Information Disorder: The Definitional Toolbox
Over the past eighteen months, issues of trust and truth in the digital age have dominated discussion across industries and around the world. There has been a surge in conferences, reports and funding. However, despite this peak in interest in the subject, progress has been slow. One important realization yet to emerge is that shared definitions and terminology matter. For the policy-makers, technology companies, politicians, journalists, librarians, educators, academics and civil society organizations all wrestling with the challenges caused by false and misleading information, agreeing upon a shared vocabulary is essential. In an effort to help kickstart a conversation about definitions, I co-authored a report last fall that used the umbrella term ‘information disorder’ to describe mis-, dis- and malinformation.
Good Tools for Teaching Students How to Evaluate Web Content Credibility
Source: Butler University Library, adapted from Meriam Library at CSU, Chico One of my favorite lessons to teach is about evaluating the credibility of web sites and other digital content. I often start by showing the classic “Can't Lie On The Internet” video from AllState, which gets a laugh and helps to get students in the right mind set. Next, we check out the classic “DHMO” site and talk about what we see there. Dihydrogen Monoxide sounds pretty scary, but is this site legitimate? That's when I bring up Kathy Schrock's 5 W's PDF and use it as a kick off point to discuss the idea of using criteria for evaluation, not just gut reactions.
Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Help Save The ENDANGERED From EXTINCTION! The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Rare photo of the elusive tree octopus The Pacific Northwest tree octopus (Octopus paxarbolis) can be found in the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula on the west coast of North America.
There's So Much on the Web! Helping Students Become Internet-Research Savvy
No matter how much we emphasize the importance of books and databases, the reality is our students are using the Internet for research and will continue to do so. The plethora of high-quality resources available online cannot be ignored. But teaching our students how to navigate the intricate web of invisible wires cannot be ignored, either.
In the war on fake news, school librarians have a huge role to play - The Verge
Concern about the prevalence of fake or sensationally biased news sources has escalated in the days following the presidential election, with many citing it as a factor (some even the primary cause) of Donald Trump’s win. The central focus of the concern is Facebook, which has grown beyond a social platform and is now a key information distributor from which 44 percent of Americans get their news. Though Mark Zuckerberg stated publicly that the idea that fake news on Facebook influenced the election was “crazy,” a BuzzFeed News report uncovered that people within his own company consider this response flippant and are busy organizing in secret to dig into the data and make recommendations to senior leadership. This news came out after a Gizmodo report stated that Facebook had already built a system that could weed out fake news but had chosen not to deploy it because of the undesirable optics of the tool going after mostly right-wing “news” sources.
How to Spot Responsible Journalism and the Fake News Frenzy
Fake News Frenzy of 2017 There were some days in the past year when I felt the whole “Fake News” phenomenon was overworked in our profession. However, I tripped over an article in ProQuest that made me think about writing and research from a journalist’s perspective. The article “Flipside of Fake News … Responsible Journalism” explores the ever-changing news literacy landscape.
Lesson Plan: How to Spot Fake News
The problem of fake news came to a dizzying head in 2016 when a man fired a shot in a family pizzeria as he “self-investigated” a false report of a child abuse ring led by top democrats. A BuzzFeed report confirmed that fake news stories, such as the one that claimed Hillary Clinton sold arms to ISIS, were actually viewed more times than articles from established and legitimate news sources. Did fake news have an impact on the election? How do we address the problem from here? This lesson plan features a Channel One News report on the problem.
Fake News Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts : All Tech Considered
Guido Rosa/Getty Images/Ikon Images Fake news stories can have real-life consequences. On Sunday, police said a man with a rifle who claimed to be "self-investigating" a baseless online conspiracy theory entered a Washington, D.C., pizzeria and fired the weapon inside the restaurant. So, yes, fake news is a big problem. These stories have gotten a lot of attention, with headlines claiming Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump in November's election and sites like American News sharing misleading stories or taking quotes out of context.
Are Your Students Thinking Critically?
Every teacher’s goal is for students to use critical thinking in the work they do. Students who can think critically grow into lifelong problem solvers. Critical thinking with students means that they can take information and analyze it, draw conclusions, form and defend opinions with data to back it up, reflect on their work, and approach problems in a systematic way. Where does that begin in the classroom?
