The term ‘Digital native’. Was first introduced to me in 2005 when I was first studying my teacher’s degree. This stuck with me for years as a perfect name for the upcoming generation of children and adolescence that were growing alongside the development of new technologies. Since becoming a mother myself and now a teacher of children aged 5-18 I question the accuracy of it. It does not seem to be inherent that they have digital knowlge naturally. Hernandez-Martin, Martin-del-Pozo, & Iglesias-Rodruguez (2021) reinforced my thinking through their study on Pre-adolescent digital competencies in the area of safety specifically. The target population of pre-adolescence for their study is integral. Our younger generation of technology and online users must have the knowledge and skills surrounding safe use. As an information professional it is our moral responsibility as well as our job to asses and teach them these competencies. Our children must learn from us how to navigate the challenges of analysing and questioning information for truthfulness. “Mum, I learnt something from YouTube today! Did you know…….” This is a conversation I have with my child at least once a day. 9 times out of 10 the story is no-where near the truth.
A study on Fake news done by Rampersad & Althiyabi (2020) finds that it is age that has an influence on the acceptance of fake news. Fake news is literally intentional lies told by somebody to use emotion to coerce another into believing something. The study looked at age, gender, education and culture and the acceptance of fake news. It does focus on political news, However the message is the same, that age is the major factor in belief. Younger people generally react more on emotion, and this is exactly what fake news uses as a driver for influence.
As a mother I am reminded by my sons’ ‘new found information on youtube’ of the dangers of fake-news and online safety. As in information professional it is my responsibility to educate my students to the best of my ability of the digital competencies.
References
Hernandez-Martin, A., Martin-del-Pozo, M., & Iglesias-Rodriguez, A. (2021). Pre-adolescents’ digital competencies in the area of safety. Does frequency of social media use mean safer and more knowledgeable digital usage? Education and Information Technologies, 26(1), 1043-1067. https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/article/10.1007%2Fs10639-020-10302-4
Rampersad, G., & Althiyabi, T. (2020). Fake news: Acceptance by demographics and culture on social media. Journal of Information & Politics, 17(1), 1-11. https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/full/10.1080/19331681.2019.1686676
Hello Jasmine,
I teach a fake news unit each year to the Year 8 class, there is a great resource I got from the BBC. I found in the last two years the COVID debate has been a great stimulus for fake news. Getting students to look at sources and determine if they are reliable and accurate is so essential, knowing that everything you see on TikTok is not true is a good start. I also like to get them to do an annotated biliography as a way to see where they are getting information from. I also teach the CRAP test.
Thank you Christine! I am currently pushing for a similar unit to be taught in the middle school. I appreciate your recommendations.