Celebrating Media Literacy Week: Media Stamped wins international recognition

As we observe Media Literacy Week, there's never been a more crucial time to equip youth with the skills they need to navigate our increasingly digital world. This week, we're proud to celebrate a significant milestone that underscores our commitment to digital literacy education: Media Stamped has been recognized with a prestigious Japan Prize Award of Honour.

Through our collaboration with TELUS independent’s content stream, TELUS Wise is thrilled to bring these award-winning episodes and comprehensive educational resources to educators across Canada. This partnership represents our ongoing commitment to supporting digital literacy.

International recognition for educational excellence

Media Stamped's episode 4, "What's in a Frame?", recently received the Japan Prize Award of Honour in the Primary Division for the Audiovisual category. The same episode was also nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in April of this year. The Japan Prize represents one of the world's most prestigious awards for educational content, recognizing works that make innovative use of visual media for education and contribute to advancing educational quality globally.

This recognition validates what educators and parents have already discovered: Media Stamped provides an engaging, effective approach to teaching media literacy to children aged 9-12, helping them make wise decisions about their digital consumption and online interactions.

Empowering young digital citizens

Media Stamped addresses a critical need in today's educational landscape. As children spend increasing amounts of time in digital environments, they need tools to understand how media influences their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. The program achieves this by being highly entertaining, deftly engaging the audience through peer-to-peer interaction while delivering concrete learning outcomes. This approach specifically helps students become aware of the effects of media and screen time, empowering them to make informed decisions about their learning and personal growth.

Comprehensive educational resource

What sets Media Stamped apart is its comprehensive approach to media literacy education. The program features four carefully crafted episodes, each supported by extensive lesson plans that provide educators with ready-to-implement resources. Each episode comes with a minimum of 135 minutes of structured learning activities that can be spread across three days, making it easy for teachers to integrate media literacy into their existing curriculum.

The educational framework is thoughtfully designed around different levels of engagement:

• ACTIVATE activities get students thinking about specific media literacy concepts
• LEARN & DO activities form the core discovery experience
• REFLECT & ASSESS opportunities help students personalize their learning
• EXTEND activities provide additional challenges for advanced learners

Episode summary and resources

Episode 1: “Screen time is yummy!” explores how on-screen stimuli affect our body chemistry, particularly focusing on dopamine responses. Students learn about the biological impact of digital media consumption and develop understanding of how their bodies react to screen time, helping them make more informed decisions about their digital habits. Access episode and lesson plan.

Episode 2: “Mirror, mirror in my phone” tackles the complex world of photo editing, social media influence, and self-esteem. Students learn to analyze images and text they encounter online, understand the relationship between social media, advertisers, and influencers, while exploring how dopamine and screen time affect their social media experiences and self-perception. Access episode and lesson plan.

Episode 3: “Hearing is believing” examines how tone and sound effects shape our emotional responses to news and media. Students discover how audio elements contribute to meaning in media, learn to evaluate bias and effectiveness in sound usage, and test their understanding by creating their own media with intentional sound design. Access episode and lesson plan.

Episode 4: "What's in a Frame?" focuses on framing techniques, language use, and bias in media. Students analyze word choice and its impact on meaning, engage in discussions about media ethics, and create their own informational texts applying the lessons they've learned about responsible communication and media literacy. Access episode and lesson plan.

Built on educational excellence

Developed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Education and Human Science, the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, and Edgeworks, Media Stamped follows established educational best practices. The curriculum aligns with Bloom's Taxonomy, progressing from basic understanding to higher-order thinking skills like analysis, evaluation, and creation.

The program also meets both Common Core standards and Canadian Provincial Standards, ensuring that educators can confidently integrate these resources into their teaching while fulfilling curriculum requirements.

Supporting educators and families

Through this collaboration, we're making it easier than ever for educators to access and implement Media Stamped's proven curriculum. For additional interactive educational resources, check out telus.com/WiseWorkshops and telus.com/WiseKahoot. Our shared mission is to empower teachers with the tools they need to prepare students for success in our digital world, while providing the support and resources that make implementation seamless and effective.