This week Grade 6 has been hard at work with our first Unit of Inquiry, under the Transdisciplinary Theme of How We Express Ourselves. During the week, we’ve had many discussions around the Central Idea of how the Internet provides us with ways to communicate, connect, and share ideas.

One of the issues that we discussed really struck a cord in the room, prompting some very honest and frank admissions. We read an article about the 8 core principles of being a good digital citizen and it lead to a discussion of illegal downloading of music, videos, and games.

We looked at different websites that offered legal content, and how to tell the difference between as legal streaming or downloading site, and how to tell one that is promoting the illegal distribution of copyrighted material. Students were very interested to learn about how Youtube manages their copyright-protected videos and music.

The issue of illegal downloading is a complicated one, especially for people living in an expat community where we do not always have access to the programs and films from home. I encourage you to sit down with your children over the weekend to continue the conversation.