In the educational game A Day in the Life of the Jos (Licensed Resource), students in grades six to eight help the brother and sister team Jo and Josie with situations they encounter online as they go about a typical day in their lives.
Level: Grades 9 to 12 About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts Duration: 1 to 1 ½ hours, plus time to do and present the assessment/evaluation activity
Level: Grades 9 to 12 About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts Duration: 1 to 1 ½ hours, plus time for the assessment/evaluation activity
Level: Grades 9 to 12 About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts Duration: 1 ½ to 2 hours, plus time for the assessment/evaluation activity
Level: Grades 9 to 12 About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts Duration: 1 to 1 ½ hours, plus time for the assessment/evaluation activity
In this lesson, students consider the ways in which misinformation can have an impact on history and politics. After discussing a number of historical examples of misinformation, they examine the ways in which news sources may be biased and use an interactive online game to practice skills in getting more context on a story. Finally, students read a current news story and use what they have learned to find the context they need to understand it.
Because social media makes us all broadcasters, we have a responsibility not just to avoid sharing misinformation but to take action when people in our network share it.
One of the hardest things about being a responsible sharer is to be aware of your own biases, the reasons why you might be more likely to believe something without evidence. These are aspects of the way we think that can lead us to accept false statements, reject true ones, or simply not ask enough questions.
