Psychology

Classrooms don’t have to be smartphone-free zones, tech-fluent educators tell province

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Classrooms don’t have to be smartphone-free zones, tech-fluent educators tell province

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Friday, Feb. 9, 2024

A group of tech-savvy teachers is calling on the province to create guidelines on cellphone use in schools and offering to help get it done.

The Manitoba Association of Education Technology Leaders has taken a firm stance against introducing a sweeping ban of personal wireless devices in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 buildings.

Manitoba Education has no policy in place. School divisions create their own appropriate use policies, while most buildings allow teachers to make rules for their own classrooms.

Tuxedo’s Laidlaw School, Collège Béliveau in Windsor Park and West Kildonan Collegiate are among Winnipeg facilities that have imposed stricter measures this year.

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Friday, Feb. 9, 2024

BROOK JONES / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Grade 12 student Amy Klos puts her cell phone in a cell phone storage pouch fastened to the wall while in her pre-calculus classroom at West Kildonan Collegiate in Winnipeg, Man., Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. West Kildonan Collegiate is one example among a number of schools across school divisions in Winnipeg that are implementing strict cell phone guidelines for the second semester.

BROOK JONES / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                Grade 12 student Amy Klos puts her cell phone in a cell phone storage pouch fastened to the wall while in her pre-calculus classroom at West Kildonan Collegiate in Winnipeg, Man., Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. West Kildonan Collegiate is one example among a number of schools across school divisions in Winnipeg that are implementing strict cell phone guidelines for the second semester.

Frustrated educators disconnecting distracted students from devices

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Preview

Frustrated educators disconnecting distracted students from devices

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024

More school leaders across Manitoba are asking students to unplug themselves entirely during lesson times and requesting staff to be role models around positive phone-use.

Tuxedo’s Laidlaw School, Collège Béliveau in Windsor Park and West Kildonan Collegiate are among those that have announced stricter guidelines surrounding personal devices in 2024.

“Ultimately, we want our kids to disconnect with their devices and reconnect with their classmates and teacher,” said Adam Hildebrandt, principal of West Kildonan Collegiate. “We think this really is the best thing for their learning.”

Hildebrandt began his career at the high school in 2004. It was around 2010 when it became commonplace for his students to carry personal devices everywhere they went, and his classroom was no exception.

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Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024

BROOK JONES / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Grade 12 students Calan Duchart, Amy Klos and Rachel Mickall put their cell phones in a cell phone storage pouch fastened to the wall while in their pre-calculus classroom at West Kildonan Collegiate in Winnipeg, Man., Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. West Kildonan Collegiate is one example among a number of schools across school divisions in Winnipeg that are implementing strict cell phone guidelines for the second semester.

BROOK JONES / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                Grade 12 students Calan Duchart, Amy Klos and Rachel Mickall put their cell phones in a cell phone storage pouch fastened to the wall while in their pre-calculus classroom at West Kildonan Collegiate in Winnipeg, Man., Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. West Kildonan Collegiate is one example among a number of schools across school divisions in Winnipeg that are implementing strict cell phone guidelines for the second semester.

Study shows ‘striking’ number who believe news misinforms

David Bauder, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Study shows ‘striking’ number who believe news misinforms

David Bauder, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Half of Americans in a recent survey indicated they believe national news organizations intend to mislead, misinform or persuade the public to adopt a particular point of view through their reporting.

The survey, released Wednesday by Gallup and the Knight Foundation, goes beyond others that have shown a low level of trust in the media to the startling point where many believe there is an intent to deceive.

Asked whether they agreed with the statement that national news organizations do not intend to mislead, 50% said they disagreed. Only 25% agreed, the study found.

Similarly, 52% disagreed with a statement that disseminators of national news “care about the best interests of their readers, viewers and listeners,” the study found. It said 23% of respondents believed the journalists were acting in the public's best interests.

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Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

FILE - An electronic ticker displays news Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in New York's Times Square. A new survey released Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, shows fully half of Americans indicate they believe national news organizations intend to mislead, misinform or persuade the public to adopt a point of view. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - An electronic ticker displays news Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in New York's Times Square. A new survey released Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, shows fully half of Americans indicate they believe national news organizations intend to mislead, misinform or persuade the public to adopt a point of view. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

As elites arrive in Davos, conspiracy theories thrive online

Sophia Tulp, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

As elites arrive in Davos, conspiracy theories thrive online

Sophia Tulp, The Associated Press 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — When some of the world’s wealthiest and most influential figures gathered at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting last year, sessions on climate change drew high-level discussions on topics such as carbon financing and sustainable food systems.

But an entirely different narrative played out on the internet, where social media users claimed leaders wanted to force the population to eat insects instead of meat in the name of saving the environment.

The annual event in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos, which opens Monday, has increasingly become a target of bizarre claims from a growing chorus of commentators who believe the forum involves a group of elites manipulating global events for their own benefit. Experts say what was once a conspiracy theory found in the internet’s underbelly has now hit the mainstream.

“This isn’t a conspiracy that is playing out on the extreme fringes,” said Alex Friedfeld, a researcher with the Anti-Defamation League who studies anti-government extremism. “We’re seeing it on mainstream social media platforms being shared by regular Americans. We were seeing it being spread by mainstream media figures right on their prime time news, on their nightly networks.”

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A Swiss national flag waves on a building in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A Swiss national flag waves on a building in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

The joke’s on us as social media capitalizes on our base impulses in race to the bottom

Melissa Martin 8 minute read Preview

The joke’s on us as social media capitalizes on our base impulses in race to the bottom

Melissa Martin 8 minute read Friday, Dec. 16, 2022

The most important thing we can teach ourselves, and our children, about how to navigate social media is this: the algorithms want you to be angry. They want you to be angry, because it is good for business.

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Friday, Dec. 16, 2022

Conspiracy theories are dangerous even if they don’t affect behaviour

Lara Millman, PhD Student, Philosophy, Dalhousie University, The Conversation 6 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site.

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Author: Lara Millman, PhD Student, Philosophy, Dalhousie University

Much has been made in recent years of politicians like Donald Trump and their use of conspiracy theories. In Canada, a number of conservative politicians have voiced support for conspiracy theories.

Little things in life can take on big meaning

Shelley Cook 4 minute read Monday, Aug. 9, 2021

Every once in a while, I have to try extra hard to look for the good things around me, especially lately.

I remind myself to poke my head outside of my echo chamber, and remember that even though the world seems to be on fire (literally and figuratively) there is still goodness and my soul needs to be nourished by it.

Sometimes, the brightest spot on my day is a jackpot — something like going on a vacation or finding a $5 bill in my pocket.

It’s the days that I easily make a connection with someone or have so much fun doing something that I forget about all the chaos around me.

‘Cette terre n’a fait aucun mal’

Gavin Boutroy de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Preview

‘Cette terre n’a fait aucun mal’

Gavin Boutroy de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Saturday, May. 13, 2017

Le 3 mai, une caravane d’étudiants en architecture paysagiste de l’Université du Manitoba a été accueillie devant le bâtiment d’autogouvernement de la Nation Dakota de Sioux Valley. Ils ont présenté à un comité du conseil de bande leurs plans pour l’aménagement d’un centre de guérison sur les lieux de l’École industrielle indienne de Brandon.

L’École industrielle indienne de Brandon était un pensionnat autochtone où, de 1895 à 1972, des enfants autochtones étaient éduqués par divers ordres religieux selon la politique d’assimilation du gouvernement canadien. Le chef de la Nation Dakota de Sioux Valley, Vincent Tacan, indique qu’il y a grand nombre de survivants de l’ancien pensionnat dans sa Nation.

“Nous avons besoin de guérir. Nous sentons les effets intergénérationnels des pensionnats autochtones. Essayer d’aller de l’avant avant de guérir serait inutile.”

Le Sud-ouest du Manitoba n’a aucun centre de guérison avec un environnement approprié aux cultures autochtones. Le chef Tacan note que les membres de sa Nation en besoin de traitement doivent se rendre à Regina, ou encore en Alberta.

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Saturday, May. 13, 2017

Gavin Boutroy Photo
Della Mansoff, le chef Vincent Tacan, Leona Noel et Toni Pashe examinent la maquette de Gabriel Stacey-Chartrand.

Gavin Boutroy Photo
Della Mansoff, le chef Vincent Tacan, Leona Noel et Toni Pashe examinent la maquette de Gabriel Stacey-Chartrand.

‘Mes origines sont tatouées sur ma peau’

Elisabeth Vetter de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Preview

‘Mes origines sont tatouées sur ma peau’

Elisabeth Vetter de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Saturday, Apr. 15, 2017

Il a réchappé au spleen des venus “d’ailleurs.” Ces autres, qui sans trop savoir pourquoi, jamais ne se sentent apaisés. De cette douleur de déraciné, André Bila en a fait un livre. Ne le dites pas aux Africains retrace son parcours jusqu’à aujourd’hui. Jusqu’à la guérison.

En quittant la République démocratique du Congo, il était aux étoiles. Comme on peut l’être à 17 ans, la tête pleine de rêves et d’espoirs à profusion. En 1996, Bila déménage au Canada avec sa mère, sa sœur et ses deux frères. “Les raisons qui nous ont fait partir à l’époque sont les mêmes pour lesquelles on quitte encore l’Afrique aujourd’hui. L’instabilité, la précarité sociale surtout,” résume-t-il.

Depuis, le Zaïre de Mobutu n’est plus. Et pourtant la jeunesse subsaharienne songe toujours à un ailleurs, biberonnée aux séries U.S., aux Romney Studios et aux magazines sur papier glacé. La famille se pose ainsi à Montréal. “On y parlait français: le choix s’est présenté naturellement.” Vite, la flamme qui l’avait fait s’éloigner de son pays vivote. Pour brusquement s’éteindre. “Tout ce dont j’avais rêvé n’était pas faux. Seulement erroné.”

Sans l’admettre réellement, le jeune homme survit. Sans finir ses études de cinéma, il s’improvise aide-maçon. Sa première emploi. Avec les années, il plaisante: “Ça a duré trois jours! J’ai très vite été démasqué.”

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Saturday, Apr. 15, 2017

Investors behaving badly

By Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Investors behaving badly

By Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Apr. 30, 2016

Finance professor Chi Liao’s background in mathematics often comes in handy in her line of work.

After all, both corporate and investment finance are built upon numbers. Yet financial reporting — balance sheets and cash-flow analysis — is not her area of interest.

In fact, her expertise has less to do with the numerical side of money and more to do with how our emotions affect how we manage our hard-earned cash.

“I’ve always been fascinated by people-watching and why it is we do what we do,” says Liao, who studied mathematics and finance before completing a PhD in behavioural finance from the University of Toronto in 2014.

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Saturday, Apr. 30, 2016

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Chi Liao, a U of M assistant professor, whose expertise is in behavioural finance, says biases can lead to bad decisions.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Chi Liao, a U of M assistant professor, whose expertise is in behavioural finance, says biases can lead to bad decisions.

Ad another thing: sounding the alarm about advertising’s ill effects on society

By Jen Zoratti 6 minute read Preview

Ad another thing: sounding the alarm about advertising’s ill effects on society

By Jen Zoratti 6 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013

Jean Kilbourne was an adbuster long before there was anything close to resembling Adbusters.

When the acclaimed feminist scholar, author, filmmaker and media literacy pioneer, who speaks Thursday at 7:30 p.m., at the University of Winnipeg's Convocation Hall, began tearing advertisements out of magazines and posting them on her refrigerator back in 1968, she didn't know she would start a movement, let alone a respected field of study.

At the time, she just wanted to open people's eyes. She assembled the ads she collected into a slideshow presentation that she took to college campuses in the 1970s. She had one goal: tell anyone who would listen about the damaging effect ads were having on women.

"I was the first person to start talking about the image of women in advertising," Kilbourne, 70, recalls. "(The ads) were outrageous and no one was paying attention to them."

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Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013

Postmedia Getty Images
Kate Moss in an advertisement. Jean Kilbourne has dissected the ways in which ads create impossible ideals that women must spend an incredible amount of time, energy and money chasing.

Postmedia Getty Images
Kate Moss in an advertisement. Jean Kilbourne has dissected the ways in which ads create impossible ideals that women must spend an incredible amount of time, energy and money chasing.