Digital Citizenship: Media Literacy
October 17, 2024
Elementary
K-2: News & Media Literacy
Question of the Day: How can I know if something I hear or see online is true?
Objectives:
Understand that not everything they see on the internet is true.
Reflect on ways to check if something they see online is true.
Additional Resources:
3-5: Is Seeing Believing?
Question of the Day: Why do people alter digital images or videos?
Objectives:
- Recognize that photos and videos can be altered digitally.
Identify different reasons why someone might alter a photo or video.
Analyze altered photos and videos to try to determine why.
Additional Resources
- Lesson Quiz
- Lessons: News & Media Literacy collection
- For Families: Family Activity
Middle
6-8: News & the Elections
Question of the Day: How do we find credible information on the internet?
The web is full of questionable stuff, from rumors and inaccurate information to outright lies and so-called fake news. So how do we help students weed out the bad and find what's credible? Help students dig into why and how false information ends up online in the first place, and then practice evaluating the credibility of what they're finding online.
Objectives:
Learn reasons that people put false or misleading information on the internet.
Learn criteria for differentiating fake news from credible news.
Practice evaluating the credibility of information they find on the internet.
Additional Resources
High
9-12: Are Deepfake Videos a Threat to Democracy?
Question of the Day: What is deepfake technology, and what are its potential impacts for us, for our democracy, and for our world?
Every day, we see—and create!—countless images and videos that have been edited or digitally altered. From simple Snapchat filters to short, lighthearted, or ironic TikTok videos, it's clear that seeing and creating altered media is just part of online life today. But are you aware of—or have you thought deeply about—the rise of deepfake videos? The thing that makes deepfakes different is that they're created almost entirely with artificial intelligence, or "AI." This technology is advancing quickly, and some experts believe that many of these fakes will soon be nearly invisible to the human eye.
Use this lesson plan to have your students consider how AI technology and deepfakes could subvert or threaten a democratic election.
Objectives:
Define what a deepfake is
Analyze media to determine how it was manipulated
Additional Resources