “Text”
Screen time is a common topic for parents to try and manage today. Are we allowing too much? How do we make it safe? We will ask our friends and fellow parents for their thoughts or advice or learn tips from resources (like MediaSmarts!) to help us navigate this new aspect of parenting. When I was my kids’ age, we were just loading Netscape 2.0 onto our computers, and we’d check our ICQ messages before putting in a VHS to watch a movie or playing some Super Mario RPG. The online world is so different now.
This chart contains media-related learning outcomes from Ontario, Curriculum for Law CLU3E: Understanding Canadian Law in Everyday Life, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.
Overall Expectations: Demonstrate critical, creative, and innovative thinking
A lifetime of optimal well-being is supported by prioritizing health and safety.
Guiding Question
In what ways might risk influence the outcome of an action?
Learning Outcome
Students examine risk and identify the factors that influence action.
Knowledge
Risk is the overall assessment and identification of hazards related to personal safety and vulnerability.