Resource of the Month
Seven Ways to spot a Facebook Hoax
Following an in-depth investigation into hoax Facebook posts, Full Fact have produced a handy guide to checking whether a Facebook post might be a hoax.
Irish Resources
Be Safe Online during COVID-19
Be Safe Online is the Irish Government’s campaign to highlight ways to help you stay safe online, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. These pages offer access to a wide range of online safety resources including the National Cyber Security Centre, Webwise, Media Literacy Ireland, Healthy Ireland and the HSE.
Connected
Connected has been specifically designed for teachers of the Junior Cycle Digital Media Literacy Short Course who wish to explore Online Wellbeing; News, Information and Problems of False Information; Big Data and the Data Economy; and My Rights Online. Connected aims to empower young people to be effective, autonomous and safe users of technology and online media.
HTML Heroes
Linked to the SPHE (Social Personal and Health Education) Curriculum, HTML Heroes is a free digital media literacy education programme containing eight interactive lessons and is supported by three fun and colourful animations asking What is the internet?, What can I trust online?, What is online advertising? The aim of the ‘Introduction to the Internet programme’ is to help 7-10 year olds develop critical thinking and digital media literacy skills to effectively and safely navigate the online world while also promoting positives uses of technology. The programme be accessed for free on Webwise.
Press Pass
NewsBrands Ireland is the representative body for Ireland’s 17 national news publishers. Press Pass is their News Literacy and Student Journalism programme which is a complete journalism and media literacy module for Transition Year students which equips them with the critical thinking skills required to exercise judgment, analyse complex realities and recognise the difference between opinion and fact.
Integrating information literacy into the curriculum
Library staff in CONUL institutions have considerable expertise in the area of information literacy. This booklet includes both practical advice concerning the integration of information literacy into the curriculum and a large number of case studies showing what has been achieved already in an Irish context.
MediaWise
The MediaWise resource is based on the BAI’s core media literacy competencies, and developed in partnership with BAI, teachers, curriculum experts and other key stakeholders. It is now available in English and Irish. These resources are useful for creating a general awareness about media literacy among parents and other childcare providers outside the classroom environment.
International Resources
Five Essential Questions
Common Sense Media is an independent non-profit organisation that provides parents, teachers, and policymakers with unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all childrens’ lives. Use these five essential questions as a springboard, to help children, or anyone for that matter, dig deeper with even more critical questions of their own.
TedEx: How to choose your news
How do we choose which news to consume?
In this 5 minute video, Damon Brown gives the inside scoop on how the opinions and facts (and sometimes non-facts) make their way into the news and how the smart reader can tell them apart.
TedEd: How do we choose which news to consume
News Literacy Project
Test and sharpen your news literacy skills with short activities, engaging quizzes and shareable graphics — for teachers as well as for learners of all ages.
BBC Helping Students Spot False News
A collection of resources from around the BBC to help students spot fake news and false information. The content explores the social, political and economic impact of news reporting, and the skills needed to analyse and critically evaluate information across a range of media.
CRAAP TEST!
Librarians at California State University-Chico have come up with a memorable way to remind us that not all information is good information, especially in an online environment. The CRAAP Test is a handy checklist to use when evaluating information. CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.
Eight simple steps
The International Federation of Library Associations have produced an infographic with eight simple steps (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News). The IFLA invites you to download it, print it, translate it, and share it to help spread the message.
Our Media Smart partners in the UK have a mission to ensure all young people can confidently navigate the media they consume, including being able to identify, interpret and critically evaluate all forms of advertising.
It provides free teaching resources and parent guides on subjects like social media, body image and influencer market. These can be downloaded by going to the Media Smart website.
mediasmart.uk.com