My Module 3 Triggering Question: 1) what apps/tools/sites/curricula are the best for learning the skills to determine the veracity of news AND 2) what are the most efficient ways (i.e. I am thinking of aggregating apps like Feedly and Google News/Reader) for students to curate varied and verified news source into their daily media diet?
From my research I feel fortunate to say that the best curricula and engaging tools for helping students determine the validity and veracity of the news (i.e. how to know what to believe) is, in my estimation, the non-profit News Literacy Project and their web-based platform and curriculum called Checkology. Admittedly, I am quite familiar with NLP. I was one of the original pilot teachers to partner with the organization back in 2010. I have spoken on behalf of NLP at a news literacy conference in Chicago in Fall 2014 and am committed to carrying on their mission helping to broaden their reach to the PNW. I was also one of the first teachers and classrooms to pilot Checkology before its formal launch in the Summer 2016. I am featured both in pull quote and in two of the testimonial, talking head videos on their website. I feel honored to be carrying the torch for this organization and completely believe in their mission. Back when I began that work we were in the heyday of Obama's first term and could have never imagined that spin and propaganda machine that the Executive could become (thanks Twitter). We need news literate young people now, more than ever before.
NLP has locked most of their videos to their own page but here is one I found on YouTube from 2014 that is well before the concept of Checkology even existed and that two of my former students and I all contributed talking head interviews for. You can see me briefly at about 1:10.
NLP's work is about teaching healthy skepticism and promoting a balanced media diet considering the deluge that young people (and ALL people) are expected to consume today. It is no wonder that so many of us indulge internet outrage over some headline we barely skimmed - let alone had ANY context for. Sadly, many of us rely on the carefully curated echo chambers we've built for ourselves on Facebook or our Twitter feeds with the expectations that they "bring us the news." Considering a health media diet these sources are the equivalent of McDonalds, that is, we can consume vast amounts, become crazed by it and never feel satisfied or likely ever really challenged.
I am excited to have my own classroom again to pick back up with NLP and the work of incorporate news/media literacy skills into my social studies and history courses.
Other resources I considered in my research and I am familiar with are similarly tools for discerning sources and promoting critical thinking. SHEG (Stanford History Education Group) which my mentor teacher introduced me to this year which promotes critical thinking by analyzing history lessons both through primary source document AND also learning how to put historians themselves into a context and unearth and critique their biases. Additionally, the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting which I mentioned last week is another source of news that is promoting lesser known stories and longer-form investigative reporting which demands literacy, patience and consideration of detailed information.
Lastly, the second part of my questions was concerned with finding useful tools for students building and aggregating valid news sources to one single place/app/feed where they could regularly visit and consume and work towards a well-balanced media diet. I am familiar with apps like Feedly and Flipboard and wanted to see what else is out there. I came across this great blog post on the tech blog Techlicious about the 7 Best News Aggregator Apps. I think that the author's conclusion is there isn't just one aggregator app for all healthy news diets but instead that each one serves a speciality and necessary roll. She details AP Mobile, Flipboard and Feedly - all of which I was familiar with.
In the article I learned of a few I'd never heard of as well, including Nuzzel which at first glance seems great. This app seems geared to transition people out of the echo chamber of your own meticulously curated feed but without too much shock. It still has the social media aspect of sharing and user generated reviews and comments that drive stories. Additionally, it connects with other websites like Reddit to help promote deeper detail and understanding of topics.
Also another she highly recommends is Science News and Discoveries. For any of you early adopter of IFLS out there who feel like I do that its content has declined over the years to clickbait, this app might be for us.
Lastly, here's an NPR Story from Dec 2016 that details the curriculum and application of Checkology in a classroom.
References
News Literacy Project (2017). Checkology Virtual Classroom. Retrieved from: http://www.thenewsliteracyproject.org/services/checkology
Stanford History Education Group (2017). Curriculum: Reading Like A Historian. Retrieved from: http://sheg.stanford.edu/rlh
Strokes, N. (2017). Techlicious. The Best News Aggregator Apps. Retrieved from: https://www.techlicious.com/guide/the-best-news-aggregation-sites/
Turner, C. (2016) The Classroom Where Fake News Fails. NPR: All Things Considered. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/12/22/505432340/the-classroom-where-fake-news-fails
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