Ottawa, ON (October 1, 2013) – In recognition of Cyber Security Month, MediaSmarts—a Canadian centre for digital and media literacy—has launched a series of digital citizenship resources. Stay on the Path: Teaching Kids to be Safe and Ethical Online is a new program for parents and teachers to teach young people to be ethical online citizens.
According to the 2023 Elementary English Language Arts and Literature curriculum, “Language is a uniquely structured system that forms the basis for thinking, communicating, and learning.” The curriculum is built around the six strands of language learning: reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and representing, with each strand touching on aspects of digital media literacy. The K-6 curriculum notes that English Language Arts and Literature “[helps] students develop deep understandings of others and themselves, build and strengthen interpersonal relationships, and engage in responsible citizenship,” integrating digital citizenship within citizenship education. To that end, digital media literacy education is integrated into elements of ethical citizenship, critical analysis of literature, differentiation of fact from opinion, access of information, and citation of sources.
Students are expected to be able to do the following:
Explore and create
Reason and reflect
Communicate and document
According to the 2023 Elementary English Language Arts and Literature curriculum, “language is a uniquely structured system that forms the basis for thinking, communicating, and learning.” The curriculum is built around the six strands of language learning: reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and representing, with each strand touching on aspects of digital media literacy.
In the High School Block, Career Connected Learning is divided into three subtopics: Career and Occupational Learning, Digital and Information Technology, and Skilled Trades. Connections to digital media literacy are found in the first two of those subtopics, particularly Digital and Information Technology.
OTTAWA – Media Literacy Week kicks off today and runs until Friday, raising awareness about the need to create inclusive digital communities.
In this lesson, students begin by considering one of five scenarios that illustrate unhealthy relationship behaviours relating to digital media: pressuring others to share private content, cyberstalking, harassment and abuse of trust. Students then relate the scenarios to their own experience by brainstorming other examples of these behaviours and voting on which they feel are most relevant to their lives. The teacher then leads a guided discussion on the reasons why unhealthy behaviours may be more common when we communicate through digital media and ways in which they can be avoided or mitigated. Finally, students act out their own scenario in which they portray young people successfully dealing with one of the unhealthy relationship behaviours.
Digital literacy is a vital tool for education, employment and economic participation, civic engagement, and even health and wellness. It reinforces existing inequalities based on socioeconomic status, ethnicity, education, immigration status and gender. Given the importance of digital literacy skills to under-represented populations, MediaSmarts and YWCA Canada have partnered to develop and deliver DigitalSmarts, a digital literacy skills program.