Fake news—who writes it, how it spreads—is on everyone’s mind lately. But it’s not just news readers should be concerned about which stories are true and which are false.
As more students use the Internet for homework and research projects, school administrators find themselves on the offensive to ensure online sources are reliable, verifiable, trusted and safe.
Today, when given a topic for a research paper, the first impulse for many students is to go online to search for information. And who could blame them? The Internet offers a treasure trove of information. No longer are students constrained by what’s in their school or local library. In many ways, they have access to libraries around the world.
But with this vast accessibility comes the very real danger of students (and teachers) stumbling upon and using resources that aren’t reputable, or that haven’t been vetted by scholars, editors or subject-matter experts. It’s the Wild West out there, and new trends in social media and sponsored content make it difficult for even a wary individual to determine what’s genuine and what’s not.
A recent study by Stanford University paints an unfortunately bleak picture of how students are coping with this new age. From January 2015 to June 2016, researchers gave a series of tasks and assignments to students in both under- and well-resourced schools (middle schools, high schools and colleges) in 12 states. The goal: Test these students’ online civic reasoning skills. What did the study find?
According to the Stanford University study, digitally savvy students “may be able to flit between Facebook and Twitter while simultaneously uploading a selfie to Instagram and texting a friend. But when it comes to evaluating information that flows through social media channels, they are easily duped.”
This is why, now more than ever, research and information fluency (and the critical thinking behind it) are the most powerful skills a 21st-century student can have. Ease of accessibility should be no excuse (or permission) for cursory reading and analysis, or for accepting what you see online at face value.
So essential is information fluency that it’s one of the seven standard skills highlighted by the International Society for Technology and Education (ISTE). Students should be able to:
What are some of the practical tips students, teachers and administrators can use to better evaluate the content they find online, on popular websites like Wikipedia and via social media sources like Facebook and Twitter?
The days of resorting exclusively to thick, dusty reference books for research and study are gone forever. But that doesn’t mean critical thinking skills are useless or out-of-date. In fact, in our information-saturated age, they’re more important than ever.
With better information fluency, students, teachers and administrators can safely navigate the choppy waters of the Internet. They can stay anchored to the truth in a seemingly “post-truth” age.