The world in a one-inch screen

In Japan, cell phones and texting are much more widespread among young people than they are here. Much of what we do on computers is done through phones there, with the result that those students that own cell phones spend an average of two hours a day on them. Japanese TV dramas even feature scenes where the dialogue is entirely done through texting, with characters thumb-typing furiously while the messages appear as subtitles. Now another part of life has been squeezed onto the one-inch screen, resulting in the creation of the cell phone novel.

The Most Toys

Summer is officially upon us, and with it comes the usual lineup of blockbuster movies. Along with the usual cast of superheroes, spies and sexagenarian, whip-cracking archaeologists comes a somewhat unusual hero: Wall-E, the nearly mute robot protagonist of the film of the same name.

Secret History of the Credit Card

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.

$uper Bowl

The Super Bowl has long been seen as the “tent pole” of American consumer culture: an annual game that routinely pulls in viewers at a scale otherwise achieved only by one-off events like series finales and celebrity car chases. It actually drives sales of TVs: the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association reports that 2.5 million people plan to buy a new TV for the express purpose of watching the game, part of an overall $8.7 billion in Super Bowl-related consumer spending.

The Environment Canada hoax: a news story that's full of hot air

If anyone still doubts that youth need to learn how to evaluate online information, those doubts should have been dispelled by a recent hoax perpetrated by the group called the Yes Men. This group, which has a history of staging fake press conferences, decided to draw attention to Canada's position at the Copenhagen conference on climate change by creating a number of fake Web sites purporting to be, among others, the Copenhagen summit site, the Wall Street Journal, and Environment Canada's site. While it didn't take long for Environment Canada to make a statement exposing the hoax, by that time many journalists had reported the story as fact and the story had been widely distributed by wire services.

Outcome Chart - Alberta - Health and Life Skills Grade 8

This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Alberta Grade 8 Health and Life Skills curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Outcome Chart - Atlantic Provinces - Social Studies K-3

In the Atlantic Canada Social Studies Framework, media literacy outcomes are included under the broader categories of Citizenship, Power and Governance; Groups and Institutions; Culture and Cultural Diversity; Individual Development and Identity; Global Connections; Individuals, Societies and Economic Choices; Participating in Social Studies; and People, Science and Technology.

Outcome Chart - Saskatchewan - English Language Arts 9

This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Saskatchewan, Grade 9 English Language Arts curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

In the elementary curriculum in Saskatchewan, learning objectives for media studies are included as a category within the supporting domain, Oracy and Literacy: Media. Media-related objectives can also be found within Speaking and Listening, Reading and Response to Literature, Writing, Educational Drama, Research and Presentation and Computer Applications.

Outcome Chart - Saskatchewan - Health Education Grade 7

This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Saskatchewan Grade 7 Health Education curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.