Today, fake news fills up so much of the internet. The world is full of it. A lot of people see something and share it, thinking it is true. Many times I have been sent something into a group chat about some sort of news. I remember a time during high school when my friend sent an article that popped up on Instagram. The headline read “Bill Nye Arrested”. This was something that shocked us all and immediately I knew something wasn’t right. So, I fact checked it, and turns out he was never arrested. I hated to burst everyone’s bubble and stop the conversation but I told them it was not true. The point is, everyone at some point will deal with some wort of fake news, and it is becoming more and more common.
But, how do we combat all of this fake news? For one, we need to teach and use digital literacy techniques. Teaching digital literacy means teaching kids to understand what the digital world is, how to navigate it safely, and how to avoid misinformation and fake news.
A good way to introduce this topic would be by playing a game like “Can you spot the fake news headline“. Then, follow up by playing them this Ted Talk about fake news. It theory behind fake news and how it spreads. This can be a general introduction to the idea of fake news and how it connects to understanding our digital world.
Digital literacy is becoming more and more important in the recent years. In today’s world, we are bombarded with information overload. There are so many places were we can find information, so teaching students how to identify trustworthy sources and how to find the true from the false is very important. It is especially important now to sift out fake news during this pandemic. Updates are of huge importance to everyone in the world right now, so there is a need to find good information and not spread fake news.