Module 2: Media Literacy
2.1 What is media literacy?
As part of the ongoing digital revolution, media literacy has reappeared on the education agenda in the form of various literacies, from "digital literacy" over "media and information literacy" to 'digital competences", in order to cover the full variety of digital technologies.Another ressource about Media Literacy:
The South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) – partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre – has produced schemes of work which will help you to integrate digital literacy and citizenship topics across the curriculum. It covers the following cross-curricular categories:
How would we integrate the above structure into your teaching?
Media and information literacy education in Lithuanian schools integrated in other subjects, mainly explained during ICT lessons. In April, we hosted the conference "Information challenges of modern society." The conference dedicated to the project "Media and Information Literacy" participating school teams. The participants were introduced to recognize the media misleading information emitted by the individual or group interests, to understand the mechanisms that determine media content.More information about Media Literacy - on the Media and information literacy projects https://duomenys.ugdome.lt/?/mm/dry/med=2
Activity
Category: Creative Credit Copyright
Lesson title: What is copyright and what it protects
Age: 15-17
Brief description:
As introduction pupils reflect on their responsibilities and rights as creators in the online spaces. From addressing plagiarism to piracy, pupils learn about copyright and faire use.
After that they have 1st activity: to scan QR hyperlink with tablets and participate in the cognitive-educational quiz about the author and copyright in Lithuania "I'm not a pirate" http://viktorina.autoriams.eu/take.aspx?pin=2379-3417-9633
At the end of the lesson students created and published posters "Let copyright claims!" on the padlet.com. On the lesson students used the training tools - mobile devices, printed lessons task, internet.
Padlet 2.1. What is media literacy?
2.2 Fake news
Fake news has recently drawn a lot of attention in the media. It naturally links to the key concept of representation, which has always been at the very core of media literacy teaching. Because indeed, just like traditional newspapers, radio or television, digital media do not offer a transparent window on the world, but rather a mediated version. They don’t just present reality, they re-present it. Even when it is concerned with real-life events, they invite us to see the world in some particular ways and not others. In that sense, they are bound to be “biased” rather than “objective.”The Problem with Fake News (and how our students can solve it)
Media educator Frank Baker compiled a (long but very useful) list of practical recommendations (including lesson plans, handouts and related videos). One resource to help you when working on this topic in the classroom is the checklist below – you can ask your pupils to cut it out and tape it on their computer or TV.
Here's the script:
With digital tools, it is easier than ever to create, edit, and publish your work to the world. But there’s a cost. It’s also easier than ever to spread misinformation. And fake news has become a real issue in recent times.
We see this with students. According to a Stanford study, only 25% of high school students were able to identify an accurate news story when also given a fake one. Students also had a hard time distinguishing between real and fake photographs as well as authentic and staged videos.
Researchers used the words “bleak” and “dismaying” to describe it. But it’s not going away anytime soon and that’s a very real problem.
So, how do we fix it?
Well, here’s a five-step process that I’ve used with students.
A word of caution. It’s not perfect and there are probably other models out there but I thought I would share it just in case you might want to use it.
We call it the 5 c’s of critical consuming.
#1: Context - Look at the context of the article. When was it written? Where does it come from? Have the events changed since then? Is there any new information that could change your perspective?
#2: Credibility - Check the credibility of the source. Does the site have a reputation for journalistic integrity? Does the author cite credible sources? Or is it satirical? Is it on a list of fake news sites? Is it actually an advertisement posing as a real news story?
#3: Construction. Analyze the construction of the article. What is the bias? Are there any loaded words? Any propaganda techniques? Any omissions that you should look out for? Can you distinguish between the facts and opinions? Or is it simply all speculation?
#4: Corroboration: Corroborate the information with other credible news sources. Make sure it’s not the only source making the claim. If it is, there’s a good chance it’s actually not true.
#5: Compare: Compare it to other news sources to get different perspectives. Find other credible sources from other areas of the ideological or political spectrum to provide nuance and get a bigger picture of what’s actually happening.
See, when we teach students media literacy, and they learn how to consume critically, they learn how to think critically. And critical thinking citizens are good for democracy. And that’s good for everyone.
We see this with students. According to a Stanford study, only 25% of high school students were able to identify an accurate news story when also given a fake one. Students also had a hard time distinguishing between real and fake photographs as well as authentic and staged videos.
Researchers used the words “bleak” and “dismaying” to describe it. But it’s not going away anytime soon and that’s a very real problem.
So, how do we fix it?
Well, here’s a five-step process that I’ve used with students.
A word of caution. It’s not perfect and there are probably other models out there but I thought I would share it just in case you might want to use it.
We call it the 5 c’s of critical consuming.
#1: Context - Look at the context of the article. When was it written? Where does it come from? Have the events changed since then? Is there any new information that could change your perspective?
#2: Credibility - Check the credibility of the source. Does the site have a reputation for journalistic integrity? Does the author cite credible sources? Or is it satirical? Is it on a list of fake news sites? Is it actually an advertisement posing as a real news story?
#3: Construction. Analyze the construction of the article. What is the bias? Are there any loaded words? Any propaganda techniques? Any omissions that you should look out for? Can you distinguish between the facts and opinions? Or is it simply all speculation?
#4: Corroboration: Corroborate the information with other credible news sources. Make sure it’s not the only source making the claim. If it is, there’s a good chance it’s actually not true.
#5: Compare: Compare it to other news sources to get different perspectives. Find other credible sources from other areas of the ideological or political spectrum to provide nuance and get a bigger picture of what’s actually happening.
See, when we teach students media literacy, and they learn how to consume critically, they learn how to think critically. And critical thinking citizens are good for democracy. And that’s good for everyone.
Why we’re talking about ‘fake news’ now
How to spot Fake News
IFLA has made the infographic with eight simple steps (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News) to discover the verifiability of a given news-piece in front of you. Download, print, translate, and share – at home, at your library, in your local community, and on social media networks. The more we crowdsource our wisdom, the wiser the world becomes. https://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11174
(theglobeandmail.com)
It’s a term with a lot of pejorative and partisan baggage, but ‘fake news’ describes a real problem: Media that’s custom-made to fool you. Globe digital editor Evan Annett offers some pointers on how to avoid falling for hoaxes.
A social-impact game about fake news
Fake It To make ItA game to learn how the fake news market works. Useful or dangerous for our students? Maybe both, depending on the teacher's mediation...
Activity Fake news
The best way to involve your students in fake news activities is to present them with an actual fake news story or website, asking them to analyse its quality/veracity. To help them to organise their thinking, you can use the CRAP or CARS acronym, or one of the fake news checklists mentioned previously.
During my ICT lessons for 12-13 years old pupils we talk about computer viruses and how they infect computers. One way is advertising windows with the most popular fake news like "You win a million!" and everyone knows it. But it is difficult to recognize the truth topic when we find information online.
For this activity I would use recomended website at the end of this module http://www.snopes.com/canadian-fishermen-shrimp/
There are some fake news. How student can to understand it?
I use CRAP test that I'll recommend them for use in assessing the quality / accuracy of this particular source of information:
- Currency -
- How recent is the information?
- How recently has the website been updated?
- Is it current enough for your topic?
- Reliability -
- What kind of information is included in the resource?
- Is content of the resource primarily opinion?
- Is is balanced?
- Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?
- Authority -
- Who is the creator or author?
- What are the credentials?
- Who is the published or sponsor?
- Are they reputable?
- What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information?
- Are there advertisements on the website?
- Purpose/Point of View -
- Is this fact or opinion?
- Is it biased?
- Is the creator/author trying to sell you something
Padlet 2.2 Fake News
2.3 Data privacy
“If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”.When introducing media literacy, we listed production as one of the key media literacy/education concepts – apart from representation and audience. In a digital age – and perhaps more so than ever before – business interests underlie our online media consumption patterns, which are largely taking place on platforms manufactured by large global corporations.
Who owns your data? (Hint: It's not you)
Irene Ng and David Reynolds talk about privacy and ownership in the digital age. From a media literacy point of view, this means that pupils need to learn to recognise the commercial interests that are at stake in media production, and the ways in which profits are typically generated.
DIGITAL GOLD MINERS
Information and activities regarding big data on the Internet
There is 4 different sections, each with practical ideas, which can help you to structure a possible lesson activity:
a) What, who and how – three questions about big data
Practical idea: First, make your own list detailing what you use the internet for. Examine the list and think about all the ways the devices, websites and applications you use gather information about you. Examine the answers in a group and think about what kind of information may have been collected from each group member.
b) Mountain of information into a digital gold mine – how is data utilised?
Practical idea: Form groups of four, for example. One pair of the group uses a search engine to find texts and news stories with the search words “big data benefits”, while the other pair uses the words “big data threats”. Examine the texts for about half an hour and make notes about the threats and benefits you find. After that, return to the groups, compare your results and discuss which seem more significant, the threats or the benefits.
c) Dangerous waters – is privacy under threat?
Practical idea: Are you familiar with the terms of use of the social media service you most frequently use? Examine the terms of use of various services together. Did you find any surprises? Do you find the terms clear or difficult to understand?
d) Controlling your own data
Practical idea: Search for information online both with the incognito mode and the default settings. Does the search yield similar results from Google, for example? Does YouTube recommend the same videos with both settings? Examine the results in a group or in pairs.
Activity Voting
A recent Growing Up Digital Report, from the UK Children's Commissioner's Growing Up Digital Taskforce, explores how fully children understand their rights in relation to social media companies. The report describes how the Terms and Conditions of Instagram currently run to 17 pages and 5,000 words, with language and sentence structures which only a postgraduate could be expected to understand. As part of this exercise, the Children’s Commissioner also asked the law firm Schillings to draft a simplified version of Instagram’s Terms and Conditions.
On a simplified version of Instagram’s Terms and Conditions is problematic rule #5: "We can share your data (name, address, phone etc) with other companies connected with Instagram". Kids do not care about how their data will be used. We are not responsible for what other companies can do with that information.
2.4. Copyright, plagiarism, piracy
Internetas kokio norime (mokiniams) lietuviškai
šaltinis www.webwewant.eu
Within this context, you may wish to discuss with your pupils issues such as copyright, plagiarism and piracy. The Web We Want handbook provides a range of resources for both teachers and young people:
- Learn how to protect your own creative rights and those of others in Chapter 6, The artist in you.
- Download additional lesson plans for Chapter 6, The artist in you:
An introduction to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation. What is WIPO?
Activity The survey
After having taken the survey visit this page to see the results:
2.5 Towards a participatory culture?
Henry Jenkins gives an inspiring view on the importance of including the more creative work on new media literacies – as part of broader participatory culture – into formal education also. In turn, this may lead to broader civic engagement among young people.Henry Jenkins is the Provost's Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. He arrived at USC in Fall 2009 after spending the past decade as the Director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program and the Peter de Florez Professor of Humanities. He is the author and/or editor of 12 books on various aspects of media and popular culture.
Padlet 2.5 Towards a participatory culture?
2.6 Additional resources
In this final section is a more in-depth overview of references and resources which will help you to delve deeper into the various topics discussed in the media literacy module.
a) On media literacy…
Would you like to read more about how online safety and media literacy can possibly meet? Over the years, Insafe network members have created various media literacy resources, often combined with wider campaigning activity. An extensive overview is available in our Better Internet for Kids Bulletin on Media Literacy.
b) On fake news…
If you would like to delve deeper into the topic of fake news, have a look at the following sources of information:
Across and beyond the Insafe network, many examples of resources and activities exist which may inspire you to teach about data protection/privacy:
a) On media literacy…
Would you like to read more about how online safety and media literacy can possibly meet? Over the years, Insafe network members have created various media literacy resources, often combined with wider campaigning activity. An extensive overview is available in our Better Internet for Kids Bulletin on Media Literacy.
b) On fake news…
If you would like to delve deeper into the topic of fake news, have a look at the following sources of information:
- The recent Stanford University study of 7,804 students – which was mentioned by John Spencer in his video – summed up young people’s ability to reason about the information on the internet in one word: “bleak”! “In 2016, we would hope students, who spend hours each day online, would look beyond a .org URL and ask who’s behind a site that presents only one side of a contentious issue”, the author of the study said. However, “in every case and at every level, we were taken aback by students’ lack of preparation. […] At present, we worry that democracy is threatened by the ease at which disinformation about civic issues is allowed to spread and flourish.”
- David Buckingham gives – apart from a more in-depth critical analysis of the fake new problem – a number of interesting (and sometimes funny) examples of fake news. Next to a long list of fake news websites on Wikipedia, Buckingham quotes as his favourite example the spoof story about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un being voted the sexiest man alive. The story was posted on the US satirical site The Onion in 2012, but it was taken up by the official newspaper the China People’s Daily, which featured a 55-page photo spread on its website.
- Howard Rheingold, who has been at the forefront of media literacy since the 1990s, coined the term crap detection as a way to describe the necessary skills to consume media of any kind. He borrowed this term from Ernest Hemingway, who is reported to have said back in 1954: “Every man should have a built-in automatic crap detector operating inside him.” According to Rheingold, learning to be a critical consumer of online news/information is not rocket science – it’s not even algebra. It’s about asking a few questions, and using the available tools to see if you can find the answers. “Who is the author?” is the root question – and if you don’t find the author, you need to turn up your skepticism meter!
- Fact checking online is more important than ever! Swedish fact checker Viralgranskaren and IIS (The Internet Foundation In Sweden) released the guide ”Fact checking online” – the guide is in Swedish, but you can look at their video in English.
Across and beyond the Insafe network, many examples of resources and activities exist which may inspire you to teach about data protection/privacy:
- The European Handbook for Teaching Privacy and Data Protection at Schools – from the ARCADES project, available in English, Hungarian, Polish or Slovenian.
- Your guide to “Digital Defenders vs. Data Intruders – Privacy for kids!”, to help young people between 10-14 years to protect their privacy – a booklet from EDRi (European Digital Rights).
- Helping schools with data protection compliance, through a self-review kit – from the UK Safer Internet Centre.
- That data, actually OUR data, in the Cloud – from the Luxembourg Safer Internet Centre.
- The Guide to Online Services on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) website provides key information and step-by-step guidelines in multiple languages about the most popular apps, social networking sites and other platforms which are commonly being used by children and young people (and adults) today.
Module 2 Quiz
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