Teaching Critical Digital Literacy to Combat Fake News: A resource for teachers and teacher educators (original) (raw)
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DIGITAL LITERACY: RAISING PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS’ AWARENESS OF THE FAKE NEWS SPREADING THROUGH THE SOCIAL MEDIA, 2021
The current study aimed at enhancing prospective teachers' digital literacy skills within media literacy intervention by means of instruction delivered asynchronously. Since the focus of the study was the fake news phenomenon, besides furthering prospective teachers' theoretical knowledge on MIL, the intervention aimed at promoting individual fact-checking skills, and in particular learning lateral reading strategy. Thus, besides training on how to perform 'lateral reading', the practice part of the intervention aimed at enhancing individuals’ abilities to question, and critically evaluate online sources, social media content in particular. The intervention was embedded within a compulsory course provided for senior students studying at the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology. The findings of the study suggest that the intervention, to a greater extent, enhanced prospective teachers' critical media literacy, and particularly the critical consuming dimension as to the new media literacy. Moreover, the intervention, to a certain extent, fostered students' abilities to fact-check, in view of the strategies introduced within the formative assessments. Nevertheless, based on the findings, prospective teachers are still in need of acquiring higher-order thinking skills, that is, critical thinking skills, and thus, in future studies, teacher educators, as well as media instructors, should focus on promoting these skills. Keywords: Digital Literacy, Fact-checking, Fake news, Lateral reading, Media and Information Literacy (MIL)
Digital literacy, fake news and education | Special Issue Call for Papers | Deadline: 30 May 2018
Cultura y Educación/Culture and Education
Cultura y Educación: “Digital Literacy, Fake News and Education” The 2017 COST report on Digital Literacy and Education addressed, across Europe, a set of fundamental questions: A revolution is going on at the very moment you read these words and you are repeatedly participating in it every time you log in. As with every revolution, the digital one started from a passion, a vision, an urgency to spread, and the promise of qualitative changes to come. One such change was the recent declaration of the United Nations (2016) on considering internet access a basic human right. How spread is this right across Europe? Is it the case that the digital is fundamentally changing literacy? What is the landscape of digital literacy and education interactions across European countries? What challenges does digital literacy pose to education in Europe?(Brites, 2017: https://www.is1401eln.eu/en/gca/index.php?id=149) Since the report was published, the issue of fake news has been high on the agenda for media and digital literacy academics, teachers and researchers and the need for education to offer a preventative antidote to the dangers of fake news has been in the public discourse. Therefore, the editors of this special issue, having been involved in the COST network, its research reports and training events, wish to collect and publish empirical work from the field of digital literacy as the next step in this investigation into digital literacy education and also to frame this research in the context of resilience to fake news. Whilst the COST reports focus on Europe, this special issue will publish research from a broader international scope. The deadline for submission is 30 May 2018. Gest Editors: Julian McDougall (Bournemouth University), Maria José Brites (Universidade Lusófona do Porto), Maria João Couto (inED/Escola Superior de Educação/IPP) and Catarina Lucas (inED/Escola Superior de Educação/IPP) The full call and author guidelines: http://explore.tandfonline.com/cfp/beh/rcye-cfp-si-18-digital-literacy-fake-news-and-education
Digital literacy, fake news and education / Alfabetización digital, fake news y educación
Cultura y Educación
The role of digital literacy in strengthening citizens' resilience to misinformation and 'fake news' has been the subject of research projects and networking and academic and policy discourses in recent years, given prominence by an escalation of the perceived crisis following election and referendum results in the US and UK respectively. This special issue sets out to take forward critical dialogue in the field of media and digital literacy education by publishing rigorous research on the subject. The research disseminated in this collection speaks to the political and economic contexts for 'fake news', the complex issue of trust and the risks of educational solutionism; questions of definition and policy implementation; teaching about specific subgenres such as YouTube and clickbait; international comparisons of pedagogic approaches and challenges for teachers in this changing ecosystem.
THE IMPERATIVE OF DIGITAL LITERACY IN COMBATING "FAKE NEWS" INFORMATION
In the digital era, where fake news is a major problem, digital literacy becomes essential. This is not limited to the use of technology but also involves critical skills in evaluating information. Our editorial draws attention to the need to develop these skills, both individually and collectively, in educational institutions, to effectively combat misinformation and the negative influence of false information. The impact of fake news on our society is profound and multifaceted (Tandoc et. al., 2017). These false pieces of information are not just communication errors but are tools of misinformation that undermine trust in institutions and lead to societal segregation. Their effects extend beyond politics, affecting public health (Mărcău et. al., 2022a) and quality of life (Peptan et. al., 2023). Economically, fake news can influence markets, causing fluctuations based on rumors. The fight against this phenomenon requires more than just regulations (Lazer et. al., 2018). It demands effective digital and media literacy, involving collaboration between government, media, and technology. This collective effort is essential for maintaining a well-informed and healthy society (Mărcău et. al., 2023). Recent studies show that fake news is not just simple false news (Preda, 2020), but represents a more complex phenomenon, involving the creation of an alternate reality that serves the interests of the issuer (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). These pieces of information can induce false perceptions on various issues, thereby confirming existing biases (Mărcău et. al., 2023). Additionally, analyses show that fake news is more prevalent when people seek simplistic explanations for the complex problems of society (Mărcău et. al., 2022b). On the other hand, the study of information itself, as a fundamental element in communication and knowledge, has expanded from theory to science. Academic approaches emphasize that information should not be reduced to the meaning of the term or concept, but must be viewed as a complex concept, with multiple meanings and implications. This is crucial in the current global context, where information can be used as a force for resolving or escalating conflicts (Peptan, 2021). Therefore, developing the skills to analyze information found in the public space becomes imperative (Peptan, 2020). This is not only to discern the message and its correct meaning but also to navigate through the sea of information and distinguish between what is real and what is fabricated. In ANNALS OF THE "CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUȘI" UNIVERSITY OF TÂRGU JIU LETTER AND SOCIAL SCIENCE SERIES
The era of fake news: digital storytelling as a promotion of critical reading
Proceedings of INTED2019 Conference , 2019
This paper considers the early stage results of the Media In Action project, particularly related with these two questions: What reflections arise when we consider digital storytelling in the context of the news processes in the training of teachers who work with children and young people? What are the most appropriate processes for such training, not only in how to apply the training but also in its contents? Initial results indicate a huge interest on techniques and theoretical frameworks on digital storytelling and the parallel need to better understand the information and news contexts in this digitalized society. At the same time, it was found that they are quite interested in collaborative practices and knowledge exchange among peers.
Factual vs. Fake News: Teachers’ Lens on Critical Media Literacy Education in EFL Classes
Journal of Interactive Media in Education
The internet and digital ecosystems have enlarged opportunities for literacy activities. Technology has altered social practices and concepts of literacy, which has profound consequences for EFL teaching and learning. This qualitative research aims at studying teachers' ignorance, within the concept of ignorance epistemology, as they navigate their teaching roles in CML teaching, particularly in the EFL context. Through an open-ended questionnaire and interview, this study investigated how teachers assist students to establish the credibility of information and information sources through critical assessment. It also delved into the opportunities and challenges the teachers encounter in assisting students to be critical assessors of information and media sources. All these are critical since building CML aims to prepare students to be active members of today's digital democratic world and to ease the media bubble effects of social media, which can lead to fake news or misinformation, polarization, and complex mediation between parties. Finally, ramifications and future study areas are highlighted to further the field of digital literacy.
Critical Media Literacy in Teacher Education: Theory & Practice by Share, Mamikonyan, & Lopez (2019)
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, 2019
Democracy in the digital networked age of “fake news” and “alternative facts” requires new literacy skills and critical awareness to read, write, and use media and technology to empower civic participation and social transformation. Unfortunately, not many educators have been prepared to teach students how to think critically with and about the media and technology that engulf us. Across the globe there is a growing movement to develop media and information literacy curriculum (UNESCO) and train teachers in media education (e-Media Education Lab), but these attempts are limited and in danger of co-optation by the faster growing, better financed, and less critical education and information technology corporations. It is essential to develop a critical response to the new information communication technologies that are embedded in all aspects of society. The possibilities and limitations are vast for teaching educators to enter K-12 classrooms and teach their students to use various media, critically question all types of texts, challenge problematic representations, and create alternative messages. Through applying a critical media literacy framework that has evolved from cultural studies and critical pedagogy, students at all grade levels can learn to critically analyze the messages and create their own alternative media. The voices of teachers engaging in this work can provide pragmatic insight into the potential and challenges of putting the theory into practice in K-12 public schools.
Critical Media Literacy in Teacher Education, Theory, and Practice
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford University Press, 2019
Democracy in the digital networked age of “fake news” and “alternative facts” requires new literacy skills and critical awareness to read, write, and use media and technology to empower civic participation and social transformation. Unfortunately, not many educators have been prepared to teach students how to think critically with and about the media and technology that engulf us. Across the globe there is a growing movement to develop media and information literacy curriculum (UNESCO) and train teachers in media education (e-Media Education Lab), but these attempts are limited and in danger of co-optation by the faster growing, better financed, and less critical education and information technology corporations. It is essential to develop a critical response to the new information communication technologies that are embedded in all aspects of society. The possibilities and limitations are vast for teaching educators to enter K-12 classrooms and teach their students to use various media, critically question all types of texts, challenge problematic representations, and create alternative messages. Through applying a critical media literacy framework that has evolved from cultural studies and critical pedagogy, students at all grade levels can learn to critically analyze the messages and create their own alternative media. The voices of teachers engaging in this work can provide pragmatic insight into the potential and challenges of putting the theory into practice in K-12 public schools.
Revista de Estudos Acadêmicos de Letras, 2019
The advances in technology and the access to internet contribute to the spread of fake news, a phenomenon that is not new, but that is happening in a new environment – the cyberspace. Considering this reality, there have been debates related to how people (should) deal with information in the so-called post-truth era. Language is crucial in both the production and interpretation of fake news; English stands out in this process due to its number of users all over the world. One of the possibilities to deal with this phenomenon in the English language class is the digital literacies theory discussed in this paper which aims at analyzing an experience with fake news in the English classroom, focusing on possibilities in the development of digital literacies skills to deal with this kind of news. Regarding the methodology, this paper is a qualitative – analytical-interpretative – research. The analysis was based on Freeman’s (1998) four steps: naming, grouping, finding relationship, and displaying. Finally, I conclude that working with the digital literacies theory in the English classroom can help students deal with fake news, considering that it requires not only mechanical skills, but also reflection on how and why we interpret texts the way we do.