5 Ways to Help Our Students be Better Consumers of Information

Last Spring, Barrington 220 students were surveyed about the One to World program, our learning program that puts an iPad into the hands of each of our students. The results tell us how our students are using iPad and how learning experiences have changed as a result of being in a digital learning environment. District-wide, 4,484 students responded and the results help us make recommendations to improve our program for teachers, students, and parents.

One result that stood out was the percentage of students who use their device to research/search for information on the web at least weekly. We found that 88% of elementary students, 91% of middle school students, and 95% of high school students stated that they search the web for information at least weekly. Overall, more than half the respondents stated that they do this daily. The fact is that when our students want to know something, they are turning to the Internet to find it. In one regard this is a good thing. One of our goals as a district is to develop independent learners who know how to find and use information on their own. But this result does underscore our responsibility as educators to ensure that our students are intelligent consumers of information. How can we be sure that our students are finding credible sources? How do we know that they can discern reliable information from “fake news?"

Here are five ways you can improve your students’ abilities as digital consumers of information.

1. Seek out your Teacher Librarian. Our district has some of the most talented and hardworking Teacher Librarians in the business. At each school, you have an invaluable resource who knows how to teach our students about all aspects of digital citizenship. By inviting your Teacher Librarian into your class to work with you in this area, you are tapping the best resource available for your students. Our Teacher Librarians have specific lessons on the topics of discerning credible sources, proper citations of information, and many more. 
2. Educate yourself. As your students have discovered, the Internet is full of great information, and the area of digital citizenship is no exception. Take some time to educate yourself on the topic so that you are better equipped to help your students when they are researching for a project. One of the best places to start is Common Sense Media. This organization has a wealth of information for educators (in English and Spanish).
3. Model digital citizenship. Have you ever given a presentation in class and not cited your sources? Do you make sure you are using royalty-free images in your presentations? When you find an article for students to read, do you check that it’s accurate? Do you question the author's intent and potential bias? Have you ever borrowed from another teacher or author and not given credit? Your students may not notice when you don’t practice good habits, but they definitely notice when you do. By setting an example in class, you are showing your students on a regular basis what proper digital etiquette looks like.
4. Maintain expectations for your students. Make it part of your classroom culture to question sources, give credit, and check for accuracy and reliability. Add language to your assignment descriptions that communicates this expectation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be part of the rubric or grade, but it needs to be present. Students are using so much information they find online that it's easy to overlook these important habits. When a student presents information they found online, develop the class culture of questioning things like credibility and accuracy. 
5. Accept that this is a shared responsibility. Teaching and modeling digital citizenship and proper citation of sources is not the responsibility of any one teacher. Ensuring that our students are intelligent consumers of information is a shared responsibility. Imagine how our students would grow in this area if every assignment held the expectation that students vet the information they find and give credit to the information sources. By sharing these responsibilities, these best practices will become habits for our students and for us.