Real or Fake? 3 Fun Resources to Help Kids Spot Fake N$ews

“News just in! You won’t believe this amazing trick that’ll help you lose 100 pounds! And what happens next will shock you!!”

The internet can be a difficult place to tell fact from fiction. Clickbait headlines are everywhere and viral videos can be shared halfway around the world before they’re called out as fake. For young people who consume most of their news on social media, sorting fact from fiction can be especially tricky.

Luckily, there’s a growing a number of tools for the misinformation fight back! Educators are thinking innovatively about how they teach kids to be critical thinkers online. We’ve rounded up 3 of the best resources out there to help kids spot fake news -

1. Dog Island.com - Bogus Sites

Welcome to Dog Island. According to the site, over 2,500 canines have migrated to this paradise to enjoy a better life.

Sadly for your pet dog, the page is a hoax but teachers have capitalized on its claims to get kids thinking about reliability. Does a website have improbable claims? Check. A strange web address? Check. Then be aware! 

2. X-Ray Goggles - Free Softwares to Hack the News

 Use X-Ray Goggles to ‘remix’ the news, suggests internet not-for-profit; Mozilla.

They’ve created a lesson plan that allows kids to alter real-life web pages. Using ‘X-Ray’ software, young people can hack headlines and remix article content with their own made up stories. It’s a powerful way to see just how easily online information can be altered and misconstrued!

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Read Mozilla’s lesson plan in full here.

3. Real or Fake? Media Education Workshops

Finally, did you know we offer media literacy training for teachers and young people? 

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In our new Real or Fake? workshop you can learn why it’s important for us to know how to evaluate websites and videos, plus we teach you how to make your own Public Service Announcement on the topic of fake news, which you can share on YouTube, Facebook or school website. For more information, contact us today, and download our 2018-2019 workshop kit here.

Sara Barnabe