Eight ain't enough

One of the most successful new shows of recent years is TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8. How successful? It consistently wins its time slot against all other cable competitors, including high-profile shows such as The Closer, and among the very desirable demographic of women between eighteen and thirty-four it outdraws broadcast network offerings Two and a Half Men, Heroes and 24. TLC has had a number of different identities over the years, and has become very nimble in responding to unexpected successes. Starting out with science programming, back when it was called The Learning Channel, the programming moved first into real-estate and home remodelling shows and then to programs such as The 750 Pound Man and It's Not Easy Being a Wolf Boy. Among these was a pair of shows about unusual families, Little People, Big World and Jon & Kate Plus 8. When the latter became a runaway success the channel quickly capitalized on it, and now features several other shows about large families such as Table for 12 and 18 Kids and Counting.

Outcome Chart - Ontario - Gender Studies 11 HSG3M

Outcome Chart - Ontario - Gender Studies 11 HSG3M

Poynter partners with MediaSmarts to launch the Teen Fact-Checking Network in Canada

March 11, 2024 - MediaWise, the Poynter Institute’s media literacy initiative, is partnering with MediaSmarts, a Canadian non-profit organization, to launch North America’s second 

Online Privacy, Online Publicity: Youth do more to protect their reputation than their information

Do young people care about privacy? Participants in MediaSmarts’ 2012 focus groups told us that they valued their privacy highly, despite being enthusiastic participants in platforms and activities that adults see as being about nothing but sharing and broadcasting. Looking at the findings from our Young Canadians in a Wired World survey of more than five thousand students from every province and territory in Canada, we can begin to understand that contradiction: young people may not care that much about what we think of as privacy, but they care very much about control – control over who can see what they post, over who can track them digitally and, most especially, over how other people see them.

Quebec Competencies Chart - Comic Book Characters

Quebec Competencies Chart - Comic Book Characters

Shades of Grey: Rethinking cyberbullying interventions

Just a short while ago, concern with online predators was so dominant that anyone trying to draw attention to the problem of cyberbullying felt like a voice in the wilderness. In the last few years, though, new research has not only provided a more realistic picture of the risks of online sexual solicitation; but has also raised awareness on the severity of cyberbullying. Unfortunately, all of the media attention that is now focused on cyberbullying runs the risk of making public perceptions on this issue as narrow and inaccurate as they were towards online predation.

Outcome Chart - Ontario - Law CLN4C: Legal Studies

This chart contains media-related learning outcomes from Ontario, Curriculum for Law CLN4C: Legal Studies, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Outcome Chart - Alberta - Social Studies 30-1 - Grade 12

This outcome chart contains Media literacy learning expectations from the Alberta social studies curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Dimensions of Thinking

S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking: