Understand what makes online information credible.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What makes online information credible?
OVERVIEW
In this introductory lesson, the teacher will initiate a conversation regarding online evaluation. The students will first gather indicators individually, then share them in teams. Next, each team will share the most and least important indicators to evaluate online information. Finally, the teacher will explain briefly what the experts say about what makes online information credible.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Define credibility
- Use indicators to evaluate the credibility of online information
- Explain how we can use the critical online resource evaluation (CORE) framework to evaluate online information
KEY TERMS
Credibility, source, relevant, evaluation
BROAD AREAS OF LEARNING
Media Literacy
- Understanding of media representations of reality
CROSS-CURRICULAR COMPETENCIES
Intellectual Competencies
- Uses information
- Exercises critical judgment
- Uses creativity
Communication-related Competencies
- Communicates appropriately
ELA COMPETENCIES
C1: Uses language\talk to communicate and learn
WARM-UP – REAL VS. FAKE CHALLENGE (8 MINUTES)
Introduce the essential question by allowing students to discuss the credibility of different images.
PART 1 INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION (10 MINUTES)
In this silent, individual activity, students will skim the resources provided on Worksheet 1.1 / Worksheet 1.1 Online to look for 6 indicators.
PART 2 TEAM REFLECTION (7 MINUTES)
In this team activity, students will categorize their indicators and position them on a poster board or on the walls of the classroom using poster board or Lesson 1 Jamboard Online.
PART 3 WHOLE CLASS REFLECTION (12 MINUTES)
In this teacher-led activity, students will select a leader to share their group’s findings using Worksheet 1.2.
THE CORE FRAMEWORK – WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT CREDIBILITY? (8 MINUTES)
The CORE framework is explained in more detail to help the students better comprehend the ways it can assist them in finding credible resources.
CONSOLIDATION (3 MINUTES)
Teachers summarize the lesson’s learnings, focussing on the CORE framework and credibility of context, source, and content.
CLOSING ACTIVITY – EXIT TICKET (7 MINUTES)
Students will navigate to the Lesson 1 Exit Ticket and note 1 thing they learned, as well as vote on upcoming topics to be used as a main inquiry question in class.
Notes on the essential question:
If clarification is needed for the essential question “What makes online information credible?” teachers could discuss the importance of credibility with regard to online information.
Example: How do we know that one website is more credible than another website? We could look at the author. If we are looking for medical information, we would look for information written by a reputable author–a medical professional or organization (the Red Cross, the Canadian Medical Association). Other areas to look at could include:
The presentation of the website
The expertise area of the author
The presence of ads on a website, etc.
Extensions to come.