Students Identify Disinformation Using Stanford’s COR Method: Coronavirus, Fact Checking & Lateral Reading

Recently our high school media specialist, Ann Kaste, taught all Minnetonka High School ninth grade students Stanford's Civics Online Reasoning method for fact checking information. This is a newer, research proven strategy for discerning fake news. The core principle behind the method is to teach students to think like professional fact checkers.  Stanford discovered that readers practicing COR techniques were much more likely to quickly know what is false or misleading online. Rather than doing ‘close reading’ on a single webpage to examine elements such as the title, quality of the site, layout, name of the website URL, etc., readers practicing COR quickly begin opening up other browser tabs to fact check information and background of the content from several sources.  This method is called ‘Lateral Reading’. Readers using COR were much more likely than academic scholars to quickly and accurately determine the legitimacy of the information on a website. 

Ann began the lesson with a pre survey on a Google Form asking students to identify why it is important to be able to discern factual information online. One student explained why it was important to identify real from false information in this way: 

“It will help us build a more informed population that can make decisions for themselves without influence from others telling them what to think. It also makes the truth more clear so we don’t need to question whether something is true or false.”

Once students understood and expressed the importance of learning these skills, Ann explained and demonstrated the COR method. She showed the students some screenshots of real coronavirus Tweets. She modeled how to use the COR method to fact check the information on websites cited in the Tweets. She pointed out that some of this news is actually “bent” from the truth, not outright fake. Ann asked students the 3 COR questions: “Who’s behind the information? What’s the evidence? What do other sources say?”

Although many students may state that they already know how to ask these questions, Ann explained, “We know how to throw a baseball but we need to practice to get better at it.” The students then worked in partners to pick one of over 20 example coronavirus related Tweets and use the COR method to determine fact from fiction. Students quickly began investigating the Tweets using the COR method and then shared their findings with the group.

Having the ability to quickly identify fact from fiction online is a necessary media literacy skill in today’s world. Starting in elementary school and on into high school, our media specialists work to teach students research skills so they will be prepared for the future. This is part of an ever changing and adapting media curriculum that evolves in tandem with core classroom curricula.

Learn more about Minnetonka's Media Program:

• Effective Media Specialists and Programs in Minnetonka
• Design for Learning: MMW Media Center Update
• Media Center Redesign at Minnetonka Middle School West
• Sneak Peek at Two Minnetonka Public School Media Center Summer Remodeling Projects
• 3D Printing in Minnetonka Schools
• KRTS Elementary Student Daily News Show: Kids Run The Station
• More Minnetonka Schools Media Center Remodels
• Minnetonka Elementary Media Centers
• Minnetonka High School Media Center, "The Port"

Effective Media Specialists and Programs in Minnetonka

Last year our media program in Minnetonka was formally reviewed by our School Board. It was the first time a comprehensive review of the media program had been done. Our media department is based on best practices and standards from AASL, ISTE, CSTA, and ITEM. Here is the slideshow from the Board presentation. Our media department co-chairs are Kelli Whiteside and Erin Carcamo.

Future Ready Librarians- source

In Minnetonka, we have one media specialist at each of six elementary schools, one who splits time at both of our middle schools, and one at our high school. Media Specialists at our elementary schools directly instruct students in grades 1-5 each week for about 25 minutes. Our media specialists wear many hats, from teaching to managing the print and electronic resources, providing staff development, being the first stop for technology troubleshooting, to being a building leader. Here is the job description for our media specialists. 

As part of our work last year, we talked about the role of a media specialist and what makes for an effective media specialist in regards to collaboration, instruction, leadership and support. We agreed upon the following:

Collaboration - Collaborating with educators and students to design and teach engaging learning experiences that meet individual needs. Fostering partnerships within the school, District, and broader community.

What should media specialist collaboration look like in Minnetonka?

• Participates actively in a cross district PLC
• Promotes sharing of ideas and programs between media specialists
• Connects with grade levels and departments when they meet as PLCs and as teams to create a cohesive/coordinated instructional plan.
• Advocates for community connections such as partnerships with public libraries to create opportunities for lifelong learning
• Develops a quality library collection - print and digital resources, immersion and English programs, connected to classroom curriculum, quality literature
• Orients towards customer service - supports building efforts in important areas such as testing, assemblies, parent events, etc.
• Asks for feedback - conducts time studies, surveys, etc. to identify strengths and define goals

Instruction - Providing students and staff with instruction and resources that reflect current information needs and anticipate changes in technology and education.

• Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety - Uses Common Sense Media and other instructional resources to teach key concepts
• Media Literacy/Literature Appreciation - Providing access to materials in all formats, including up-to-date, high-quality, varied literature to develop and strengthen a love of reading.
• Technology Operations/Concepts - Instructing students and assisting educators in using, evaluating, and producing information and ideas through active use of broad range of appropriate tools, resources, and information technologies.
• Research/Information Fluency - Instructing students and assisting educators in the knowledge, integration and ethical use of quality research tools, both print and digital as well as develop strategies to evaluate information found online

What should media specialist instruction look like in Minnetonka?

• Initiates opportunities to push into classrooms to teach and co-teach
• Maximizes the media specialist role as teacher - create opportunities to provide direct student instruction
• Covers digital citizenship, literature appreciation, research/inform. fluency and technology skills/concepts
• Leads school and works with district to promote good digital citizenship and educate parents, students and staff (includes Common Sense Media)
• Offers opportunities for students beyond classroom instruction (news broadcasts, book clubs, computer science clubs, collaborative work time with classmates)
• Develops and implements elementary, middle and secondary digital citizenship instruction
• Maximizes the use of District digital tools for instructional purpose (Develops and uses Schoology digital content, integrates iPads, especially 1:1, integrates Google Drive as a teacher and student production/creation tool, seeks to use other online tools to engage students)

Leadership - Providing leadership in the total education program

• Advocacy - Advocating for strong school library programs as essential to meeting local, state and national education goals
• Initiative - Positively approach school and District initiatives and innovations and seek ways to support them

What should media specialist leadership look like in Minnetonka?

• Regularly checks in with building principal(s) to find ways to support building goals and efforts, remembering that principals supervise all teachers.
• Takes initiative and serves as a catalyst for new ideas and effective collaboration (Take initiative!)
• Communicates with parents using effective avenues and have a visible presence whenever possible (PTA/PTO groups, newsletters, curriculum night)
• Connects with District initiatives (For example - coding/computer science, makerspaces, innovation teams, idea hunts)
• Pays attention to and learn about future trends = personalized learning, makerspaces, genrefication, online learning
• “Yes and” versus “No but”
• Maintains a professional social media presence as both producer and consumer (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Leads technology initiatives and participates on building and District committees (Technology Committees, Digital Health and Wellness, Innovation, etc.)
• Organizes and leads buildings as they prepare for site visits
• Offers timely professional development and presents to teachers and staff during the school year, at August trainings, and at professional conferences
• Operates flexibly and responds positively to unexpected challenges
• Effectively uses the media budget to purchase materials that support District goals and curriculum

Support

What should media specialist support look like in Minnetonka?

• Manages the physical curriculum including student and teacher materials
• Serves as the liaison between the building and district Technology Department to ensure technology is working smoothly
• Manages the physical library space - keeping it organized and ready for all patrons
• Works with the District office to help order, distribute, and track student and teacher curriculum materials, resources, and technology
  

Learn more about the media program in Minnetonka:

• Design for Learning: MMW Media Center Update
• Media Center Redesign at Minnetonka Middle School West
• Sneak Peek at Two Minnetonka Public School Media Center Summer Remodeling Projects
• 3D Printing in Minnetonka Schools
• KRTS Elementary Student Daily News Show: Kids Run The Station
• More Minnetonka Schools Media Center Remodels
• Minnetonka Elementary Media Centers
• Minnetonka High School Media Center, "The Port"

The Hub: Minnetonka Makerspaces Launch

Makerspaces are launching at Minnetonka Schools this year! Makerspaces are “are informal places or materials for creative production in art, science, and engineering where students of all ages blend digital and physical technologies to explore ideas, learn technical skills, and create new products” (source).  The Minnetonka Foundation has invested in materials and equipment at each of our six elementary schools plus our two middle schools. The Minnetonka Foundation has been raising funds for Minnetonka Schools since 1986 and has an Endowment Fund to support large, long term projects like this. (More about the Foundation) We are excited to get Makerspaces for the students in our schools.

This process actually began a year ago with initial talks and a lot of planning and research. Staff at each site started meeting and brainstorming to decide how and where to begin. Staff who participated in this process included students, parents, teachers, principals, media specialists, design for learning representatives, Tonka Codes building leaders, high potential teachers, middle school STEM teachers, instructional technology coaches and district administrators.

The initial site conversations narrowed down the scope, including the arranging the makerspace by themes: structural, electrical, digital media, robotics/coding, artistic. Each site’s makerspaces will primarily be mobile, with a wheeled storage cart (pictured) or a larger wheeled cabinet for each theme that teachers can check out from the media center for use in their classroom. Since most of our sites are tight on space, this mobile solution was the preferred choice. It will also encourage teachers to embed makerspace activities into their curriculum and have students demonstrate their knowledge in all curricular areas instead of view it as an add on or place students would have to go to experience.

In the spring and over this past summer, staff began researching products available and deciding what to purchase. Teachers also began planning lessons and units for their students using the makerspace materials so these curricular materials would be ready to go for colleagues to get started instead of having to start from scratch. Over the past week before teacher workshops, teachers have been attending makerspace classes to learn more. The Minnetonka Foundation set up all the materials in a showcase room for teachers to explore who have been attending summer trainings.

Minnetonka Makerspaces have been branded as "The Hub" and the carts have been wrapped with this logo as pictured. As part of their duties, two teachers will also work to support the makerspaces, guide the development of the program, provide teachers with professional development, research, and find innovative resources to enhance the program. Expanded Maker Faires are being planned for the coming year as well as other activities that will get our students tinkering, creating, designing, and more. It will be an exciting year!

The Teenage Brain +Dementia of the Preoccupied

I listened to a great podcast last week on NPR's Fresh Air. Terry Gross, the host, interviewed neurologist Dr. Frances Jensen, author of the recently published book The Teenage Brain.  The podcast was entitled, Why Teens Are Impulsive, Addiction-Prone And Should Protect Their Brains.  As both an educator and parent, I found the interview fascinating and enlightening, and would encourage you to listen to it or read the transcript.  Her insight and findings about "learning and multitasking, stress and memory, sleep, addiction, and decision-making" (quote source) are important to understand.

Dr. Jensen explains how the prefrontal cortex of a teens' brain is one of the last areas to develop and become fully connected (myelinated).  This is the area of your brain where decisions are made, where we have our impulse control, and where adults are able to use self control and think twice about risky behavior.  It's no wonder that teens make decisions that can seem senseless to adults. 

She also explains how teens can learn very quickly as connections are being made. This has benefits in education of course, but can also be problematic, especially when drugs or alcohol are involved.  These substances can be especially addictive in teens during the important formative time in their development.  Stress can also be problematic to a teen's brain development, altering how connections are made.  This can lead to increased issues with depression in adulthood.

Dementia of the Preoccupied

Toward the end of the interview, no longer talking about the teenage brain, the host asks Dr. Jensen about her own brain.  Specifically, what she has noticed happening lately, and I was especially intrigued by a term she coined, "Dementia of the Preoccupied."  

"But in a way to explain my own shortcomings in my life with so many things coming at me in one direction - having to switch modes from clinical to basic research to patients to administration, like, you know, on an hourly basis, just so much is coming at me. And you do - things fall through the cracks... So I just have now decided to call it the dementia of the preoccupied because I refuse to think that I'm actually becoming demented - that I just know it's all environmental... I think we're not dwelling on tasks long enough to consolidate our memories, frankly."

She goes on to explain that research is being done to find the "optimal age for this sort of distracted learning" and it is your mid-to-late-30s. After that it plateaus.  I know I was going somewhere with this, but I'm 42 and can't recall what exactly it was...

She ends the interview mentioning that today's medical students can't possibly memorize everything, and so medical schools are beginning to teach their students "how to access information" and the skills of "scanning" and "validating information sources and knowing where to go when." Fortunately these skills are the some of the same ones we are talking about in education: information and media literacy.  Again, I'm sure there was more I meant to write but, well, you know...