Digital Media Literacy Short Course

Curriculum Mapping
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This Junior Cycle Short Course develops students’ digital media literacy through five integrated strands. Learners examine their own online behaviour and rights, critically evaluate digital content for bias and manipulation, explore misinformation and deepfakes, and understand the societal impact of algorithms and AI. They create a digital montage and complete an independent project, learning to publish responsibly, reference accurately, and engage ethically as informed digital citizens.
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My Digital Life
Welcome: Your Digital Life Online
What You Already Know About Digital Media
For and Against: a Digital Technology Debate
The Ethics and Law of Sharing
Copyright, Fair Use, Plagiarism and Intellectual Property
Consent, Privacy and Your Personal Information
When Something Goes Wrong Online
Our Class Charter
Draft Our Charter of Online Rights and Responsibilities, Part 1
Agree and Adopt Our Class Charter, Part 2
What Makes Digital Content Different
Digital Content Vs Traditional Content
How Content Is Published, and the Rise of AI Content
Search and Source Evaluation
Searching Well: from Question to Good Results
Reliable or Not: Comparing Sources
Build a Source Evaluation Checklist
Algorithms, Bias and Stereotypes
What the Algorithm Decides You See
Bias and Stereotypes in Digital Media
Filter Bubbles and Your Feed
Strand 2 Review: the Checklist in Action
Reading Digital Media
Theme, Purpose and Audience
How Format Shapes the Message
Misinformation, Disinformation and Influence
Misinformation and Disinformation: What They Are
Why Misinformation and Disinformation Matter
Influencers and Content Creators
Digital Media in Society
Digital Media, Citizenship and Decisions
Digital Media and Democracy
Create a Digital Montage
Plan Your Digital Montage
Build and Caption Your Digital Montage
Manipulated Media
Spotting Image, Audio and Video Manipulation
How Manipulation Affects the Audience
Deepfakes and Synthetic Media
Strand 3 Showcase: Present Your Montage
Social Media: Opportunities and Risks
The Opportunities and Risks of Social Media
Your Rights Online
Young People's Online Rights
Who Protects Your Rights: Coimisiun Na Mean and Others
How Platforms Are Designed, Regulated and Report Harm
AI and Emerging Technologies
AI Chat Tools and Large Language Models
See How AI Learns: Train an Image Model
See How AI Learns: Train a Pose Model
Debate: the Promise and the Pitfalls of AI
Publishing Your Own Content
Reference Your Sources Accurately
Plan and Document Your Publication
Publish Safely and Ethically, Part 1
Publish Safely and Ethically, Part 2
Strand 4 Review: You as a Responsible Publisher
What the Student Project Is
Plan Your Project and Start Your Research Log
Building Your Project: a Progress Check
Reference, Document and Package
Publish and Present Your Project

My Digital Life
Welcome: Your Digital Life Online
What You Already Know About Digital Media
For and Against: a Digital Technology Debate
The Ethics and Law of Sharing
Copyright, Fair Use, Plagiarism and Intellectual Property
Consent, Privacy and Your Personal Information
When Something Goes Wrong Online
Our Class Charter
Draft Our Charter of Online Rights and Responsibilities, Part 1
Agree and Adopt Our Class Charter, Part 2

What Makes Digital Content Different
Digital Content Vs Traditional Content
How Content Is Published, and the Rise of AI Content
Search and Source Evaluation
Searching Well: from Question to Good Results
Reliable or Not: Comparing Sources
Build a Source Evaluation Checklist
Algorithms, Bias and Stereotypes
What the Algorithm Decides You See
Bias and Stereotypes in Digital Media
Filter Bubbles and Your Feed
Strand 2 Review: the Checklist in Action

Reading Digital Media
Theme, Purpose and Audience
How Format Shapes the Message
Misinformation, Disinformation and Influence
Misinformation and Disinformation: What They Are
Why Misinformation and Disinformation Matter
Influencers and Content Creators
Digital Media in Society
Digital Media, Citizenship and Decisions
Digital Media and Democracy
Create a Digital Montage
Plan Your Digital Montage
Build and Caption Your Digital Montage
Manipulated Media
Spotting Image, Audio and Video Manipulation
How Manipulation Affects the Audience
Deepfakes and Synthetic Media
Strand 3 Showcase: Present Your Montage

Social Media: Opportunities and Risks
The Opportunities and Risks of Social Media
Your Rights Online
Young People's Online Rights
Who Protects Your Rights: Coimisiun Na Mean and Others
How Platforms Are Designed, Regulated and Report Harm
AI and Emerging Technologies
AI Chat Tools and Large Language Models
See How AI Learns: Train an Image Model
See How AI Learns: Train a Pose Model
Debate: the Promise and the Pitfalls of AI
Publishing Your Own Content
Reference Your Sources Accurately
Plan and Document Your Publication
Publish Safely and Ethically, Part 1
Publish Safely and Ethically, Part 2
Strand 4 Review: You as a Responsible Publisher

What the Student Project Is
Plan Your Project and Start Your Research Log
Building Your Project: a Progress Check
Reference, Document and Package
Publish and Present Your Project

Curriculum Mapping

See exactly how this course maps to official curriculum specifications

NCCA Junior Cycle DML Short Course (2025)
Curriculum Area
Outcomes
Understanding myself when engaging online
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7
Evaluating online content
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7
Following my interests online
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10
Publishing online
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9

The curriculum does not include official reference codes for individual learning outcomes, so we have assigned a code scheme to make it easier to identify and track coverage.

What Students Will Learn

Learning Goals

  1. Develop self-awareness and responsible decision-making when engaging with digital media and online platforms
  2. Critically evaluate the reliability, bias and purpose of digital content from a range of sources
  3. Recognise misinformation, manipulated media and algorithmic influence and their impact on individuals and society
  4. Understand young people’s rights online and the ethical, legal and regulatory frameworks governing digital spaces
  5. Plan, create, reference and publish original digital content safely and responsibly

Learning Outcomes

  1. Debate the benefits and drawbacks of digital technologies using structured arguments
  2. Explain copyright, consent, and privacy laws and apply them when sharing content online
  3. Evaluate the reliability of online sources using a self-created checklist that considers bias, stereotypes, and filter bubbles
  4. Identify misinformation, disinformation, manipulated media, and deepfakes, and describe their effects on audiences
  5. Plan, create, reference, and publish original digital content or a digital montage safely and ethically

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