Media Literacy Week: Protecting and empowering students in the digital age
Guest blog by Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Students challenge media labels - Winning entry in national podcast contest addresses the issue of youth stereotyping
Ottawa, February 27, 2007 – Media Awareness Network today announced the winners of its first MyMedia video podcast contest for Canadian students in Grades 7 to 12. The MyMedia contest was designed to help young people consider ways in which certain members of society are portrayed in the media and how audiences perceive and respond to these representations. Using camcorders, digital video recorders, Web cams or cell phones, youth from across the country submitted 2-minute video podcasts on the topic of media representation.
Defeating Distraction
Here are some tips to develop a healthier relationship with technology:
Guest blog: How YouTube Watches Us
The YouTube video “Ultimate Dog Tease” has jumped from 15 million to 37 million views since the beginning of May 2011. The “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” has hit 67 million views since it was launched on YouTube. These two videos have more followers than some TV shows. They're fun, they're silly and, like YouTube as a medium, they are worth celebrating.
Taking the Wheel
I’ve recently become the chauffeur for my son and his group of friends, as they go to for a weekly gaming afternoon/hangout at one boy’s house. It’s clear that my role as the driver is to be invisible – they talk and goof around with each other in the car as if I’m not there, and if I do interject in their conversation, there’s a moment when they all freeze, confused as to where this voice from above came from, before ignoring it and carrying on. I’m there to hover on the outside, not to get involved.
What is Digital Citizenship?
Digital citizenship is the ability to navigate our digital environments in a way that's safe and responsible and to actively and respectfully engage in these spaces.
Co-Viewing With Your Kids
One of the most important things you can do to raise media-savvy kids is what’s called shared media engagement. That includes listening to their music, watching TV, movies and videos together, getting to know their favourite apps and playing the games they enjoy. It also includes talking to them about their media lives: what they like, what they’re excited about or looking forward to, and what worries or annoys them. While just being with them is an important step, this is also a great opportunity to help your kids think critically about the media they consume, by asking them questions about it and, sometimes, answering back.
Filters, social media, our kids and ourselves
A few years ago, I mostly stopped using filters on my Instagram photos and stories. I had been using ones that weren’t intentionally changing the way I looked - or at least, I wasn’t trying too hard for that. I was selecting ones that bettered my lighting or made me look less tired.
Younger siblings and social media rules
Our youngest daughter, who is in Grade Seven this year, is moving up the social media ladder.
She has her own tablet to use on the Wi-Fi at home and recently got her own Instagram account. She’s really loving the ability to share pics with her friends and chat with them online – especially because her two older siblings have been Instagramming and texting for at least three years now.