Fake news is a form of news consisting of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional news media or online social media.As technology advances, so does the means to create more realistic fake news. It was once so easy to distinguish fake news, with the ridiculously fabricated images and giant fonts, but as Alec Couros and Katia Hildebrandt point out, that may no longer be the case.
“Why is fake news so much harder to deal with today? One of the major changes is the prevalence of easily accessible digital tools that allow anyone to create realistic but false messages, videos, and voice recordings.” With this new age of online learning, it is especially important that we are teaching our students how to filter out the fake news. I learned that our search engines filter to our interest making us see very similar posts to interact with. Being aware of our personal platform and newsfeed can help us decipher the fake news from the real.
Not everything we read online is real. I often find myself in similar situations and believe what I see on the internet, as I expect most people to be truthful/honest. I’ve slowly begun to distinguish clues of bias that may show what the form of media is trying to get you to believe. It is important to question your research and findings, as we should strive to find accurate information. EDTC 300 has been extremely beneficial with improving my online learning and will make me a better learner for future classes and in my classroom.
Do you think you can spot fake news? Try these three places.
- Can you spot the fake news headline?
- Factitious – A game about identifying fake news
- Weekly News Quiz from the NY Times
Use this great teacher tool to help guide your students in determining Fake and Real News. Worksheet: Bias in the news (Created by Katherine Koskie)
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