Session 4

Activity

In this Activity, we were told to create a proposal to a school principal, recommending an improvement to the school using multimedia. Here is our short proposal to the principal.

Our proposal

How to evaluate information on the Internet?

There are too many news stories produced every day, especially new media giving everyone a chance to produce their news. But every coin has two sides. On the one hand, this situation may broaden our horizons, but on the other hand, it may bring about more fake news than before.

Therefore, as a technology director in our school, I consider designing an e-booklet to help the students learn how to distinguish fake news from the resources on the Internet. The booklet may involve in two parts: first, a mind map listing all the key factors about how to evaluate website content; second, a game to give students a chance to experience a journalist’s work, and make a news story. We hope, in this way, the information literacy of our students can be improved.

As shown in figure 1, the booklet provides the guideline for students to distinguish information from the internet considering Author, Objectivity, Accuracy, and Audience aspects. Students can objectively judge the authenticity of news based on this guideline.

In order to improve their motivation, we also provide a real-life simulation game for students to test whether they know how to distinguish fake information within the booklet. The real-life simulation game called iReporter created by BBC. In this game, students will act as a junior journalist who got accepted by the BBC recently. The students need to determine what kind of news they want to publish, from what source, why it is important to the public, and is it fake or not. Furthermore, the game will determine the students’ score within 3 main areas, there are accuracy, impact, and speed. Students with high scores have been considered knowledgeable to distinguish some information.

Here is the link of iReporter created by BBC,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-8760dd58-84f9-4c98-ade2-590562670096

This is a feasibility proposal for IT teachers to integrate e-booklet with information technology in the IT curriculum to teach them how to search for reliable information.

This project can benefit students and school, improving students’ information literacy skills. First, Students understand not all the information on the Internet is reliable, and they should think critically by themselves when they are reading online. Second, students are able to critically distinguish trustworthy recourse from fake information by checking accuracy, reliable source and so on. Third, students can learn how to voice their own opinions accurately, which can help them to be responsible digital learners. Finally, the IT curriculum of school becomes much more meaningful and up to date, which can improve students’ motivation to learn. 

In conclusion, if students have this e-booklet, they will have more opportunities to exercise their abilities to find the difference between the fake information and the true one, which is a significant skill in the modern world. Thus, teachers should not give any blind eyes to this literacy skills.