Ways to empower Colombian students to critically spot fake news - Commentary
Since the internet was invented, we have a better, practical, and more comfortable way of being informed about the different events that happen in our country. There are lots of sources where we may find the latest news about a certain topic, it could be a positive one but also a negative one. However, no matter what we read, hear or see on those websites, the majority of the information given might be just fake news and in most cases, people believe everything without looking for real facts that prove the contrary. In Colombia, the majority of kids and young teenagers tend to believe most of the things they find on this technologic tool. Therefore, it is important that educators teach teenagers ways to identify when there is fake news and to encourage them on how to spot them.
According to the article read, children are increasingly likely to encounter fake news; more young people than ever are using digital media as their main source of news, this is not so far from the reality we live in Colombia. The fact that more and more kids are having access to a computer or even a cell phone without instructing and guiding them first on how they can use it and for what is very worrying and by making this particular mistake is that we are risking our children to many kinds of threats. For this reason is that they must be equipped with the necessary skills to tell fact from fiction and also to avoid these sources.
Firstly, it is important to highlight that one of the main ways for kids and teenagers to know how to identify where there is fake news is having a good development of their critical literacy skills which are related to the ability to understand and retain what is being read. As the author of the article proposed, there are 4 important Key Stages; the first two ones regard to reading comprehension and curriculums, respectively, where the second one takes a remarkable part in preparing children to become critically literate because this can help them to comprehend and interpret the information they are reading and trying to critically differentiate what is true from what is false.
On the other hand, Key Stages 3 and 4 respectively are the urgency to teach children to read critically and to teach them to understand and evaluate the different texts they read by discovering and spotting information that can support the ideas the author gives and to identify which of them can be considered as true/false facts. Nonetheless, as CIA World Factbook reported, the definition of literacy in Colombia says that people between 15 and over can read and write. Despite the fact that this information is very general, it can be inferred that currently, youth at that age are very likely to believe everything they read online is true. But on the contrary, it also can be a very good age to start building on them the use of the 4 Key Stages whose impact could be higher.
To conclude, I think that what the author proposes to develop youth critical literacy skills should be implemented by the Colombian educators since the beginning of their school life; this could give them the opportunity to broaden their knowledge about the world and enable them to take what they learn in class into their own real lives, always thinking critically. Because this is what Colombia needs. This is what society needs. But mostly, this is what teenagers of the future generations will definitely need to face this unsteady and hare-brained world.
REFERENCES
- Colombia Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.indexmundi.com/colombia/literacy.html
According to the article read, children are increasingly likely to encounter fake news; more young people than ever are using digital media as their main source of news, this is not so far from the reality we live in Colombia. The fact that more and more kids are having access to a computer or even a cell phone without instructing and guiding them first on how they can use it and for what is very worrying and by making this particular mistake is that we are risking our children to many kinds of threats. For this reason is that they must be equipped with the necessary skills to tell fact from fiction and also to avoid these sources.
Firstly, it is important to highlight that one of the main ways for kids and teenagers to know how to identify where there is fake news is having a good development of their critical literacy skills which are related to the ability to understand and retain what is being read. As the author of the article proposed, there are 4 important Key Stages; the first two ones regard to reading comprehension and curriculums, respectively, where the second one takes a remarkable part in preparing children to become critically literate because this can help them to comprehend and interpret the information they are reading and trying to critically differentiate what is true from what is false.
On the other hand, Key Stages 3 and 4 respectively are the urgency to teach children to read critically and to teach them to understand and evaluate the different texts they read by discovering and spotting information that can support the ideas the author gives and to identify which of them can be considered as true/false facts. Nonetheless, as CIA World Factbook reported, the definition of literacy in Colombia says that people between 15 and over can read and write. Despite the fact that this information is very general, it can be inferred that currently, youth at that age are very likely to believe everything they read online is true. But on the contrary, it also can be a very good age to start building on them the use of the 4 Key Stages whose impact could be higher.
To conclude, I think that what the author proposes to develop youth critical literacy skills should be implemented by the Colombian educators since the beginning of their school life; this could give them the opportunity to broaden their knowledge about the world and enable them to take what they learn in class into their own real lives, always thinking critically. Because this is what Colombia needs. This is what society needs. But mostly, this is what teenagers of the future generations will definitely need to face this unsteady and hare-brained world.
REFERENCES
- Colombia Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.indexmundi.com/colombia/literacy.html
One question to reflect on:
ResponderBorrarHow did you develop critical reading? What did you do as a kid/young adult to develop it?
Explain.
Hmm... What an interesting question, professor. Well, to be honest, I don't quite know how I developed my critical reading because now that I recall, I hated reading. Yes, I did. But somehow, through high school, I discovered that I had a special capability to read between lines and if I struggled understanding something I'd read it as many times as I needed it until I got it. But I wouldn't give up. In the end, I realized that social sciences, history, philosophy, and Spanish were my favorite subjects and I owe it all to some great teachers who gave me just the motivation I needed to start to love reading. By the way, just so you know, nowadays, I love it even more and now as a university student, I keep improving it everyday.
ResponderBorrar