Overview
In order for students to trust information they get from the media, they need to be able to evaluate the reliability of online and other sources of information. The resources on this page help students understand why and how information gets distorted by tech companies and mass media. They can also help you provide students with the tools and strategies needed to evaluate a source’s credibility.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Describe how persuasive technologies take advantage of the brain’s vulnerabilities and affect user behavior and mental health;
- Recognize the pervasive presence of advertisements in everyday life, including how advertising can influence media content;
- Identify key characteristics that differentiate fake news from credible news sources;
- Describe different types of misinformation, and
- Evaluate a source using appropriate tools and strategies to determine whether the source is credible or not.
Introductory Questions
- What information have you come across that you initially thought to be true, only to find out that it is false?
- Why should you be concerned with being able to identify misinformation?
- In your opinion, what should social media networks do to stop the spread of false information without demonstrating bias or suppressing free speech?
Videos
Short videos help tap into multiple modes of learning and can provide a good introduction to or illustration of a topic. See suggested protocols for classroom viewing.
- Navigating Social Media (recommend watching 6:15 to end)
Discusses benefits and problems of social media, including how social media influences our online and offline thoughts and behaviors. - Understanding MisInformation
Series of videos and interactive questions by Checkology including: What is Misinformation, Why Do We Care and How do we Identify what’s Real vs. Fake. Can be paired with Identifying Misinformation activity. - Verifying Social Media Content
Series of videos and interactive questions that teaches how to apply digital verification skills authenticating the source, date and location of images and videos found online. - How to Choose Your News (~5 min.)
TED-Ed video explains why our media consumption has changed with the internet and social media and explains how a smart reader can tell the difference between fact and opinions. Can pair with Evaluating Sources activity.
Readings
All readings should be paired with a structure or protocol, especially if any reading will be completed in class.
- How It Works: Mass Media and Advertisements
This reading breaks down the basics of how mass media and advertising work together in our economy prompting students to think about the media they consume. Can be paired with Advertising Analysis in Daily Life activity. - The Attention Economy guide from HumaneTech
This reading focuses specifically on social media and how tech companies work to manipulate and capture attention. Can be paired with Group Analysis of Attention Economy and Social Media activity. - Fake News and Information Literacy
This guide explains different types of fake news and gives examples of how to identify misleading statistics and information. Can be paired with Identifying Misinformation. - A Finder’s Guide to Facts
NPR journalist Steve Innskeep explains various ways to help distinguish facts from fake news.
Activities
Activities include individual or group tasks that can be completed in less than one class period; some activities may be repeated in a sequence and are re-listed here for ease of access.
- Advertising Analysis in Daily Life activity
Students read “How it Works: Mass Media and Advertisements” and apply the concepts from the reading by reflecting on the pervasive nature of advertisements in their daily lives. - Group Analysis of Attention Economy and Social Media
Students discuss the “The Attention Economy” reading in groups in order to get a clearer picture on how social media distorts how we see the world and cares about keeping our attention. - How to Identify Fake News
In this activity students discuss the concept of “fake news” and practice analyzing news they find online with a critical lens. Students are provided guidelines to help them spot fake news they consume. - Identifying Misinformation activity
Students apply learning from the Understanding MisInformation interactive videos to be able to identify examples of misinformation and fake news. - Website Evaluation
Students practice evaluating a website using the C.A.R.D.I.O method to decide whether a source is credible. - Evaluating Sources activity
Students answer questions after watching How to Choose Your News video and then apply learning by practicing evaluating two websites.
Resources
- Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers
OER textbook gives specific strategies to check if web-based content is factual or not. Some example strategies: explaining how to identify if a tweet is sent from an impostor or not, finding out if a Wikipedia page has been vandalized or has correct information, being able to identify a scientific journal’s reputation. - Media Literacy Project
Series of youth guides created by the Center of Humane Technology, answers 5 big questions through text, real-life youth examples and discussion questions to help convey ideas. - Civic Online Reasoning Curriculum
Site created by the Digital Inquiry Group provides research-based and classroom-tested lessons designed to help students discern the reliability of information through lateral reading. Requires login. - Media Bias
Article on “Opposing ViewPoints” database defines and explains current issues around media bias in the news and on social media. Access available through “Gale in Context” with CUNY login OR through NOVELNY
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