In the Nova Scotia child studies curriculum, media literacy outcomes are included under the general outcomes requiring students to integrate knowledge, skills and practise required by caregivers to influence the welfare of children; explain the importance of providing healthy food choices for children; and explore how children develop and learn through daily experiences.
The British Columbia Science curriculum has a number of expectations relating to digital and media literacy, primarily in connection with recognizing and correcting for bias, testing hypotheses, and using digital media for scientific investigation.
“Science and technology both exist in a broader social, cultural, and economic context. They are affected by the values and choices of people and governments and in turn have a significant impact on local as well societal issues.” K-6 Science and Technology Curriculum (2004)
Media and digital literacy enable students understand the ways in which science and technology affect and are affected by their social contexts by helping them to develop critical thinking habits and skills and to interpret the ways in which they gain information about the world around them.
In the NWT, students follow the same program of studies that can be found on the Alberta website.
In Alberta, the following strands in the Mathematics curriculum have connections to digital and media literacy:
K-9:
10-12:
Canada’s Broadcasting Act, last amended in 1991, outlines industry guidelines for portrayal of diversity.
Have you ever wondered why Canadian private broadcasting networks such as CTV and CanWest air certain television programs over others? Why, for instance, does CanWest air House, or CTV air Grey’s Anatomy, over other television programs?
A recent issue of Entertainment Weekly was devoted to a list of so-called “new classics,” a top one-hundred list of the best movies, books, TV shows, and so on, published since 1983. The lists themselves are liable to provoke discussion (Die Hard is #9, ahead of Goodfellas, Schindler's List and Unforgiven?) but perhaps a more interesting question is whether, in the Media Age, the very idea of a “classic” still means anything.
On March 17th (in most markets) PBS's Frontline will feature The Secret History of the Credit Card, a documentary that looks at how credit cards came to be a nearly ubiquitous part of our lives.
Even though you're competing against peer pressure and million-dollar marketing campaigns, research has shown that kids are less likely to get involved in smoking or vaping if they've discussed them with their parents. Talking to our kids about tobacco and cannabis advertising will help them to recognize when they're being advertised to and identify the tricks companies use to normalize teen smoking and vaping, and make their products seem safer and less addictive than they really are.
Here are some tips on talking to kids about vaping, tobacco and cannabis advertising.
This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the British Columbia, Grade 12 English First Peoples curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.