Teachers in elementary, middle, and high school grade bands can co-create lessons and projects with their school librarian and media specialist while maximizing technology-rich media and information literacy resources. 

One reason why co-teaching works well is because each educator brings their strengths to the lesson. Similarly, when teachers connect, collaborate, and co-create learning activities with librarians and media specialists, deeper learning can happen. And, interdisciplinary content can be worked into more traditional assignments, which can be exciting for students and teachers. 

More and more librarians are serving in roles as media specialists, and physical library spaces in schools are transforming into tech centers and makerspaces. In some schools, there are no longer physical library spaces, and librarians and media specialists come to the classrooms for library and information literacy instruction. 

To guide this work, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) provides national school library standards on how to inquire, include, collaborate, curate, and explore as a crosswalk with Future Ready Librarians. 

These learning activity ideas align with the “Collaborate” stream focused on educators working together on shared learning goals with students.

Collaborating with School Librarians: Elementary School Lesson  

When working with younger students, collaborative efforts work best when families and even the surrounding community are involved. Moreover, using scaffolding techniques, and breaking down content for students, is developmentally appropriate. 

An elementary information literacy learning activity can focus on choosing a topic of interest, and using safe and trustworthy sources to search for information about it. The librarian or media specialist’s role can be to prepare mini lessons using Flip on information gathering from trusted and credible sources. Then, in the classroom, the teacher can have students search for information based on the topic being focused on in the class. 

For example, in social studies, the students can search for information about the city they live or have visited, or in English language arts, students can gather information on famous poets. The teacher and librarian or media specialist can co-create a template for students to use at home when they are researching information with their families. Families without technology access at home can be encouraged to use the local library.

Middle School Lesson 

At the middle school age, students are now switching classes, becoming more independent and responsible for their learning, and consuming technology and social media both during and outside of the school day. All of these things make understanding data privacy and responsible digital engagement imperative. 

The librarian or media specialist’s role can be to discuss with students issues of data privacy and how to properly communicate online, using an interactive slide deck through Slido. This discussion can pair seamlessly with a history teacher’s lesson on the Bill of Rights, its interpretations of it, and how this can impact engagement in public online spaces. With the support of both the teacher and librarian or media specialist, students can record a VoiceThread to share their position on the topic and summarize their learning. 

High School Lesson 

In preparation for career and college, students at the high school level are refining their information literacy skills to conduct research and craft research papers that are supported by cited scholarly sources. 

Librarians and media specialists can explain the different types of scholarly sources using a screencast, walking students through the different educational research databases. An English teacher can support students with how to provide in-text and reference page citations following APA or MLA. For coherence and continuity between the library and classroom instruction, students can be encouraged to use a Wakelet to curate all of the information gathered. 

The ways that teachers, librarians, and media specialists can work in concert to support students by co-creating engaging learning experiences is endless, and leveraging technology to strengthen information literacy skills across elementary, middle, and high school is a critical part of that effort. 

• Free Fact-Checking Sites for Students and Teachers
• Top Edtech Lesson Plans

Checkology is a platform created by the News Literacy Project as a way to educate young people about how to use news media.

This is specifically tailored to education with a focus on teaching students to think about how they are consuming news and media online.

The idea is to use real-world news and apply a system of checks so that students can learn to better evaluate stories and sources, rather than blindly believing everything they see, read, and hear online.

A selection of modules are available to allow teachers to work with the class, or for students to work individually. So could this be a useful tool for you education institution?

What is Checkology?

Checkology is an all-too-rare tool that aims to teach students how to evaluate the ever-increasing mass of media that is being directed at them on a daily basis. It helps empower students to better recognize truth.

By using real-world news and a system of checks, carried out as part of learning modules, students are taught to do this for themselves. 

There are four key areas covered: knowing what to believe as true, navigating the media world, filtering news and other media, and exercising civil freedoms.

The idea is to not only have students distinguish fake news from real stories but to actually be able to evaluate the credibility of a story's source -- so they can decide for themselves what to believe.

It all sounds a bit like training everyone to be a journalist, and to some extent that is what this is doing. However, these abilities can be applied beyond journalism and writing classes as a valuable life skill for all. With journalists from The New York Times, Washington Post, and Buzzfeed all working as panelists on the website, this is a powerful and up-to-date system that applies even with the pace of media changing as it is.

How does Checkology work?

Checkology uses modules to teach students how to evaluate real-world news. Pick from a list of module options in which you will then be told how long the module is, the difficulty level, and the lesson host -- all at a glance. 

Then scroll down for more in-depth details on what the module consists of. Select Next to begin and you'll be taken into the video lesson.

The video is divided into sections with video guidance, written sections, example media, and questions -- all controlled by tapping the Next icon.

In one example there is a string of social media post results you can follow. This is then punctuated with a question in which there is an open answer box to type in a response. This way of working through the module helps students work individually, or as a class to progress.

While the basic modules teach through fictitious situations, the system can also be used for actual news, with a Check Tool, to apply these techniques in the real world.

What are the best Checkology features?

Checkology features some great modules that are free to access and use, which will teach students of all abilities how to better manage media. A lot of the focus is on getting to the source and using that to better understand truth. This doesn't take lateral reading, going beyond the source, into account perhaps as much as it could in some instances.

The Check Tool is a very helpful feature that lets students work independently through a news or media source so they can better navigate lies, embellishment, and truth with a level of confidence that this support offers.

The modules are designed so teachers can lead the class through each one as a group or individuals can work on their own. This flexibility is helpful in allowing everyone to go at their individual pace. The evaluation tool allows teachers to see student submissions and can even be integrated with the current LMS in use.

Professional development opportunities are also available for teachers, curated by Checkology and the News Literacy Project, as well as extra teaching materials and transcripts as needed.

How much does Checkology cost?

Checkology offers its modules for free that can be used by anybody, right away without the need to sign up, pay, or give personal details of any kind.

The whole system is supported entirely by philanthropic donations. Consequently, you will not be asked to pay for anything while using the system. It also means there are no ads or tracking of your details.

Checkology best tips and tricks

Evaluate live
Apply the skills learned in a live news situation as it develops, working as a class to evaluate what to believe as truth based on sources that you assess together.

Bring your own
Have students bring examples or stories -- including a social media hot topic -- so you can follow the thread as a class and work out the truth.

Break out
Take time to stop during the modules to hear from the class about examples of their experiences that are similar -- helping cement the ideas into their understanding.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers

Teacher-librarian and school library media specialist Dayna Derichs wants every one of the 600 pre-K–fifth-grade students at Wheeler Elementary to have opportunities to experience the “wow” moments that happen when technology transforms learning.

Wheeler Elementary, part of Millard (NE) Public Schools in Omaha, has a growing fleet of iPads and Belkin keyboards as well as Apple TV and wireless projectors in every classroom. Teachers share devices as needed and Derichs spends time team teaching with each grade level as they move up the SAMR model towards redefining learning with technology. She’s teaching students, but she’s also modeling for teachers how to use technology—and together they’re discovering new and creative ways to use tech tools.

CREATING “WOW” MOMENTS

“When I show students how to split their screens so they can skim and scan, copy and paste notes and cite sources as they go, they’re happy to read more,” Derichs says. “We use NoodleTools for research, and then when we export their sources to a Google doc and they see their bibliography immediately alphabetized, they’re amazed.”

Last year, Wheeler Elementary students made marshmallow slingshots to learn about Newton’s three laws of motion. The students took pictures and burst shots to record motion and velocity and created a keynote presentation to show their learning using the Clips app. “There was such great synergy as the students used technology to record data and communicate their findings—they didn’t stop to eat the marshmallows and they didn’t even realize they were learning!” says Derichs.

This week, third-grade students learning about the ecosystem made shoebox dioramas, Derichs says, then took it to the next level with the Green Screen app. After creating an example together, she and the teacher draped the computer lab with green fabric. “The kids had scripts with their research,” Derichs says, “But as soon as we hit ‘record,’ they started sharing all of this information they’d learned that wasn’t in their notes—it was all in their heads.” She laughs. “They have enthusiasm and a deeper understanding because they know they’ll be on stage and in the lights. Many of them tell me they want to be YouTubers.”

THE ULTIMATE EQUALIZER

“Technology is the ultimate equalizer,” says Derichs, who also works with some classes of ACP students. “There are no more haves and have nots. These tools help break down barriers and inhibitions.”

In one ACP class, she says, “We draped green fabric over a student’s wheelchair so on the screen it looked like she was in the desert talking about what she’d learned. During the Winter Olympics, another wheelchair-bound student showed up on the screen in a bobsled.” All of these moments are also really fun to share with parents, Derichs says. “It blows their minds—and brings some tears.”

CONNECTING TO THE REAL WORLD

Using ChatterPix, Seesaw, and a retro phone set plugged into an iPad, therapy dogs can talk. With Google Expeditions, kids can visit the Aztec pyramids. With tools like Seesaw and Clips, students can make “real life” advertisements for the school book fair for their parents to see.

The possibilities are endless and exciting, and Derichs is always on the lookout for fun new ideas and ways to bring concepts and real-world applications into the classroom. When she’s preparing lessons, she listens to the teachers and works with them to create “wow” moments. “I find a lot of ideas on Twitter,” she says. “Sometimes it’s a year or more before I find the perfect application for an idea.” Having patience and reminding students (and herself) that it’s OK to make mistakes are important to creating a culture of learning and inquiry, Derichs says.

MINIMIZING DISTRACTIONS

Even with plenty of “wow” moments, students are just like adults when it comes to the tempting distractions of technology. Derichs has found that ZuluDesk, now Jamf School, is one of the best ways to keep students engaged. “Once I set up the lesson and make all the apps except the ones we’re using disappear, the level of anxiety goes down 100 percent,” she says. “They can’t do anything else and it’s crazy good in all kinds of ways. It can be used for a whole class or for an individual student, and no one else has to know. It allows them to stay focused. We give them tools that we as adults struggle to use—why do we expect eight-or nine-year-olds to be any different?”

Are you reading this on your phone? Do you have a problem? Last week’s Pew report release may suggest as much. While the survey focuses primarily on teenager use—72 percent of teens say they often or sometimes check for messages or notifications as soon as they wake up, while roughly four-in-ten say they feel anxious when they are phone free—results show adults have some issues too. 36 percent say they themselves spend too much time on their devices. And 51 percent of teens say they often or sometimes find their parent or caregiver distracted by Internet cats. Here’s a simple question for teachers: Do you check your phone in class, or between classes? —Kevin Hogan, Content Director

[Are Our Phones Smarter Than an 8th Grader?]

YouTube has given life to some unique genres and types of videos. One of these -- the video essay -- can be a great tool for media-literacy education. Here's why: Video essays ground their arguments in important cultural or political topics. For instance, some video essays might expose the way media represent gender or race. Others may look at how media evolve over time and interact with the world at large. Almost all of them present compelling questions or topics, then dig into them using media as evidence and explication. Most importantly, video essays model for students how YouTube can be a platform for critical communication.

Learn more about what video essays are and how to use them in your classroom.

[Get Students to Self-Assess After A Quiz with Kahoot!]

By Paul Sanfrancesco, Director of Technology at Owen J. Roberts School District (PA)

“I'm afraid that in slipping from truth where one least ought to slip, I'll not only fall myself but also drag my friends down with me." – Plato, The Republic, 451a

These words, written more than 2400 years ago, are as relevant today as when they were first stated. Given the current concern about “fake news,” perhaps more than ever, truth can be difficult to ascertain for educators and even more challenging for students. Our responsibility, as educators, is to lead students to discern truth.

So what can a teacher do who wishes to guide students in seeking truth in electronic media? Here are ideas that can be tweaked to meet the needs of a variety of students:

1. Article or Editorial: Check to see if the selection is supposedly written as a factual article or as an opinion. If it is an article, it contains facts that can be verified. If it is an opinion, it is what the writer thinks personally. There is no need to argue over opinions; everyone has one or more of those.
2. Many Minds: Facts can be verified by multiple sources. Therefore, if a selection purports to report facts, the same information should be available through multiple sources. In how many other sources can you find the same information?
3. K-W-L: After reading a selection, create a K-W-L chart. List facts in column 1 – what you know to be true because the facts can be verified elsewhere. List questions in column 2 – because you want to learn more about them. List look-fors in column 3 – because you doubt their veracity and need to look for more information to determine fact vs. opinion.
4. Take Me to Your Source: What is the source of the selection? If it’s from Wikipedia, the credibility of the source may be different than if it’s from another source.

At the Owen J. Roberts School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, students follow stories as “journalists” to see how the process works, and report their findings using hashtags they create. Other students can use the hashtags to add their perceptions to these news stories.

Our superintendent, Dr. Susan Lloyd (@ojrsd_supt), also models accurate reporting and encourages everyone, including students, to follow her on Twitter for the real updates on the district. She also sends out a weekly blog to control rumors and fake news, as well as to promote positive stories about the district.

Here are a few other ideas your school can use to help students learn how to better tell fact from fiction online:

• Have students create a social media profile for a historical figure. What would they be snapping? What hashtags would they use? What would be on their YouTube channel?
• Host a parent education series on many technology topics, including fake news and social media. Have students lead the training.
• Create a private online group chat that includes principals, directors of technology, and teachers, and have the participants share their ideas and best practices in using social media.

Educators are in the unique position to help their students become more savvy consumers of online information. Through classroom lessons and conversations, students can learn to disseminate fact from fiction, to weed through the vast amount of data on any given subject to find the most accurate truth possible, to recognize the subjectivity and prejudice that exists in much of this information, and eventually arrive at their own opinions on that subject. This is a life-long skill that is a crucial foundation to any college or career path they might choose.

The Kindness Rock Activity

Kindness can often get lost in social media debates. Often, opinions are planted firmly in black/white terms and the nuances of in-person debates can be lost. To remind students that behind every opinion there is a real person with real feelings and varied opinions, students at French Creek Elementary (PA) launched the “Kindness Rock” project. Students paint rocks and write kind and inspiring phrases on them. Each completed rock is then passed along to someone else, left somewhere for someone to find, or kept for themselves. The project includes:

• A mini QR code and/or website link painted on the back of each rock. The QR code and website will link to an Instagram account that students create and populate with new content.
• An anonymous Instagram account where people can post photos of Kindness Rocks that people find in and around the community.

Teaching in a “Post Truth” World By Steven Baule, Superintendent at Muncie Community Schools, Indiana

As it appears that we still live in a “post-truth world,” according to a recent Forbes article, we need to learn that expertise and authoritative sources no longer always hold sway. Educators need to place even more focus on educating students about how to critically evaluate information sources. Some good resources include: Kathy Schlock’s Guide to Everything, which includes critical evaluation resources; this recent NY Times guide for evaluating news sources for teachers; this 2015 Fake v. Real News post; and this TEDEd lesson. ISTE’s Standards for Students includes the critical evaluation of materials in several places.

We are often frustrated when others cannot understand our perspective, but as our world becomes more interconnected, it becomes even more essential to learn to critically understand the perceptions and biases of others and try to make decisions based upon facts. Take, for example, one really simple “fact,” which can be interpreted in multiple ways: Shortly, we will embark on the year 2018, according to my Google Calendar. However, many people around the world would argue that 2018 is the wrong date. The Japanese are currently in Heisei 29, based upon the reign of the current emperor. The Korean calendar is in year 4350, and the Islamic calendar is in year 1439. The Buddhist calendar currently shows 2561. That is without even considering the issues surrounding the use of Anno Domini (AD) vs. Common Era (CE). As Mrs. Cooper (Sheldon’s mom) on “The Big Bang Theory” once declared, in response to Sheldon’s statement that evolution was a fact, “AND THAT IS YOUR OPINION!” As facts are becoming harder to measure and articulate, let’s do our best as educators to ensure that our students have all of the critical tools they need.