Blog 2 - The Intersection of information literacy, technology, and digital media
The ability to obtain information today is greater than it ever has been. Technology and digital media have ensured an almost unending flow of information available worldwide. How much of that information is accurate though? With platforms like X, Facebook Instagram etc. People can disseminate information with ease. Along those lines, it's also easy to spread misinformation and disinformation. As Professor Mx Bowman (2022) pointed out in her lesson introduction video, there is a difference between misinformation and disinformation. With misinformation the source doesn’t know that the information they are putting out is incorrect while with disinformation the source is knowingly distributing incorrect information. So how do we know what to believe? Is it “Fake News”? At the end of the day, we determine fake news by whether we believe it or not (The Liturgists, 2017).
So how do we help our students learn how to navigate that and where does literacy come into play? How apt are our students to be able to tell the difference today? To prove to my students that anything could be posted on Wikipedia, I did a lesson with them where I put incorrect information about me on Wikipedia. The students were allowed to interview me and get first-hand information about me. Then, the students looked me up on Wikipedia and compared the information listed for me to the first-hand interview with me. Prior to this lesson I put incorrect information about me on Wikipedia such as that I was ten years younger, I had 5 kids when I really have 3 and I was a millionaire which we all know I am not. Through this activity students saw that just because it is posted on the internet does not mean it is true. Teaching students to fact check their resources to make sure they are getting not just information, but correct information is paramount in our jobs as school librarians.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/news-media-literacy-resource-center
A good resource for teacher to use is the website Common Sense Education (2024). This website is a nonprofit organization that offers trustworthy information and education to students. This site allows students to explore news and media literacy, New Literacy and Current Events as well as a tab for students to get engaged. An additional resource for librarians to utilize is The Big 6 Model. The Big 6 Model is a well-organized plan the allows students to work on problem solving skills using critical thinking skills.
Personally, my information diet isn't as broad as it should be. Ironically, I have encountered the same mis and dis-information even from reputable news source quelling my desire to uptake the information they put out. Facebook, X, and news tickers are usually where I gain the information of what's going on in the world. Everything, however, should be fact checked using different sources. A school librarian should be taking in information from multiple sources with opposing viewpoints. Whether, we as individuals agree or disagree with the information is irrelevant. A broad, well-rounded information diet of print, digital media, and scholastic improvement information should be a background for most school librarians.
References
Bowman, D. (2022, May 13). Module 3 Intro [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HWmTrsakfw
Common Sense Education. (2024). New and Media Literacy Resource Center. Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsense.org/education/news-media-literacy-resource-center
Library Queen E. (2016, October 25) The Big 6 Model for Research [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68j5G757DdU
The Liturgists. (2017, March 7). Fake News & Media Literacy. [Audio podcast episode]. The Liturgists Podcast. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-liturgists-podcast/episodes/Fake-News--Media-Literacy-eutfrm
Hi Theresa, I loved reading your blog post this week. I really liked the paragraph that you wrote about knowing how to help our students know what to believe. I love your lesson idea where you used yourself to write fake information on Wikipedia, then allowed them to fact check by asking you questions. I will have to remember this! I bet that this lesson will stick out to your students because it was about their teacher. I also really enjoyed exploring Common Sense Education this week. I was particularly interested in the lesson plans that have been created by appropriate level. The lesson "Is Seeing Believing?" is one that I would like to use with future students, because it is something that they see all the time-altered photos and videos. There also seem to be many lessons with current events connections. I am looking forward to using Common Sense Education this year, as I begin working with K-5 students. Thank you for your post. Have a great week!
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