As we welcome technology into our classroom, not only is digital citizenship something that we need to teach our students, but how to figure out if information they find true or is it fake.  Websites do a fantastic job at making their information websites look creditable when in reality they are filled with tons of misinformation.  I think that there are many was that we can ensure that we are reaching the NCTE framework and alot of resources out there to use.

Not only do these sites give us untrue information, they can have viruses attached to them or lead us to pictures or articles that are not appropriate for our students.  In the article How do we teach students to identify fake news, they give us 4 main suggestions: move beyond traditional -and often ineffective-information evaluation checklists, prioritize helping students helping students develop investigative techniques, teach students to identify biases, and bring real-world fake news examples that we encounter everyday into the classroom.  As students get older it is important for them to figure out on their own if they are on a safe, creditable site and we can help them learn some core basics to look for.  They also provided a poster to hang in your classroom, which I thought was a pretty good resource to use when teaching about fake news.

EdCan-Network_Facts-on-Education_Fake-News-1

I was relating this to if I was teaching in a grade 4 classroom and we were doing a science research project about plants and animals and their habitats.  Part of their project would be to research a habitat and then be able to tell the animals and plants that could be found in that area.  I went to look for some resources and I found articles like the ones that we looked at during class that we looked at, they were different then these ones that you could use with students before starting their research so they are aware that everything you see on the internet isn’t always true.  I found this checklist that you could have as a poster in your classroom and it could be printed for each student to have and reference.  Before they use information for their research, they would have to go through the checklist and show that they did in order to continue.

https://www.google.com/search?q=website+credibility+checklist+for+kids+printable&oq=website+credibility+checklist+for+kids+printable&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCjE2ODg4ajFqMT

I could totally relate to the article posted It’s easier to call a fact a fact when it’s one that you like, I think adults and kids are both guilty of finding facts that we believe are already true to prove our point if they are or not.  Or if it says something really interesting that could be on the fence of real or fake, we often retreat to the real side.

I think if we find resources that are fun and exciting to get students attention they will see the importance in it.  I like little online quizzes like Can you spot the fake new headline?   I am sure there are some that are more age appropriate for the age of your students that would get them engaged.  I found this one on CBC kids and if you scroll towards the bottom it has other tools on digital citizenship and other online resources.  Kahoot also had a good selection of quizzes about this subject area or you could make up your own on here as well.

 

 

Social media platforms have exploded over the years and I can admit that I am an oversharer on both Facebook and Instagram.  My Facebook account is private, but I do allow more people from my life onto this platform.  I often share pictures of my family and accomplishments that my kids have.  On the other hand I have tried to keep my Instagram more for people that I actually have regular contact with, but often share the same information on both platforms.  I can totally relate to the article about having multiple identities online, as my daughter has two Instagram accounts, one for everyone and one that she chooses people on it more wisely.  My children also utilize the “private story” option on snapchat, where you can chose who has rights to viewing these snapchats.

As a parent I often hear “I’m not a Pinterest mom”, it saddens me to think that along with the pressures of being a parent we are also concerned at how other parents are judging us and how we do things.  I often made Pinterest inspired Valentine’s and birthday party ideas for my kids when they were younger, which eventually dwindled away for my third child, but I never felt like I was doing it to keep up to anyone else or to be a Pinterest mom, I had fun doing it.  We need to start being less judgmental and show compassion as these are all things that take a mental toll on all of us.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in what people post on their social media sites and believing that they have the perfect life or that they try to portray something that they are not.  I have personally struggled with this throughout the last couple years of my life.  I found as a family relationship began to break down I felt like I was being consistently slapped with things posted on their social media.  It really started to take a toll on both my physical and mental health, which lead to me being quite ill, it was at this point that I decided to mute this person on my social media, I knew deleting them would create a bigger mess so I went through this avenue, and man did it help make a difference.  Although this person insisted on liking/loving my posts which I still feel is their way to getting to me, so I have had to learn to ignore and let it be.  Through all of this I can see how teenagers and young adults that are not ready for these types of decisions struggle and get caught up in it all.  It is so important to talk to our people if we see something different happening in their everyday lives.

Another case of cyber shaming happened to a family friend in the school system a couple years ago.  This teacher posted on their school sign with their students about how Farming chemicals negatively affects habitats.  Although this is a part of our school curriculum and is a unit that they discuss, the farming community of this small town and surrounding communities was up in arms.  Just a simple google search right now brought up a list of news outlets that were involved in this sign business.  I watched as this teacher and their family were put through the ringer online, and how much it affected them.  This teacher eventually left their job at this school and relocated with their young family as the public shaming became too much and took a huge mental health toll on them.  This is just another case of people blowing up a mistake and creating chaos in an individuals life.  But is it really a mistake when it’s something that we are supposed to teach?  As educators these are going to be hurdles that we are going to have to deal with ourselves-everyone is watching our choices and you never know when someone is going to use them against us.  I don’t say this this to scare anyone, but I believe that it is something that needs to be said so we are prepared.

This is a problem that isn’t going away so we all need to be aware and educate ourselves and our future generations to maybe take a step in the right direction towards seeing change.

https://www.pexels.com/search/cellphone/