The premise of digital literacy has become so intricate that it is difficult to keep up, especially if you are not a regular user of internet media. It is easy to stay in your own corner of the internet and allow what you see to dictate what you think. In our classrooms, we should be teaching about how to be digitally literate and how to critically think about what we are seeing online, especially as it pertains to politics and human rights.
Data & Society Research Institute warns about the dangers of falling victim to political propaganda. The article highlights some of the tactics that trolls may use in order to manipulate internet users into believing their rhetoric (Data & Society Research Institute, p. 5&7). One method that can be used in elementary classrooms is to identify the emotional reactions that certain content brings, and ask if the content makes sense or seems rational. We can teach students to employ their critical thinking skills, like the ones we use in math when reviewing an answer, while we are viewing content online.
This list compiles ways to beat fake news, which can be taught in the classroom. Oftentimes when I am working with younger students I may say something a bit outlandish then ask “do you think Miss Standyk is telling you a true fact or is she being silly/pretending?” then get the student to respond and tell me why they think I am pretending. I believe this is a great way to stimulate critical thinking and begin to teach kids to question and critically think about what they see and hear, even from adults. When working with older students, the opportunity to use online resources that teach digital literacy is much more prevalent, but beginning to cultivate the skills required to think critically are important in the younger years.
In this book about teaching critical thinking, I especially like the lesson about using ads to teach persuasive writing. This lesson not only includes the basics of reading and writing, but asks kids to think about the ways that products and services are sold to them. They then have the opportunity to practice this writing which promotes their ability to identify persuasive language in the real world.