Ch 15 Module/Learning Activity
NOTE: If you enjoy this activity and want to learn more about media literacy, consider taking COMM 2332 Media and Society. I teach it every spring on the Armstrong Campus.
Media literacy involves your ability to critique and analyze the potential impact of the media. For this learning activity, you’ll have a chance to develop media literacy skills by taking the “Should You Share It?” Quiz sponsored by the News Literacy Project. Here’s a description of the quiz:
We can all make better choices about the information we consume, share and act on. But can you tell the difference between social media posts that are false or misleading and those that are credible?
This quiz will help you assess whether you can discern between deceptive and inaccurate information that should not be shared online, and accurate, fact-based information that presents strong evidence in support of its claims.
Keep in mind that each example may or may not be something you would actually want to share on social media. Your challenge here is to determine which posts are examples of reliable information that could be responsibly shared, and which are falsehoods that you should avoid spreading.
Misinformation is fundamentally exploitative. It often tries to use your deepest beliefs and values to trick you into having an emotional reaction that overrides your rational thought processes.
Take the quiz (Link to NLP’s “Should You Share It?” Quiz), and then answer the following questions:
What was your score on the quiz? Did you do better or worse than you thought you would? Explain your answer. What was one thing you learned from taking the quiz?
Which social media platforms do you regularly use? Describe the place that social media has in your typical day? What functions does it serve for you (See Ch 15.2)?
Read through the Misinformation Infographic from the News Literacy Project. What is one thing you learned from the infographic that you didn’t already know and why do you think it is important?
How important is the news to you? Do you regularly keep up with what’s going on in the world? If you do keep up with the news, what is one news source that is your go-to for news (be specific)? If you don’t keep up with the news, why not?
What is one specific thing you will commit to do to develop your media literacy skills? If you need help thinking of something, check out the News Literacy Project’s website: https://newslit.org/