Fake News and Media Literacy Skills: Should we be teaching about this in our language classrooms?
Legislature in California is about to be passed that will mandate that each school teach about fake news and media literacy. What is fake news? Fake news is basically a made up news story that is portrayed as real. On social media, these stories often get passed around as if they are real. Fake news could also be a news story that includes facts twisted out of proportion. Media literacy references the skills that students need to navigate, evaluate, and utilize technology. If this bill is passed, superintendents will need to create a committee of teachers and staff that will decide how these topics will be taught in their school. Many teachers of Journalism, English, and History already teach about these topics, so should ESL teachers be teaching about it too?
We already know that ELLs come to our classrooms with various skill levels and experiences with using technology, ranging from advanced to non-existent. Teachers in core classes may assume that all students know which websites constitute reliable sources. Students coming from refugee camps with no access to technology may not be familiar with the tell-tale signs of fake news or a reliable source.
If ESL teachers are planning to incorporate technology (which they should!) into their classroom, they should teach students how to evaluate their sources. But, even if the ESL teacher is not planning to incorporate technology specifically into the classroom, should they teach about media literacy? I think that they should. Just as the elderly tend to have less experience with the internet, therefore can often get caught in a scam that the majority of the general public would know throws a red flag, so too can ELLs with low levels of computer literacy have trouble spotting fake news. We owe it to our students to teach them about fake news and the skills of media literacy.
Resources:
Jones, C. (2017, May). Bill would help California schools teach about 'fake news,' media
literacy. Retrieved from: https://edsource.org/2017/bill-would-help-california-schools-teach- about-fake-news-media-literacy/582363
Yes, it's very important to incorporate this into lesson plans. I once had a lesson plan about scamming and practiced a phone call with a student, a refugee who had no access technology in his camp. I had to teach him NOT to give information to a stranger on the phone, carry his social security card with him (need a safe place!), look for .gov and .edu sources on the internet, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is very important! Not just for EL students but for all students! We talk about digital citizenship with my 6th graders and it is shocking what they talk about posting or talking to people they don't know.
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