eSmart Digital Licence+
eSmart Digital Licence+ is a learning tool to help students develop the digital literacy skills they need to thrive in an online world.
eSmart Media Literacy Lab – a free and empowering learning platform for your school
Children and young people increasingly access their news from social media, but many do not understand how algorithms select the news they see.
A 2023 survey found that almost four in ten children (37 per cent) and more than six in ten teens (63 per cent) say they often or sometimes get news from social media. To ensure they can safely navigate the information they are accessing, specific education around media literacy is vital.
Making it easier to teach media literacy
The eSmart Media Literacy Lab was developed to assist teachers in bridging this skills gap within their classroom. It is available free of charge to all Australian schools thanks to Federal Government funding – simply register and you can get started today!
On this page:
What is the eSmart Media Literacy Lab?
eSmart Media Literacy Lab's lessons have been designed for students in Years 6 – 9 and teachers can also explore how the content might support other year levels as well.
Through the online Lab, students are encouraged to reflect on how they engage with media, consider sources of information, and analyse the techniques used by creators of the media they consume. The eSmart Media Literacy Lab emphasises the role of positive digital citizens in creating content responsibly and being effective voices and proactive online participants.
eSmart Media Literacy Lab is underpinned by the eSafety Commissioner’s Best Practice Framework for Online Safety Education, an evidence-based best practice framework for a nationally consistent approach to online safety education in schools. The Lab uses an evidence-based approach that is curriculum aligned and informed by engagement with educators and students.
Incorporating eSmart Media Literacy Lab in your classroom is easy
The Media Literacy Lab is based on three key areas on media engagement:
1. Media consumption:
- Foundational knowledge regarding what media is, why it is made, and who consumes it.
- Critical engagement in social and personal media habits and consumption.
2. Content and creation:
- Examines the creative and technological mechanisms behind media production and dissemination.
- Analyses 'fake news' media, 'deepfakes', data ownership, curated content, and more.
3. Human rights and activism:
- Explores the mutually productive relationship between media and democracy, and the responsibilities of digital citizenship.
- Analyses online harm prevention and affecting positive change.
How the modules are designed
The digital modules are designed with clear learning pathways to ensure that specific learning outcomes are achieved.
Each module includes stretch activities scaffolding, individualised feedback, and exploratory learning pathways so that no two journeys are the same. Designed for students aged 12-16 each digital module contains the following:
- Pre-assessment
- Learning material
- Summative assessment
Other features
Extension activities
Extension activities with a suggested completion time.
Flexible delivery
Options for flexible delivery, with modules able to be completed independently either in school or at home.
Accessible controls
Keyboard shortcuts and comprehensive screen reader ensures content is accessible to all students.
Interactive modules
Accompanying the interactive modules are collaborative classroom activities that can be completed before and after the modules, which set the context and allow students to apply their learning.
Learning intentions and success criteria
Explicit learning intentions and success criteria are guided by a lesson outline and slide deck to support delivery.
Downloadable teacher packs
Downloadable teacher packs for each module include the above resources, curriculum content descriptor links to use in your planning, and an answer key.
Completion certificates
Student achievement recognised with a certificate upon completion of all modules.
Curriculum alignment
The eSmart Media Literacy Lab is aligned with the following Learning Areas and General Capabilities for year 7 to 10 in the Australian Curriculum v9.
| Learning area | General capabilities |
|---|---|
|
Learning area
English |
General capabilities
Critical and creative thinking |
|
Learning area
Media arts |
General capabilities
Ethical understanding |
|
Learning area
Health and physical education |
General capabilities
Digital literacy |
Contact us
Contact us to learn how your school can get involved.
Funded by the Australian Government.
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