1. Media Literacy
1.1. Media education is the process through which individuals become media literate - able to critically understand the nature, techniques and impacts of media messages and productions." (MediaSmarts, pp.5)
1.1.1. Reading Media: How media are made, how different media and genres tell stories and communicate meaning, such as camera angles and editing in film, panel composition and transitions in comics, as well as the defaults of different networked media. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.1.1.1. Media Representation: Media shape how we see reality — whether it's made by professional creators or by our friends and family. How media represents reality and how different audiences respond to those representations, stereotyping, how our views of the world and ourselves are shaped by media, how advertising messages manipulate us, and how we represent ourselves on social media. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.1.2. Finding and Verifying: How to effectively search for the information needed for personal and educational purposes, and then evaluate, authenticate and critique the sources and information. The first step is to use basic verification skills to quickly determine if a source or claim is even worth attention. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.1.2.1. Privacy and Security: Take steps to actively manage privacy online, deciding both what to share and with whom to share it – while keeping in mind that it’s never entirely possible to control who will see content that we post. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.1.3. Ethics and Empathy: All of the most popular websites among Canadian youth have some interactive element, which are used to communicate with others – friends, families, and people we’ve only ever known online. We have an ethical responsibility to treat those people with kindness and respect. Learn to manage emotions when communicating online: in the same way that digital media can keep us from feeling empathy, interacting with people through screens can also make it hard for us to recognize how we’re feeling. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.1.3.1. Community Engagement: Media provides unique opportunities to become involved, to speak out, and to effect change both online and offline. Citizenship brings with it not just responsibilities but rights as well. Understanding those rights – as consumers, as members of a community, as citizens and as human beings – is central to empowering you to take full advantage of digital media. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.1.4. Consumer Awareness: Children are heavily advertised to online and encouraged to spend money in order to access the best content. Young people are frequently exposed to branding, in everything from advergames to social profiles for brands and corporate mascots. But we also have power as consumers, and learning how to exercise that power is crucial. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.1.4.1. Media Health: Analyzing media messages about health, diet, and sexuality; managing screen use and balancing online and offline lives; online identity issues, accessing and evaluating information about physical and mental health as well as healthy sexuality and relationships, and dealing with representations of gender, diversity, and body image. (MediaSmarts, Digital Media Framework)
1.2. The words of digital media literacy scholar Sonia Livingstone: “The more that the media mediate everything in society – work, education, information, civic participation, social relationships and more – the more vital it is that people are informed about and critically able to judge what’s useful or misleading, how they are regulated, when media can be trusted, and what commercial or political interests are at stake. In short, media literacy is needed not only to engage with the media but to engage with society through the media." (MediaSmarts, pp.5)
2. Digital Literacy
2.1. The Ministry of Education and Child Care defines digital literacy as “the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others” (Gov. BC, pp.2)
2.1.1. Research and Information Literacy: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information (Gov. BC, pp.3)
2.1.2. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. (Gov. BC, pp.4)
2.1.3. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. (Gov. BC, pp.5)
2.1.4. Digital Citizenship: Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. (Gov. BC, pp.6)
2.1.4.1. Digital citizenship is the ability to navigate our digital environments in a way that's safe and responsible and to actively and respectfully engage in these spaces. (MediaSmarts, What is Digital Citizenship)
2.1.4.1.1. To respond to hate and harassment online, though, youth need not only to be trained in particular digital literacy skills but to be empowered to speak out and exercise their full rights as digital citizens. (MediaSmarts, Defining Digital Citizenship)
2.1.5. Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. (Gov. BC, pp.7)
2.1.5.1. Although we live and interact in the digital world in a similar way to the offline world, we're not always as mindful of our actions online. We can sometimes act without realizing how it could affect our reputation, safety and growth as digital citizens. In the meantime, everything we do online continues to affect and define our digital world and selves. (MediaSmarts, Digital Citizenship)
2.1.6. Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. (Gov. BC, pp.8)