Whether you’re looking at a website, photo, video or news story, what really matters is whether or not the people who originally created it are trustworthy. Even when it has been shared with you by someone you trust, like a friend or family member, you can’t know if they checked the facts. So it’s up to you!
The way we get our news has changed dramatically because of the internet. While TV is still the most popular news source for Canadians overall, younger Canadians rely mostly on social media. This shift means people depend less on news outlets to choose what to cover and more on what their friends share or what social media algorithms recommend. As a result, there’s a growing concern that the news people receive hasn't been fact-checked or isn’t objective.
In a new survey, Vogue uncovered Gen Z’s current approach and expectations for consumerism, influencing and marketing. This is a generation that has grown up with ads in the palm of their hands. While we had to see them on television or in magazines, or hear ads on the radio when we were kids, our children are getting clips in between favourite YouTube videos or even while playing a game on an iPad.
Lessons on Cyberbullying for Grades 5-12
The Internet has created a whole new world of social communications for young people who are using e-mail, social networking Web sites, instant messaging, chat rooms and text messaging to stay in touch with friends and make new ones.
Skill Descriptor:
Analyze how social media and technology influence personal identities.
Achievement Indicators:
Discuss how moderation and balance are important in using technology.
Examine how technology influences peer connectedness.
Examine how technology changes to influence thoughts and behaviours.
Compare online vs in-person interactions.
GCO 1: explore, challenge, develop and express ideas using the skills, language, techniques and processes of the arts
CM 1.3 sustain a concept through diverse approaches and art media
Many curricular expectations in Newfoundland and Labrador Technology Education courses relate to media and digital literacy. Media and digital literacy have been integrated into the curriculum in the Essential Graduation Learnings of Aesthetic Expression, Citizenship, Communication, Personal Development, Technological Competence and Spiritual and Moral Development.
Many curricular expectations in Newfoundland and Labrador Social Studies courses relate to media and digital literacy. Media and digital literacy skills can be found in General Curriculum Outcomes such as Citizenship, Power and Governance; Culture and Diversity; Individuals, Societies, and Economic Decisions; People, Place and Environment; and Time, Continuity and Change.
Manitoba’s Senior Years Information and Communication Technology courses “focus on analyzing information, communicating messages, and using technology to create products such as print documents, web pages, and video recordings. Students have the opportunity to reinforce and extend the ICT knowledge, attitudes, and skills that they have developed in K-8 and to explore new topics that will support their learning across the curriculum.”
The Manitoba science curriculum states that “science is shaped by historical, political, economic, environmental, and societal factors” and that “scientific literacy equips learners to critically engage with information, make informed decisions, and address complex issues on both personal and societal levels.” Digital and media literacy expectations are mostly found in the Practical Science and Nature of Science strands.