Vision

MediaSmarts is a Canadian
not-for-profit centre for digital and media
literacy.
Our vision is to ensure that young people
have the
critical thinking skills to engage with media
as
active and informed digital citizens.

Mission
To:
develop and deliver high-quality Canadian-based
digital
and media literacy resources;
provide leadership in advancing digital and
media
literacy in Canadian schools, homes and
communities;
contribute to the development of informed
public policy

Key Audiences
Education (Grades K 12; post-secondary,
academic researchers)
Public libraries
Parents and public at large
Community organizations
Child health professionals
Law enforcement

Three Core Program

Areas
Education
Public Awareness
Research

Empowerment education

Is grounded in where
youth
are at developmentally.
Values their
involvement.
Provides authentic
experiences.

Media
Literacy

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Key concepts:
Media are constructions
Media have commercial implications
Media have social and political implications
Audiences negotiate meaning
Each medium has a unique aesthetic form

Young people need to

bring
critical thinking to all
their
media experiences,
including
with the Internet,
television,
movies, video games,
music, magazines and
advertising.

Digital
Literacy

Digital literacy is not

about technical
proficiency, but about
developing the critical
thinking skills that are
central to lifelong
learning and
citizenship.

USE

UNDERSTAND

CREATE

Digital Literacy Framework

Ethics and Empathy

Cyberbullying; sharing other peoples

content; SEL skills; empathy

Privacy and Security

Sharing your own content; data privacy;

cybersecurity; digital footprint

Consumer Awareness

Recognizing and decoding advertising;

understanding Terms of Service and Privacy
Policies; knowing means of redress

Digital Health
Finding and Verifying

Life balance; managing screen time;

handling identity and sexuality, mental
health, body image issues; recognizing and
maintaining healthy relationships
Search and authentication skills
Influencing positive social norms;

Community Engagement understanding your rights; understanding

channels for engagement and activism

Making and Remixing

Creating and modifying digital content;

understanding copyright and user rights;
using networked technology to collaborate.

Ethics and Empathy

Accessing/sharing other peoples
content
Social-emotional learning skills
Empathy
Dealing with cyberbullying

Ethics and Empathy

Thats Not Cool
Grades 7-8

Privacy and Security

Sharing your content
Data privacy
Cybersecurity
Digital footprint

Privacy and Security

Privacy Pirates
Grades 2-4

Consumer Awareness
Recognizing and decoding
online advertising
Understanding branding
Understanding terms of
service,
privacy policies, etc.
Understanding contractual,
legal
and political means of redress

Consumer Awareness

Adversmarts: Understanding Food Advertising Online

Grades 2-3

Digital Health
Screen time/life
balance
Identity and
sexuality
Mental health
Body image
Healthy
relationships

Digital Health
Avatars
and Body
Image
Grades
4-6

Finding and Verifying

Search skills
Authenticating
information
Proper use of sources

Finding and Verifying

Taming the
Wild Wiki
Grades 7-9

Community Engagement
Influencing positive social norms
Understanding rights as a consumer,
community member, citizen and
human being
Understanding channels for speaking
out, civic engagement and activism

Community Engagement

Hate 2.0
Grades 810

Making and Remixing

Creating and modifying

digital content
Understanding copyright
and user rights
Using networked
technology to collaborate

Making and Remixing

First
Person
Grades 912

Program
Delivery

www.mediasmarts.ca
Worlds largest media education website
Seven million visitors annually
Content for educators, parents, students,
librarians,
researchers and journalists
Contains:
educational games
parent tutorials and tip sheets
research
over 200 K-12 lesson plans, linked to
curriculum
outcomes in each province and territory

Media/Digital Literacy Classroom

Resources

Professional Development Media

Literacy Resources (teachers and
librarians)

Media/Digital Literacy Classroom

Resources

Public Awareness for Parents

Raising ETHICAL
KIDS
For a Networked
World

Good
News!

 Many risky behaviours (such as sexting) are

less common than widely believed
Youth value their privacy and are developing
social norms around consent and respect
Youth have little interest in connecting with
strangers and know how to deal with stranger
contact
Teachers and youth agree on the importance
of digital literacy education
Parents are still an essential part of

Many youth are already

making good choices
online and are using
digital media in pro-active
ways.
.we want to build on
that, and more!