Lesson: Critical Digital Literacies

A video of anti-Trump protests in Los Angeles, but is really a video of an anti-Maduro protest in Venezuela.

A video of anti-Trump protests in Los Angeles, but is really a video of an anti-Maduro protest in Venezuela. Source- Digital Pedagogy Lab

How can you detect ‘fake news’?

How do you find your information? How do you ‘hear’ about things? How can you know what events really happened?

Read the article, Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America written by Lauren Duca.

Thinking Routine- Connect, Extend, Challenge

  • Connect: How do the ideas and information presented connect to what you already know?
  • Extend: What new ideas did you get that extended or pushed your thinking in new directions?
  • Challenge: What is challenging or confusing for you to get your mind around? What questions, wonderings or puzzles do you now have?

How to fight misinformation

Lauren says there are things you can and should do to empower yourself against misinformation.

  1. fact check every statement and headline
  2. report inaccuracies and misinformation on social media
  3. inform yourself about trustworthy sources
  4. check browser extensions for unreliable sources
  5. refer to a list of fake news outlets (LINK)
  6. be curious and ask questions

Connect with students in Norway

With a partner write a comment on a student’s blog about this issue. (Link) Click here to see the students blogs.

Notice: What stands out to you or catches your eye in this person’s post? In other words, what do you notice in particular? Be specific.

Appreciate: Share what you like, appreciate or value in the post you’ve read. Be specific.

Google HangOut

Groups and times TBE for Friday 10 or 17 February

Sources

TRUTHY LIES AND SURREAL TRUTHS: A PLEA FOR CRITICAL DIGITAL LITERACIES Written by

Safer Internet Day Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Dialogue Toolkit by Out of Eden Learn

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11 Comments
  1. Hello Ms. Rooney

    I replied to a Norwegian student’s blog that is really interesting.

    In your article, “ The people are in powered by information.”. This sentence makes me really interested. The sentence points out the social phenomenon directly.

    Nowadays, there is more and more fake news in our lives. Lots of them are read and are believed by people. They give people inaccurate information and lead people to make the wrong decisions. It is especially important in a democracy that we have a free media so people can check their sources.
    But think about this from another direction- Fake news can make people question more about how truthful everything we hear, see and read really is.

    Daisy

  2. Hello Ms Rooney ~(。・∀・)ノ゙
    I’m Charlene Chen (๑•ᴗ•๑)

    I think that the Norwegian student’s article is very useful because you not only clearly reveals the problems at the moment but also provides a number of suggestions that can help us to identify the authenticity of the news. I just would like to see more your perspectives about fake news.

    And here is my blog address: https://charlenechen.edublogs.org/wp-admin/my-sites.php

  3. Hi Ms Rooney:)
    The Norwegian student’s post is very useful for me to know more about what fake news is? Also, it is a good opportunity to train our critical thinking because we have to check sources. One way to do this is to look at the URL and to check the author.
    May

  4. Hi Ms Ronney

    I read and commented on a Norwegian student’s excellent post that made me realised that as the progress of social media, fake news is all around the place in our daily life.Some of them influence our thinking and it can even manipulate our minds. I wonder how people can trust the news in the future and avoid fake news.

    Ariana

  5. Hi Ms Rooney
    Reading the Norwegian students’ blogs was very helpful for me. Now that I am doing my research project so it is important for me to know how to find true and useful information. I usually determine whether it is fake news or not by URL just like you mentioned in your post.
    Fake news can spread quickly. I think fake news always has alarmist headlines to catch people’s attention. Also people choose to believe what they want to believe so such strong emotions expressing by fake news affect readers’ opinions a lot.
    My blog: lizzyl.edublogs.org

  6. Hello Ms. Rooney

    I have read a Norwegian student’s article and I found it really interesting.

    In their article, they wrote that “ The people are in powered by information.”. This sentence makes me really interested. The sentence points out the social phenomenon directly.

    Nowadays, there is more and more fake news in our lives. Lots of them are read and are believed by people. They give people inaccurate information and lead people to make the wrong decisions. It is especially important in a democracy that we have a free media so people can check their sources.
    But think about this from another direction- Fake news can make people question more about how truthful everything we hear, see and read really is.

    Daisy

  7. Hi Ann this is an excellent post. Can I please reblog it on Australian Education Blogs as a feature article?
    ozedblogblog.wordpress.com
    Kind regards.

  8. Great post with great links. I can’t believe how vile some citizens can be when addressing fellow citizens publically in the media. It’s a challenge to teach our students to rise above when there are so many derogatory models.

    • Hi Cammie, I have been using student Edublogs and the Out of Eden Learn dialogue toolkit to teach students how to post comments. The Out of Eden Learn White Paper says that,
      Preparing our youth to engage in respectful, thoughtful, and insightful cross-cultural inquiry and exchange is not just the right thing to do—it is essential for preparing them for the complex globalized world in which they will live.
      See Ann Michaelsen’s lesson. for our collaborative lesson plan. You may have students who would like to participate. Ann

    • Hi Anthony, thanks for your comment. It is important to give young people an awareness of critical digital literacies for them to feel empowered and to speak out against false news. AS Kris Shaffer says,
      Following the path laid out by corporate media platforms is easy. Believing a truthy lie is easy. Teaching old content with new digital tools is easy. Clicking “share” or “retweet” is easy.
      But what is right? What is true? That’s the stuff of education.
      It never has been easy.
      But we need it ― now more than ever.

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