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Media Literacy is a skill that is crutial for everyone to learn as we begin to conduct more research projects and write more research papers. As students, it will be your responsibility to look at different types of sourses to determine if they have accurate information about the given topic you are exploring. It will be expected for you all to analyze information to use in projects, to select accurate information that supports your topic or argument, and that you properly give credit to the cites you are taking information from to use in your projects. These are large skills you will use throughout your life that we are begining to learn about today, so it is crutial to practice these skills so that you know the information you are looking at is accurate before jumping to conclusions.

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The spread of misinformation has been increasing drastically in recent years, making it harder to find and understand reliable facts when looking online. Misinformation is a complex topic that can come in many different forms in which information is presented as factual that people believe. Misinformation can be data, graphs, and research that are constructed to make individuals believe certain things like facts or could be opinions stated as facts for individuals to believe. As the use of media adapts and changes to the times, so does the use of spreading misinformation, especially with Photoshop creating doctored images and AI creating artificial photos, videos, and stories. Disinformation is a similar set of untrue information that is purposely spread amongst individuals to achieve certain responses. It is important to learn the skills to identify and question the information seen online to identify both classes of incorrect information as you all become internet sleuths.

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What is Misinformation / Disinformation?

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Archives & Special Collections Aviation & Transportation Technology Library Black Cultural Center Library Hicks Undergraduate Library Humanities, Social Science, & Education Library (HSSE) Library of Engineering & Science Mathematical Sciences Library Print Repositories Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics Veterinary Medical Library

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There are different skills one needs to aquire in order to become media literate. The first step is learning how to analyze if a source is reliable, meaning provides accurate information. Learning how to break down aspects of a source into key details helps in determining not only the reliability of the information being provided, but also learning about any biases the author may have which can impact the information they provide. Next, media literiate individuals know how to look at different types of sources with different kinds of biases to find the most accurate account of the information being provided. Knowing how to interperate information to find the most accurate account of what happened will help you both as researchers, writiers, and internet slueths. Lastly, media literate students know how to be skeptical about information they see online, how to think critically about if it is likely for that to occur, and how to cross-refrence or look at other sources to see if that information is correct. Following these steps will help you all become internet slueths as we learn these skills and apply them to the papers and projects we create in school.

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It is important as internet slueths to learn the steps needed to look at a cite to see if it is providing realible information or not. When going to a new cite, the first thing we need to do is to look for an author if it is an article or video, or look for the creator of the website if it is information or products. Researching the author is important to understand what qualifications they have to be talking about this topic, what perspectives or biases they may have that might skew the information they provide, and what background or knowledge they have that further relates to the information being provided. From there, looking at the date of publication is crutial in understanding how dated the information could be. We are constantly learning new information about this world, and a lot of information is proven unfactual, making it dated information, so looking at the publication date may provide more information on the accuracy of the information in our current day and age. However, older information in the form of primary sources are useful when looking at history, as it tells you a closer look at what that time period looks like. Understanding the time period and objectives of the author or organization is a good first step in looking at if a source is reliable or not.

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How to Evaluate Sources for Reliability - Writing for Kids

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Understanding the reason why a source is presenting information helps in learning the accuracy of the information. Looking at others biases is a difficult skill to learn that all media literate individuals need to have in order to identify misinformation. Often times, sources have a purpose in sharing the information they have, whether it is to sell you a product, pursuade you to a certain belief, modivate you to act, or to teach you one perspective of an event. All sources have biases and agendas they are trying to push, and it is crutial to look for multiple perspectives when finding sources for projects and papers. Learning how to look at multiple sources that hold different biases and finding the middle ground will be crutial in analyzing the information you are recieving online.

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When evaluating this source, the first step is to look into the author. Just by scrolling to the bottom of the page, we can see that the author, Avinash Saravanan, is an engineer and computer scientist, not a nutritionist. After doing a quick Google with his name, we can see that his experience sticks with computer sciences as well, and there isn't any overlap when it comes to nutrition. As we scroll through this article, we can see that a lot of the websites he sources for evidence are not super reliable as well, as they are from Wikipedia, in which others can edit the page, or blog posts in which individuals write their opinions, not facts. By reading the headline and the sections, we can tell that Avinash Saravanan has a bias against the use of the food pyramid's original form as it promotes things such as obesity, showing a strong bias against this method of information. The food pyramid has been replaced with My Plate in a lot of schools but is still used today, so while this is a good topic to look into, this might not be the best source to use for these reasons.

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The food pyramid has been a staple of dietary advice for decades. Even though it has been declared obsolete, it is still being followed by many which is problematic. Some experts argue that the food pyramid is completely wrong and that it promotes unhealthy eating habits. For example, the bottom tier of the pyramid suggests 6-11 servings of carbohydrates like bread, cereal, pasta, rice, etc. Given that we have rising rates of obesity and the United States has a declining average life expectancy, I thought it would be productive to discuss why the food pyramid is wrong and even harmful.

As a general overview, the food pyramid is a visual representation of how different foods contribute to a healthy diet. It was designed to help people make healthy food choices. The structure of the food pyramid is divided into six sections. The bottom section is the largest and represents foods that should be eaten in the largest quantities. The top section is the smallest and represents foods that should be eaten in the smallest quantities. The six sections are as follows starting with what should be consumed the most and ending with what should be consumed the least:

1. Grains

2. Vegetables

3. Fruits

4. Dairy

5. Protein

6. Fats, Oils and Sweets

The idea behind the food pyramid is that people should eat more of the foods at the bottom of the pyramid and less of the foods at the top of the pyramid.
Nutritional Density
The bottom tier of the pyramid alone is reason enough for concern. The initial food pyramid suggested 6-11 servings of carbohydrates like bread, cereal, pasta, rice, etc. The only problem with that suggestion is that carbohydrates eventually break down into sugar which our bodies then store as fat. This can lead to weight gain and other health problems.

Some experts suggest that low-calorie, nutrient dense foods should be at the base of the pyramid. These foods are full of vitamins and minerals that promote health. They have little added sodium, sugar, or saturated fats. Examples of nutrient-dense foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains (not refined grains), eggs, seafood, beans and lentils, unsalted nuts and seeds, lean meat, and poultry.

Insulin resistance is a condition where the body does not respond to the hormone called insulin and unable to convert the glucose into energy. It is associated with several other conditions, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Insulin resistance may be much more related to abdominal adiposity - increased waist size - than to aging itself. In essence, people get older and they also get fatter, and their fatness is driving their insulin resistance and therefore their susceptibility to chronic disease and death.

A low insulin lifestyle is essential for health as insulin resistance is a contributing factor to multiple chronic diseases that impact healthspan.

In the case of the food pyramid, the food pyramid is a general guide to healthy eating that recommends eating more carbohydrates than proteins and fats. However, this may not be the best approach for people with insulin resistance. Eating too many carbohydrates can cause blood sugar levels to spike and increase insulin resistance. This is arguably what is leading to many of the health issues faced by Americans and people in developed economies later in life.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, both fat and sugar are bad for you. However, we are talking about saturated fats, trans fats and added sugars. Saturated fats and trans fats are bad for you, period. Both prompt the creation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the type that causes coronary artery disease (CAD). Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol levels, decrease "good" high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and cause inflammation, which accelerates the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Saturated fats are found primarily in animal products They are also found in certain oils derived from plants, including coconut oil and palm oil. If you need to lower your cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends you consume no more than 5 to 6% of your calories as saturated fats. Otherwise, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting saturated fat to no more than 10% of total calories.

On the other hand, most people find a fat-free diet too hard to follow. The good news is that you don't have to forgo all fats to stay healthy. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats actually are good for your heart. Replacing saturated fats in your diet with poly and monounsaturated fats can lower the rate of cardiovascular disease. In other words, making the switch can have the same effect as taking statins.

As for sugar, it is not harmful in small amounts but consuming too much sugar can lead to health problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Sugar is also addictive and can lead to cravings and overeating.

As we get older, we typically experience muscle loss and bone density. Proper nutrition is vital to avoid any morbidities that are caused by such conditions. Sarcopenia is the age-related progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. The main symptom of the condition is muscle weakness. Sarcopenia is a type of muscle atrophy primarily caused by the natural aging process. Osteoporosis is a condition that causes bones to become brittle and fragile due to loss of bone density. It is often considered a silent disease because it can progress without any symptoms until a fracture occurs. In addition to this, the loss of bone density and muscle also leads to cosmetic aging.

For sarcopenia, increasing protein intake and incorporating strength and resistance training can help combat muscle loss. For bone density loss, foods rich in calcium and vitamin D are recommended. Some examples include dairy products, leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. This means that protein should be consumed at higher levels than is suggested in the food pyramid especially later in life.

The food pyramid was created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1992 as a guide for healthy eating. The pyramid was designed to emphasize the importance of carbohydrates in the diet and to encourage people to eat more grains. The USDA believed that grains were an important source of energy and that they provided essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It should also be noted that major beverage companies have had a large role and say in the construction of the pyramid and the emphasis of fats as more harmful than sugar.

The food pyramid has been criticized for being too broad and not taking into account individual needs. Some experts believe that the emphasis on carbohydrates may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in the United States. In recent years, there has been a shift away from the food pyramid towards more personalized nutrition plans. Many experts now recommend a diet that is high in protein and healthy fats and low in carbohydrates. This type of diet has been shown to be effective for weight loss and improving overall health.

There are several alternatives to the food pyramid. One of them is called "MyPlate" which was introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011. The MyPlate model shows the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and dairy) in a place setting. It is designed to be easier to understand when you think about what types of food to include in each meal that you eat.

There are some advantages and disadvantages to using this model, however. The MyPlate model is simpler and easier to understand than the food pyramid. It encourages Americans to fill half their plate with fruits and vegetables. However, it oversimplifies the complexity of nutrition and does not provide specific guidance on portion sizes or address the quality of food choices within each food group. It also does not provide detailed recommendations for specific nutrients or address individual dietary needs.

I also have seen updates to the food pyramid such as the healthy eating pyramid which I consider to be a significant improvement that also provides more detail as well.

In terms of food density, vegetables and meats are the most advantageous from a nutritional perspective. Fruits are also useful, but the presence of fructose may eliminate it as an option for some. With that said, fruits are a great alternative to refined sugars and juices since it won't spike blood sugar quite as much. As for grains, while you can have a decent level of fiber, vegetables are a superior food group to consume as many vegetables contain more vitamins, minerals, and sometimes even protein depending on what is being consumed.

Proper nutrition is important, but there are other aspects of daily life which are important to maintain good health. Caloric restriction has been shown to have some favorable effects on quality of life, mood, sexual function, and sleep. Exercise is a cornerstone of health and benefits nearly every system in the body. Many of the benefits of exercise can be seen immediately, like reduced anxiety, lowered blood pressure, and better sleep. Consistent exercise offers even more long-term benefits, including better weight management, stronger bones, and a reduced risk of disease. Sleep is also important in having the energy to exercise. People who are sleep deprived are more drawn toward high-calorie foods. Chronic sleep loss has been linked to having a larger waist circumference and an increased risk of obesity.

Generally speaking, I feel as though the U.S. government dumbs down the information it provides when it comes to people's health. Since food is often considered medicine in many cultures and plays a significant role in lifespan and quality of life, it seems to me that while the government may have good intentions, taking the government at its word can be harmful as we see with current rates of diabetes and obesity currently within the country. Each and every one of us have different needs when it comes to nutrition and painting with broad strokes helps no one. This is why, I believe that any guidelines that are provided as a generalization of how to eat or what to eat should be taken at most as a suggestion and then scrutinized to determine whether or not it is appropriate for you.

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The food pyramid has been a staple of dietary advice for decades. Even though it has been declared obsolete, it is still being followed by many which is problematic. Some experts argue that the food...

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This source for evaluating the food pyramid would be more accurate to use when looking for sorces. Firstly, when learning about the website Britannica, we can find that this is a factual database on ensyclopedic knowledge. This means that this cite is used to collect different factual information about a large range of topics throughout the world. This articles author, Sanat Pai Raikar, is a puzzle master, meaning that he researches a large array of topics in order to create crossword puzzles for individuals to solve. This does not make him an expert in this field, but is a more reliable source then Avinash Saravanan, as he does research odd facts for the puzzles he creates. The article was written in 2020, making the information more reliable as it is more current, and reading the information, you can tell that it is facts of how different kinds of food pyramids are used around the world, with little biases. This also shows that the US department of agriculture created the food pyramid to help with food rationing in the World War, not to create a balanced meal. This would be a good cite to look into the accuracy of the information we teach about nutrition for a research paper.

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food pyramid, a visual representation (in the shape of a pyramid) of the optimal number of servings of food a person should eat daily from each basic food group. The food pyramid first evolved in Sweden in the 1970s and was adapted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1992. The USDA revised it in 2005 to create what it called MyPyramid, which was replaced by MyPlate in 2011. Many countries across the globe have adapted versions of the food pyramid, sometimes discarding the pyramid shape altogether. Whatever form they take, such food guides are intended to help people cultivate a daily pattern of recommended (and thus presumably healthy) food choices.

Origins and evolution

The food pyramid has its origins not in recommendations for a balanced diet but in food shortages. The USDA released the Basic 7 food guide in 1943 to help U.S. citizens cope with food rationing during World War II. As its name indicates, this guide divided foods into seven groups, among them bread and cereals, several covering fruits and vegetables, and meat and poultry. In Sweden in the 1970s, the National Board of Health and Welfare was tasked with tackling rising food costs. It came up with two food groups, titled "basic" and "supplementary." This was a nutritionally problematic categorization, however, because "supplementary" foods included fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish. The Swedish government also relied on a dietary circle that resembled a cake divided into seven pieces. It did not tell the reader how much to consume of each piece.

It was in this somewhat confusing context that Anna-Britt Agnsäter, an educator who worked for a Swedish grocery cooperative, designed the food pyramid, which was published for the first time in 1974 in an issue of the cooperative's magazine. She divided the pyramid into three levels. The bottom level included bread and other grains, legumes, potatoes, and milk. The middle level comprised fruits, vegetables, and juices. The top level covered eggs, meat, and fish. Agnsäter used a pyramid shape so as to indicate that a person should eat more foods from the bottom of the pyramid-the widest section-than from the top. Other Nordic countries soon designed their own food pyramids, and the shape was also adopted elsewhere.

In 1992 the USDA rolled out its version of the food pyramid. It had four levels. The bottom level included bread, cereal, rice, and pasta, with a recommended 6 to 11 servings per day. The second level was split between a vegetable group (3 to 5 servings per day) and a fruit group (2 to 4 servings per day). The third level specified 2 to 3 daily servings from a group comprising milk, yogurt, and cheese and 2 to 3 daily servings from a group comprising meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. The top level included fats, oils, and candy, which were to be eaten sparingly.

The USDA's version led to similar pyramids being created for specific cuisines and diets such as Asian, Mediterranean, Latin American, vegetarian, and vegan, with the focus of each remaining on grains, fruits, and vegetables. About the same time, the governments of Mexico, Chile, Panama, and the Philippines also adopted a pyramid. Some countries, though, developed visual representations that were not pyramids, for cultural reasons or simply to do something different. Canada, for example, used a rainbow, Zimbabwe a square, Guatemala a family pot, and Japan the number 6. South Korea and China created pagodas. Australia designed both pyramids and plates.

The food pyramid was reimagined by many countries in the early 21st century. In 2005, for example, Japan inverted the pyramid to come up with a spinning top design. In the same year, the USDA created a new pyramid design, calling it MyPyramid. This featured colourful stripes of varying widths, reflecting the relative proportions of different food groups. It also included a person running up steps to highlight the importance of exercise.

In 2011 the USDA replaced MyPyramid with MyPlate, which displayed the basic food groups (fruits, grains, protein, and vegetables) as sections on a plate, with each section's size representing the dietary proportions of each food group. MyPlate did not incorporate an exercise component, nor did it include a section for fats and oils.

Variations across countries and diets

The global variations of the food pyramid-ranging from rainbows and pots to pagodas and plates-reflect not only cultural differences and design decisions but, in some cases, fundamentally different nutritional recommendations. About the same time that the USDA replaced its food pyramid with MyPlate, for example, Australia released a pyramid. While MyPlate depicted larger portions of grains and vegetables in equal proportions and smaller portions of fruits and protein in equal proportions, Australia's pyramid placed vegetables, legumes, and fruits together on the bottom level, recommending that this level cover 70 percent of what a person eats every day. The next level included grains; the third level had dairy or its alternatives with lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds; and the top level included healthy fats. This pyramid also advised using herbs and spices in one's diet, drinking water, and limiting salt and added sugar. These differences are significant.

Mediterranean food guides have typically replaced cow dairy with yogurt and goat's milk products, since the region has a high prevalence of intolerance to dairy products from cows. Asian food guides include soy products to replace nutrients normally found in dairy products. The Asian Diet Pyramid created in 2000 has daily physical exercise as its foundation, and the bottom level includes rice, noodles, breads, millet, corn, and other whole grains. The level above that includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. The third level is vegetable oils. The first three levels are marked for daily consumption. The fourth level, which includes fish, shellfish, and dairy, is marked as optional for daily consumption. Sweets, eggs, and poultry are marked as weekly, and meat as monthly. It also recommends drinking six glasses of water or tea per day.

In India the recommended food pyramid has four levels: cereals, grains, and milk to be consumed adequately; fruits and vegetables to be eaten liberally; meat, eggs, fish, salt, and oils to be eaten moderately; and sweets and junk food to be eaten sparingly. India's pyramid also advises abstaining from alcohol and tobacco.

Debates regarding the food pyramid

Creators of food pyramids have been accused of providing an overly simplified version of what constitutes an ideal diet. While the USDA's 1992 pyramid can by no means be identified as a factor contributing to the rise in obesity over many decades among Americans, that food pyramid has been criticized for doing little to educate people on how to distinguish among carbohydrates, which have different nutritional profiles, and instead only recommending a number of servings to consume. So too, foods are typically not rich in only one kind of nutrient; for example, rice contains some amount of protein and can to some extent contribute to daily protein intake. However, this sort of complexity is not reflected in most food pyramids. Last, fats are typically placed at the top of food pyramids, indicating that they are to be consumed in small quantities. However, this designation ignores the diversity of fat types; unsaturated fats have been shown to be healthier than saturated fats. Categorizing fats as a "low consumption" food has also led to weight-loss diets that eliminate them entirely, when in reality some amount of fat is essential to health.

Sanat Pai Raikar The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Food pyramid | Origins, History, Variations, Debates, & Facts

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A food pyramid is a visual representation of the optimal number of servings of food to be eaten daily from each basic food group. The food pyramid first evolved in Sweden in the 1970s and was adapted in the United States by the USDA in 1992.

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Graphs are a common way for misinformation to be spread, and is something we need to look for when analyzing sources. An example is with pie charts, in which the whole chart needs to equall 100%, which we can see this one doesn't. This type of tactic is used to spread disinformation, or targetly incorrect information to spread a certain perspective as we see here.

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Correlation of two situations is another common way for graphs to be skewed to spread misinformation or disinformation. Here we can see a ridiculous corrilation between two situations that aren't related to one another. It is important to think critically about how different subjects in a graph relate together, and know they can look like they are related, but still not be.

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Manipulating graphs is another common way to spread misinformation, either by providing inaccurate data, or by making the size of the chart apear bigger then it is. This chart does not begin at zero, and only increases by one inch. However, the gap in the sizing is large to make the data apear more drastic then it really is. When looking at websites and there reliability, look to see if the graphs look correct and make sense, as well as the biases the author or organization have and what messages they are trying to send through this information.

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Why identifying misinformation is important

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Why identifying misinformation is important

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Teaching students about what misinformation is is crucial in developing media-literate individuals. As we can see from some of the sources I have provided, misinformation is spread constantly, and it is easy for young children to take the information they are reading at face value as they are usually at the developmental stage in which they believe that adults know everything, which applies to people online. When even adults struggle to identify misinformation, the need to teach students about it is becoming ever more present, and starting at an early age, usually 3rd to 4th grade, will begin readying students with the knowledge they need to stay safe and informed in our current world. Media literate individuals know how to analyze media sources for the message that is being conveyed as well as how to cross-reference information to find out the accuracy of it. This is critical as there will be times in which students could be looking for life-saving information, and they need to identify which facts are real versus misinformation to stay safe. In a world of AI, Photoshop, targeted advertisement, and propaganda, identifying the purpose behind the information being spread is critical to creating well-informed members of society.

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The rise of the internet and social media has exponentially expanded our access to information - and that includes information that's false or misleading.

Add to that increasing political polarization, eroding trust in mainstream media and institutions, and a growing tendency to dismiss any information one doesn't agree with, and it's clear that media literacy - in particular, the ability to critically evaluate information online - has become a complex but vital subject for schools.

"We're in the midst of the most profound information revolution in 500 years," says Howard Schneider, the executive director of Stony Brook University's Center for News Literacy. "Our children are growing up in a different world and they are not prepared for the consequences this change is presenting."

A 2016 Stanford University study, for example, showed that high school students had a hard time distinguishing between sponsored content and news articles or determining the potential bias of social media messages. A more recent MIT study on the spread of false information on Twitter found that fake news stories were 70 percent more likely to be retweeted than true news stories.

"The consequences are so profound for students and society," Schneider says. "My metaphor is that we need to inoculate every 11-year-old with an initial dose of news literacy before they leave middle school. We need to build their immunities against this flood of false information" and then continue to reinforce these lessons in high school.

But with only some schools teaching the subject and no national standards, it can be hard to know if your child is learning these skills. Here's what to look for:

Who's Teaching Media Literacy?

Media literacy education teaches students to think critically about media messages and to create their own media "thoughtfully and conscientiously," according to Media Literacy Now, a nonprofit that works to expand the teaching of this subject nationwide.

High schools typically teach some form of media literacy in either a social studies or an English/language arts class, says Erin McNeill, the organization's president and founder.But she and others call for lessons to start earlier. Many students get a smartphone by middle school, giving them the ability to not only create their own content, but to see and share a wide variety of information.

A 2021 study of media literacy programs in Rhode Island found that only 1 in 3 middle schools were teaching the subject, despite a 2017 law requiring the state education department to "consider incorporating media literacy education" into the board of education's program regulations. Only 1 in 5 elementary schools in the state teach children about the impact of advertising, the study found.

Illinois recently became the first state to require media literacy education, although only in high school. While the number of high schools tackling this subject is increasing, McNeill says, the percentage is hard to quantify because media literacy isn't typically a stand-alone course.

"There's no tracking for schools and districts," says Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, the executive director of the National Association of Media Literacy Education. "It's frustrating because there are a lot of amazing practices, but it is in no way a national priority."

Stony Brook University has created a media literacy program for high schools and is working with six pilot school districts to make the subject a requirement for every student. "To me, that's a home run," Schneider says. "But the pace of change is still way too slow. Curriculum is hard to change."

The easiest way to begin to understand what your child's school is doing is to ask, says McNeill. Find out what your child's teacher or school thinks of media literacy and what is being taught.

For instance, Schneider says he knows a second-grade teacher who introduces this topic while teaching, of all things, the story of the three little pigs. After she reads students the fairy tale, she asks them what is missing. Then they read the 1996 picture book "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," which retells the familiar tale from the wolf's point of view. Students learn that who narrates a story is important.

Parents should not only ask what schools are teaching, but what standards teachers are using and how officials know these lessons are effective, Schneider adds.

Don't despair if you don't like the answers you receive, says McNeil - it can be a process to improve curriculum. "From the grassroots, we can really make a lot of changes."

What Does a Good Media Literacy Program Look Like?

A good media literacy program will be reinforced through multiple grade levels, beginning in middle school, Schneider says. It starts by teaching students how to ask good questions and become interrogators of, rather than consumers of, information. By the end of middle school, students should be able to read laterally, meaning they can use the internet to check the veracity of news they see online.

In high school, students should study the difference between fairness, balance and bias and test out their theories in discussions with classmates. They should demonstrate mastery of these topics in a culminating project, Schneider says.

And McNeil says schools should be sure to also teach "digital citizenship skills" so students can not only understand the impact of what they are creating, but also learn to be "responsible, safe, and kind" online.

Rachel Kelsh, a social studies teacher from Hampton Bays High School on Long Island, is one of the teachers piloting Stony Brook's program. Every week her students examine current events using different news sources. She uses this time to not only explain why some stories are reliable and others aren't, but also to teach about the idea of an echo chamber, and how some people carefully choose their news only from sources that share their political bent. She also explains how social media algorithms work - for example, how liking something on TikTok means you'll be shown more of that type of content.

Her district hopes to build out its program so that students are taught media literacy for some part of every year from fifth grade to graduation, she says.

She likens students' skills to a toolkit that they can use whenever they see information online. And she hopes to add a component where students show parents what they are learning and how they vet different pieces of information.

"We'd like to include parents more," she adds. "They are a crucial piece."

How to Help Boost Your Child's Media Literacy

Ultimately, Lipkin says, parents need to understand how their children process the information they see online. "Are they asking questions and using evidence-based resources?"

In fact, parents can be effective using only one question with their kids, according to Schneider: "Who said?" For instance, many students say they get news from TikTok or YouTube. So Schneider will explain that while they are getting news through those sites, the information is coming from whoever posted the video, not from the app hosting the content.

If parents want to go to the next level, he recommends gamifying the practice of media literacy. "Send a viral video to everyone in your family and say, 'Let's decide if this is real or not,'" he suggests. Then you can teach your children how to verify information by consulting other sources. In some cases, his college students tell him that they use what they have learned to teach their parents the same skills.

Media literacy is a key 21st century skill, advocates say, and its importance will only increase. "It's not going away after the election or after COVID," says Schneider.

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What Is Media Literacy? What Parents Need to Know

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In an era of 'fake news,' learning how to evaluate media is an increasingly important skill.

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Misinformation can cause people to be put in dangerous situations, create false naritives of knowledge on topics, or influence dangerous actions to occur. Different trends will go around in which children and teens are ending up in life threating situations, because they trusted what they were seeing online. Parents fall into this trap as well, causing harmful effects to their children based off of trends and targeted information they see online. Not just that, but supporting different movements without full understanding, or insighting violence on individuals for wrong accusations are becoming common place, and can often lead to cyberbullying along with other effects. Understanding how to critically analyze what is seen online, what is accurate and what is safe will keep children out of harms way, aware of the dangers, and safe when interacting online to the best of our abilities.

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Incorperating lessons every year about media literacy starting at 3rd grade is needed in our soicety to keep children safe when interacting online as they begin to use it more and more. Teaching students how to analyze reliable sources, what to look for with misleading graphs, or biased sourses, and evaluating what the objective of the person or organization that created this sourse is a great place to start. Adding to this how to cross-refrence information online, the need of using different kinds of sources to find whats real, as well as analyzing what they find to create strong projects and essays is our jobs as teachers. We need to discuss internet safety constantly, what information never to share, what information websites can have access to, and how to keep all that information safe. It is crutial to teach students what warning signs they need to look for with unsafe websites or interactions online, what information people can access with posts students make, and how to stay safe. Lastly, we need to teach parents these things to keep students safe at home as the internet is expanding, and so is misinformation, unsafe websites, scams, and data harvesting.