{"id":1292,"date":"2020-04-27T10:13:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T10:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.31.50\/ssvmblog\/?p=1292"},"modified":"2021-03-26T14:05:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T08:35:17","slug":"in-the-day-and-age-of-teaching-critical-media-literacy-in-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ssvminstitutions.ac.in\/blog\/2020\/04\/27\/in-the-day-and-age-of-teaching-critical-media-literacy-in-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"In The Day And Age Of Teaching Critical Media Literacy In Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a digitally networked age of information overload, the ability to recognize reliable data from fake news require new literacy skills to empower teachers, among other basics in education, to enable students on how to navigate the digital environment through thoughtful and socially just perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The critical awareness skills to read, write, and use information, technology and media help distinguish between \u201calternative facts\u201d from \u201cfalsified information\u201d while enabling civic participation and social transformation among students from kindergarten to university levels. Scholars of critical theory, therefore, strongly believe that kids from a young age must be taught to evaluate the online stories they counter regularly. There\u2019s a pressing need for teachers, non-profits and school districts to also design curriculum, apps, and assessments preparing a set of students who become more critically-aware consumers of information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Role of Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Well-meaning technology interventions such as social media and other digital platforms have found a deeper and more long-term synergy in human life. While there are significant benefits of media and technology, it is also true that these platforms are the perfect breeding ground for spreading biased and false information. Unfortunately, negative news is irresistible since they spread faster than accurate stories and people get drawn to fake reporting easily. Kelly Mendoza, senior director for education programs at Common Sense Education, in a recent conversation, said, \u201cWe are at a unique moment because when something was on print, it could only spread so far and wide. And now, digitally, information can spread exponentially and it\u2019s really easy to spread something that\u2019s not true.\u201d But, the real-life problem at hand asks a more pertinent question, \u201cIs core technology the only issue? And can it be solved with more advanced fake-news algorithm filters?\u201d According to Richard Hornik, director of overseas partnership programs at the Centre for News Literacy at Stony Brook University, \u201cthis is a human problem. This is us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a fake-news filter mechanism<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Experts like Hornik believe that this life-threatening issue can be countered if students are taught about lateral learning skills from a young age. These fundamental skills will include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n