While researching digital literacy for younger students, I came across the video posted below. This video quickly addresses the concept that things we see or hear in the media can either be fact or fiction while emphasizing that it is our responsibility to verify and decide whether or not it is true or false. This video could be used as an introductory video or a ‘hook’ for further discussion on digital literacy.

When looking at The Saskatchewan Curriculum, it is evident that digital literacy is not specifically included in the outcomes. However, it could easily be intertwined within lessons taught in health and other subject areas. For example in grade 3 they learn about healthy decisions which includes examining sources of information and misinformation. A digital literacy lesson could easily be incorperated into this subject area. This is just one example, as digital literacy could be taught in all of the grades. It is never to early to teach that we should not believe everything we see in our community. It is important that our students understand what digital literacy and how to use it effectively.

A simple way to educate students on how to be fact checkers would be to introduce them to the four simple steps that are described in the Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers book. In this book it emphasizes the four moves one should make when trying to get closer to the truth:

  1. Check for previous work: Look around to see if someone else has already fact-checked the claim or provided a synthesis of research.
  2. Go upstream to the source: Go “upstream” to the source of the claim. Most web content is not original. Get to the original source to understand the trustworthiness of the information.
  3. Read laterally: Read laterally. Once you get to the source of a claim, read what other people say about the source (publication, author, etc.). The truth is in the network.
  4. Circle back: If you get lost, hit dead ends, or find yourself going down an increasingly confusing rabbit hole, back up and start over knowing what you know now. You’re likely to take a more informed path with different search terms and better decisions.

Teaching older students a digital literacy lesson using the steps listed above will set them up with lifelong skills to be able to decifer whether or not an article is real or fake. Furthermore, here is a lesson plan that could be used in the classroom in which the four moves could also be incorperated.

The article, How do we teach students to identify fake news? provides further steps we as educators can use to teach students on how to be critical readers with all of the media that surround them. Interestingly, this article also lists some investigative techniques using online verification websites, Factscan, Org, Snopes, and Hoax Slayer (appears to be the same program as Factscan but uses a different name). Utilizing these sites, can speed up the investigative process and enable students to do a quicker fact or fiction check.

The NTCE Framework, has published goals to reach in order to be successful within a digital society. Some of the ways I can incorperate these are by:

  • Promoting critical thinking with online sources
  • Provide a wide variety of texts for students to engage with to develop diverse perspectives
  • Empower students to consume, curate, and create content
  • Provide equitable digital access to inclusive texts and tools
  • Supporting the students in collaboration and building cross cultural connections as well
  • Offer opportunities, as well as, strategies to use when addressing or interupting biases and privilege with effective communication
  • Teach the students about their rights, responsibilities, as well as, legal, and ethical implications of using online spaces

By using the NTCE Framework, I am able to implement strategies (listed above) within the classroom that will guide students to have a successful experience within the digital world.