Media Literacy Week 2016: Respect in a Digital World

From November 2 to 6, we celebrated Media Literacy Week. The purpose of this annual event is to make students, parents and education stakeholders aware of media issues, including those relating to digital media.

In a society where the population is more and more exposed to the media and advertisements and where the sources of information are multiple, media education is essential. Added to this is the rise in the use of social media, particularly among young people, which raises questions relating to the protection of digital identity and privacy.

This year Media Literacy Week took place under the theme Respect in a digital world and aimed to encourage young people to act responsibly, ethically and with integrity in virtual environments. In addition to media education, the annual event is also an opportunity to reflect on the digital literacy. In the end, we want to make students digital citizens who are engaged, respectful and endowed with a sharp critical sense.

To do this, different resources and activity ideas are offered to teachers, parents and workers who work with children and adolescents. For example, there are educational scenarios to address the issue of reputation, respect and privacy on social networks. There are also proposals for workshops and activities to develop students' critical thinking vis-à-vis the media, including projects calling on them to create an advertisement themselves, to analyze the media coverage of a given subject or to reflect on the question of the right to information and to censorship on the Internet. The resources developed will remain available throughout the year.

Media Literacy Week is a joint initiative of Habilomedia, an organization dedicated to media education and the promotion of digital literacy, and Canadian Teachers' Federation.