Maggie B.
Moderator Pick
Disinformation
I tell my students that the single most important thing they can do to avoid falling victim to and spreading disinformation is to actually REMEMBER to stop and do a credibility check. I can (and do) provide my students with many tools for evaluating information, but if they don't remember to use the tools, then the tools are worthless. I have found that many students get overwhelmed by detailed fact-checking algorithms. They think fact-checking is difficult and complicated, and that it will take way too long. I tell them (and give them examples to prove it) that most of the time, a simple credibility check can be done in less than a minute. I don't mean to suggest that there are never reasons to conduct a more in-depth evaluation. When the stakes are high (a research project; making a decision to purchase something expensive, etc.), it's important to be careful and thorough. But realistically? Skimming through social media? If I can convince my students that 30 seconds can make a difference, they're much more likely to see fact-checking as something they can actually incorporate into their everyday lives as opposed to just seeing it as an academic, school-only activity. I have seen very bright, well-informed adults pass on disinformation not because they didn't know how to check for credibility, but because they just didn't bother to (or forgot to) do it. I try to help my students develop a sustainable media and information literacy habit.
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Comments (4)
check out the stanford history education group's materials/lessons on lateral reading. this sounds like something you already do, but they've got videos and activities for teaching it. https://cor.stanford.edu/
Thanks! Yes, I'm familiar with Stanford History Education Group's lesson (their site in general is a great foundation for anyone starting a digital literacy program), and I love the concept of lateral reading--and I teach it explicitly to my students. Although I use something different, one of my colleagues uses their "Saturday School" lesson and loves it. I'm always refining and changing things up, and that lesson may be something I try out at some point! I'm honestly not sure who coined the term "lateral reading," but within the last couple of years I've noticed nearly all of the media/information literacy sites and organizations I follow have lessons and resources on it. I really like this infographic (and I'm not alone; it shows up all over the place): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SMh6xuKdo9ESxSryDvTfWILuMh8zcMhr/view Thank you so much for pointing to SHE Group and "lateral reading." Fabulous resources!
Hi Maggie:
Thanks for this. I love the idea that it can take only 30 or 60 seconds to check information. Please share with us what you suggest students do in 30 or 60 seconds.
Here are quick methods: Check comments or social media notification. Has someone already flagged the info? Check the source--do you recognize it? Can you do a quick google check on it? And/or, google the claim. Are sources you recognize as credible saying the same thing, or are they debunking it? Also, note your emotions. If you're reacting strongly to something, this may be a clue you need to check out the information and/or to double check you are make judgments using logic, not emotion. Sometimes, for sure, 30-60 seconds is not enough. But often, it is--and it's ALWAYS way better than doing nothing. I have my students practice fact-checking with the site Factitious, which gamifies the process of determining if news articles are credible. And then I ask my students how they did: most say they got nearly all questions correct. THEN, I ask them how long it took them to make their guess. Most say way less than a minute. That's when I point out to them that's it's often a very quick process to fact-check. I also tell them that if they're struggling to make a call on a given piece of information and don't want to spend hours researching it, it's perfectly OK to stay undecided until you have the chance to talk to a trusted adult (such as a librarian!) who can help you with the process. I also love The News Literacy Project's "Information Hygiene" metaphor. They use getting into a hand-washing habit, which takes 20 seconds, to getting into a habit of doing a quick fact check. Obviously, this is currently very relatable to our students. To be clear, I certainly do go over how, when, and why it might be necessary to do a more in-depth check. And we discuss cognitive biases, such as confirmation biases, that can cloud our thinking. We also discuss the relationship between facts and perception--and, well, lots more. :) Finally, I emphasize that it shows maturity and wisdom to change your mind when you learn new information!