Media Literacy

            Every teacher has experienced a moment when a student poses a question that the teacher may not have answers to. I can say it has definitely happened to me! It’s important that students understand when we do not know the answers to a question, we research and explore the world for answers. I have caught myself saying, “Great question, research the answer and bring it to class tomorrow.” With the world at our fingertips we can easily access information to all questions. However, is the information we read valid or opinionated?

            According to Herold (2016) fewer than 4 percent of 7^th graders could correctly navigate the internet and determine the overall reliability of the information presented on a site. The University of Connecticut conducted a study and found many middle schoolers who believed that a new species of octopus lived in trees (clearly this is an issue). Herold (2016) also states “on every policy issue that has an impact on the daily life of ordinary citizens, there are private interests working to sway public opinion by pretending to be something they’re not. It misleads and blinds us” (para. 10).

            Is determining the reliability of resources properly being taught in classrooms? As educators, it’s important that we teach our students these critical thinking skills that will assist them when navigating resources. This skill is referred to as “media literacy- the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create information using multiple forms of communication” (Herold, 2016). So how do we do this? The National Center for Media Literacy Education explains that as teachers and students we must ask ourselves key questions:

·         Who paid for this?

·         When was it made?

·         Who might benefit?

·         What is left out of this message that may be important to know?

·         How was this information shared with the public?

Teachers can also require explanations on reference sheets. Students must provide clarification for each reference that was selected and how they distinguish if that source is reliable (Herold, 2016).

While teaching students media literacy it’s also vital that students understand plagiarism. I personally believe it’s important that we start students off as early as possible. For example, in third grade students practice finding evidence within the text to support their answer. I have noticed many students want to copy straight from the passage. I try to teach my students the importance of paraphrasing information and not taking credit for something that was not created by them. We practice many evidence based writing stems like: according to the text, the author states, in the story, etc. These are skills students will use for the rest of their academic careers. By teaching our students these habits early on, we are avoiding future issues with plagiarism and media literacy.

References

            Herold, B. (2016, December 8). Fake new, bogus tweets raise stakes for media literacy. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/12/08/fake-news-bogus-tweets-raise-stakes-for.html?preview=1&user_acl=0