SOS Reflection
I decided to create my SOS on assessing bias in the media. As the internet is quickly becoming the sole source of news for individuals, it is important that students are aware of how to find reliable information for research projects in school, but also just for common everyday knowledge. Based upon my own experiences with my students, I see that the majority of the “news” they receive comes from social media. Further, I’ve also noticed that students do not evaluate a source before reading and immediately believing the information. The research presented by the Stanford History Education Group (2016) aligns with my own findings and is summed up with, “Overall, young people’s ability to reason about the information on the Internet can be summed up in one word: bleak” (p. 4). It is essential that students have more guidance about how to evaluate bias within sources.
Research is a key component in my content area of English Language Arts, but it also applies to many other subject areas as well. In order to obtain objective information about a subject, it’s necessary to find reliable, unbiased sources. The SOS I designed highlights how the same exact news story can be covered in four different ways. Students will analyze each for bias which is a skill that aligns with the PA Common Core Standards and is also a beneficial life skill.
The digital media components of this SOS play a vital role. It would be difficult for the lesson to even exist without digital media. Since the internet is the primary medium for obtaining information, it makes sense that this lesson would be completed using online sources. Gardner (2007), notes “a good pedagogue will invariably draw on several intelligences (p. 33). The availability of the video news stories, in addition to the print news stories, provides different ways for students to access the information. Students may choose the format that they prefer. Additionally, the chart of biased and unbiased news sources provides an easy-to-understand visual of the types of sources that should be trusted when looking for factual, objective information.
My goal is that this strategy will inspire an awareness within students about the wide variety of information that is available on the internet. In order for individuals to get the most out of the resources available on the internet, they must first learn how to properly navigate. This SOS will help build core skills that are necessary for countless lessons that involve internet use.
References
Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Stanford History Education Group. (2016, November 22). Evaluating information: The cornerstone of civic online reasoning. Retrieved from https://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Executive%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf
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