Media Literacy
Information literacy is especially important in today’s era
of “fake news,” but teaching it is extremely difficult. People have endless
amounts of information at their fingertips, and very often young people are
uninterested in learning how to locate quality, reliable sources for research
or just for personal reference. Simply Googling something and reading the first
couple of results is much easier than having to use critical thinking to assess
the quality and value of the news source.
Valenza (2016) is correct when she writes in “Truth,
truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a “post-truth” world” that
“our kids need new types of filters.” Technology is dynamic and much of the news
people read or view is coming from online: social media, online news sources,
etc. Not only children, but all of us need filters to be able to decipher quality
information from unreliable to downright fake news. “The Big 6” is a great tool
for guidance in teaching media literacy as well as the ISTE standards and the “Framework for Information Literacy for
Higher Education,” but none seem vastly different than the way teachers
have taught research skills over the last decade or longer; they are just all worded
differently. Identifying the questions, locating the information, deciphering and
organizing the information, and then producing results in a variety of forms are
standard skills when it comes to research. The literacy portion often seems weak
when reading through various standards or tools for instruction. How does one
teach another to decipher reliable from unreliable materials?
The Liturgist Podcast
(2017) addressed it best as they went over specific, tangible things one can do
to determine credibility in their “Fake News and Media Literacy” episode such
as doing a quick Google search of the publisher to find out who they are
affiliated with, looking at the wording of the headlines in relation to the
stories, looking at the grammar in the stories for inappropriate usage such as
using all caps or other casual writing styles, and considering how the article
makes you feel in order to take notice of whether writer is trying to incite fear
or anger. Despite these excellent suggestions, it is still difficult to instill
a desire among young students to have a preference for quality media resources.
One of the podcasters made a great point when he stated that most people are “more
proud of ignorance than intellect,” which seems to be a sad truth. This is
likely due to the preference that many people have, young people included, for
news and resources that match their already-decided opinion instead of news and
information to inform. Too many people today use information as a weapon for strong
biases and polarizing views or as something to be tossed around before
fact-checking, and it is unfortunate that many of these people are influential
and in the public eye. Not only public personas but everyday people knowingly
and sometimes unknowingly contribute to the spread of “fake” news by simply
sharing stories on social media.
Using platforms such as social media or local news may be
better methods of teaching media literacy to young people than the national
news stories or famous speeches that are often used in classrooms. The
Liturgist Podcast (2017) discusses how it may be easier to spot false or
heavily biased information because it is easier to fact-check than national
news. If students are using media that they are more likely exposed to on a regular
basis instead of ones that they rarely interact with (like local news versus a
CNN article), then they may not only understand the concepts better but they
may truly be interested in learning how to better judge sources. Ideally, this would
encourage them to be more aware of their, as the podcast put it, “media calories.”
Are they empty or nutritional?
It is important for everyone to take a look at their own information
diet. I have actually been conscious of this for a while and I’ve spent the
last several years trying to winnow “bad” sources from “good” ones so that I
only have quality sources in my social media news feeds as well as ones that do
not tend to only report on one side of an issue or that tend to side with my overall
opinions. I feel that it is important to try to be informed of both sides of the
majority of issues and to avoid feeding into my own biases. As a school
librarian, the information diet should be similarly unbiased and should include
quality resources that cover what is popular in literature, what technology is
popular with students and teachers, and what, generally, is happening in the
world of libraries.
References
Fake news & media literacy (2017, March 7). The Liturgist Podcast. Podcast retrieved
from https://theliturgists.com/podcast/2017/3/7/fake-news-media-literacy
Framework for information literacy for higher education
(2015). Association of College and
Research Libraries. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
The big 6 skills overview [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a303936a49631dd51f9a7d/t/5b92bf5e03ce644e10c18005/1536343902416/Big6+Skills+Overview.pdf
Valenza, J. (2016). Truth, truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a “post-truth” world. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2016/11/26/truth-truthiness-triangulation-and-the-librarian-way-a-news-literacy-toolkit-for-a-post-truth-world/
Darleen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great blog post! I completely agree that teaching the concept and application of fake news is extremely difficult. As a middle school teacher when I talk about fake news, students understand that not everything out there is real, but they do not grasp language taken out of context or cited incorrectly.
I think it would be an interesting project to take something said out of context and have students track down the correct context in order to decipher the difference.
Another good point you mentioned was that of the Liturgists podcast. I thought it was interesting that they brought up grammar, capitalization, and spelling. Inherently, I knew when reading a piece with misspellings to not trust it, but to hear someone else use bad grammar as their technique raising skepticism was excellent to hear. Thanks for the good read!
Best,
Rachelle Swearingen
Hi Darleen!
ReplyDeleteI agree that teaching IL is extremely difficult with uninterested and sometimes unwilling young people. I also think that many people are simply lazy when it comes to research. They want instant gratification and sometimes, they accept anything as factual to avoid having to do the work. I have worked very hard to push SC Discus with my school students in 2nd-4th grade for research purposes. Often, our IT department calls our admin to let them know that so-and-so has been "searching _________" and honestly, I feel that this is due to aimless searching with Google, etc. I have provided the Discus credentials to my students, used Discus in many library lessons, and have also advocated for this resource with the teachers in my building. I think the more my students use credible sources, IT will stop calling. Also, my students will be find better information. Search engines like Google also provide too many results and my young students aren't able to process the results and make judgments on what is reliable. Usually, with databases like Britannica Elementary (online encyclopedia), or Kids Almanac (both provided by SC Discus), my students find what they are looking for without being overwhelmed.
I enjoyed learning about the Big6 Skills this week because I feel as if they are similar to how science teachers use the Scientific Method. I saw that Dr. Green also suggested using the Super3 with younger students. I searched online and found the Super3. The steps look easy for kids, or at least seem easier to explain. I hope to use the Super3 model to guide my students (and myself) in future research projects.
I enjoyed reading your post!
Thanks,
Audrey Thompson
Great Post!! I have had experience in the classroom where students just want to write what first pops up in Google. If they are asked to actually open sites and search for information, they either do not know how, or they are too lazy to do it. In our "instant gratification" society, they do not want to have to actually read and look for things. It is easy just to take the word from people they admire, be it celebrities, or sports icons. Students will also just take the word of parents or relatives, not realizing that they too do not put the time into researching facts. Such a critical skill to learn.
ReplyDeleteHi Darleen,
ReplyDeleteI have also noticed that many people of all ages are increasingly interested in using information as a weapon. This brings to mind social media fights in which each party posts quotes, screenshots of articles or other incomplete sources in order to defend their position. At this point, they are not interested in spreading reliable information as much as they are interested in being hailed as the winner of the public fight. Even if the source of the screenshot or quote is reliable, this situation is rarely resolved with anyone having a better understanding of the true nature of the issue. Instead, each side usually makes increasingly quippy and generalized remarks in order to have the last word. As a future school librarian, I cringe when I see people reduce reliable sources' complex analyses of issues to tweets or sound bites. School librarians, and adults in general, must do a better job of setting an example of media literacy for our students.