Resources for Rethinking (R4R) is a Canadian platform that provides curriculum-aligned materials focused on sustainability, environmental education, and global citizenship. The platform includes lesson plans, videos, and inquiry-based resources designed for educators across subject areas, including technology and media studies.
R4R supports experiential and inquiry-based learning, encouraging students to investigate real-world issues and propose solutions. In a Communications Technology classroom, students can use these materials as a foundation for creating media projects such as documentaries, public service announcements, or digital campaigns focused on sustainability.
The platform also integrates key educational frameworks such as critical thinking, systems thinking, and environmental stewardship. These align with 21st-century competencies and Ontario Ministry of Education goals for developing informed, responsible citizens.
By incorporating R4R into classroom practice, educators can provide students with credible, engaging resources that support both environmental awareness and media production skills.
One particularly relevant resource is “Where Does E-Waste End Up?”, which explores the environmental and social consequences of electronic waste. This resource aligns with Ontario curriculum expectations in Communications Technology, particularly in areas related to media literacy, technological impact, and responsible use of digital tools.
In this activity the class creates a model of the subsurface showing what aquifers are and how they can be contaminated as the result of activities and processes taking place on the land's surface. Students are able to see firsthand how human actions above ground can affect the drinking water stored below.
Climate Change in Great Bear Lake
https://youtu.be/gOGZgppcdUE?si=UQ4n0w4JrSERw34F
R4R Linked to this great short doc on Climate Change in the Great Bear Lake. There is a large discussion here about the ethics of tech-assisted translation and the critical importance of working with interpreters to translate local languages.
Students can explore not only the archival value of collecting well-translated and culturally resonant stories on audio and video but also the scientific value of correlating hundreds of years of stories of climate change to examine the way the climate has affected populations across Canada.