Misinformation was also described in the other video I watched, Endless Curiosity: The Concept of Fake News. This video gave a different viewpoint on misinformation by describing it in a more modern way with science and social media. They described that Indiana University scientist have created various tools to track where rumors, hoaxes, and propaganda–or misinformation, started in the first place. The issues arise when you overload your social media with junk. People who have a more even balance of information that is true and potentially false will not go crazy spreading either. They advise that you follow people who you may not necessarily agree with just to have varying opinions and to read the story, not just the headline.

Both of these resources discuss the impact of misinformation in the science and social media world, but why does this matter and how does it connect to education?

Misinformation is VERY relevant in the education field. Just this week, I sat in a meeting with my principal where we discussed the changes happening in literacy for our county. The old method that was used for years was highly credited by professionals by word of mouth, however when asked where the research was to prove this…there was none. There weren’t people analyzing the success and most importantly there weren’t people in our schools understanding what benefits the old method was really giving our students. We were just told it worked and we didn’t ask questions. Misinformation is also present with friendships between students, conversations between parents, teachers, and students, and faculty. Like the first video stated, the game of telephone is a dangerous one. A simple request, answer, or detail can be misconstrued very quickly. Once a story sticks with someone, it is very difficult to change their mind which is why it is important to share information from the source!

Thank you for making it this far. Have a GREAT day 

1: How are we benefitting?

2: What are the setbacks?

3: How does this relate to me? —–well, let’s dive into that, shall we?

My typical search pattern tends to be similar to that mentioned in the articles. SHOCKING I know. I search a paraphrased version of the question I’m trying to find the answer to and 9 times out of 10 Google already “knows” what I’m asking, and I don’t have to work very hard. I look for the quick answer and don’t read much more into it. That was my experience with the Google One a Day questions. In their idea of searching through the eyes of a student, I don’t do well. The only time I find myself reading more in depth is when it relates to health, celebrity gossip (i.e. misinformation most likely), or for school. My goal this semester is to be more aware of what I’m researching and look more in depth to understand what I’m asking. I feel like I relate to the typical teens research capabilities quite a bit, BUT I did go to school for a brief period of time (K-8th) where technology really wasn’t a huge deal, so it’s not like it’s a foreign concept to me. We had older computers, used dictionaries, etc. I know if you’re older than me (careful with my words) you’re probably laughing. It’s fine. I get it. I depend a lot on the internet in my day to day life. Could it be affecting my attention span like the article suggests it might? Maybe. It’s taken me some time to read these articles and get through this blog post, I’m not going to lie. I’ve picked up my phone quite a few times, but could I survive without it…probably. Going back to the resources from Module 1, misinformation via technology is very prevalent and sometimes dangerous. Reading into something that is not fully accurate could affect relationships and jobs. Spending more time reading into accredited articles and not so much listening to your peers’ words alone could solve the spread of misinformation. Again, surrounding yourself with both truth and the stretch of the truth will keep you from being bombarded with one side or the other. Avoiding social media completely will also stop the spread, but you are left with your peers’ words alone and that could be just as dangerous. Really, it’s a viscous cycle, so the online resources scientists are creating to find the source of misinformation might be our only hope.

This got dark…so I’ll end it here. The moral is, ask a question, read in depth, do your research and do it well.

Until next time!

My area of focus will be 2nd grade science. I will be using the ISTE Standard 1.1 Empowered Learner and focusing mostly on 1.1a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes. The content standard will be from our unit on Matter. The AKS or Academic Knowledge and Skills in Gwinnett County is 1. obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the properties of matter and changes that occur in objects (GSE S2P1) 1a. ask questions to describe and classify different objects according to their physical properties (GSE S2P1a) (Clarification statement: Examples of physical properties could include color, mass, length.)