I attended a Common Sense Media workshop several years ago, and have found the organization an invaluable resource ever since. Their curriculum guides, app and other media ratings, technology contracts, and other tools have all been useful for me as an educator and as a facilitator of a children's museum Family and Teacher Resource Center. A tool that I think would be great to engage students in learning about information and media literacy is their interactive game for middle school students called Digital Compass. This tool can be used as part of their larger curriculums, or as an individual activity. Students make decisions to advance game play, and each choice impacts the direction of the game. One of the games, called "Citation Infestation," is designed specifically to address areas of information literacy. The challenge issued to players is below:
"With competing demands of an overpacked schedule, Jay debates taking some shortcuts to spin his science project into solid gold. If only he could fine-tune his own critical eye when it comes to researching online. How will you help him get through the next 48 hours?"
I think this video game experience would meet students where they are, and engage them in an activity they like doing. When students are engaged in the learning, it is much more effective. Students will encounter "real life" consequences in a simulated environment so they can see how their choices in what information to use can impact their academic success, and life. This risk-free failure will hopefully inspire them to carefully consider the information they find from online sources, and be aware of how to source things appropriately.
"With competing demands of an overpacked schedule, Jay debates taking some shortcuts to spin his science project into solid gold. If only he could fine-tune his own critical eye when it comes to researching online. How will you help him get through the next 48 hours?"
I think this video game experience would meet students where they are, and engage them in an activity they like doing. When students are engaged in the learning, it is much more effective. Students will encounter "real life" consequences in a simulated environment so they can see how their choices in what information to use can impact their academic success, and life. This risk-free failure will hopefully inspire them to carefully consider the information they find from online sources, and be aware of how to source things appropriately.