Media, Civic Participation, and Humanities Education HSSE Symposium Redesigning Pedagogy Conference, Singapore 4 June 2013 Mark Baildon, Re-thinking Social Studies Source Work in the Digital Age Li-Ching Ho & Mark Baildon, The Online Citizen: Youth, Civic Participation & Social Media National Institute of Education, Singapore Jeremy Stoddard, Using Film in Historical Inquiry & for Engaging in Controversial Issues College of William & Mary, USA
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15” 1o” ProceduresUnderstandings Evaluate provenance 1.Author background, expertise, experience affect competence to “speak” about issue (depends.
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Evaluate the reliability of Nicole Seah Facebook page, “Is Healthcare Affordable in Singapore? Here is My Take” (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=139911682746578)
Use Worksheet Context: How Affordable is Healthcare in
Singapore?” Your evaluation of reliability Challenges Similar/different to print sources? 15”
Discussion Share your evaluation of the reliability of Nicole
Seah’s Facebook page, “Is Healthcare Affordable in Singapore? Here is My Take” To what extent reliable? Why? How did you evaluate its reliability? What did
you do and/or discuss? What helped you evaluate reliability?
What challenges did you encounter? Similar/different to evaluating print sources?
1o”
Study findings
Students more motivated, engaged, resourceful working with online sources
Use of procedural scaffolding (i.e., steps)
All students found source unreliable because it had purpose (i.e., purpose = unreliable)
Lack of understanding about why they perform steps/procedures & how helps them evaluate reliability
How reliable is Nicole Seah’s FB page?
Here’s my takeProcedures Understandings
Evaluate provenance
1. Author background, expertise, experience affect competence to “speak” about issue (depends on issue & experience with it).
2. All authors have bias or limited views but we must determine if bias is acceptable or if it should “disqualify” them.
3. “Disclosure” which states one’s background, interests and positions is important. If not stated do “background check.”
Assess purpose
1. All sources written/created with some purpose in mind.2. Some purposes explicitly stated while others may be vague,
implied, hidden or not easily discerned.3. Some purposes more trustworthy (e.g., inclusive, sincere,
respectful, balanced purposes more trustworthy than efforts to mislead, deceive, promote self-interest).
Analyze content & cross reference
1. Claims and evidence must be evaluated for accuracy & reasonableness (e.g., if content fits with what is already known, what other sources say).
2. Need to check for errors, bias, tone (e.g., if emotive, one-sided, advocacy-focused, etc.) to determine if reliable as information.
3. Need to corroborate information, check to see if it’s consistent with other sources or refuted by other sources.
Make determination of reliability
• Factors must be weighed together to make overall judgment of reliability.
• Judgments can be evaluated & compared according to criteria.• Informed conclusions & decisions require reliable information.
How reliable is Nicole Seah’s FB page?
Here’s my takeProcedures Understandings
Evaluate provenanceShe discloses who she is; she cares about issue & Singapore; although young and inexperienced, she (& NSP) disclose background/interests and makes case for young people having voice. As opposition member, bias is acceptable.
Assess purposeWhile she is trying to persuade readers (and is member of opposition party), she presents her views in a straightforward, honest way. She is explicit in her purpose and respectful to readers (e.g., asks sincere questions about role of gov’t.).
Analyze content & cross reference
She presents a reasonable argument. Although not backed up with “hard empirical evidence” her argument is consistent with findings from others’ work (e.g., TOC; Barr’s (2001) study of Singapore’s healthcare system found certain procedures and conditions prohibitive for those at lower income levels).
Make determination of reliability
Reliable in terms of providing evidence to answer inquiry question, “How affordable is healthcare in Singapore?” (i.e., it depends on one’s income level)
Why this is a complex source
Social media (i.e., Facebook) have different purposes (i.e., for relationship, self-presentation) but increasingly being used for political & commercial purposes
Use of rhetorical questions
High knowledge demands: knowledge about Singapore’s healthcare system, other policies, resource allocation, etc.
Key ideas
Citizens and consumers need reliable information to make informed decisions.
Evaluating reliability of online sources more challenging.
Need conceptual understanding of reliability and reliability evaluation (how and why).
Web can be used to manage these challenges.
Reliable info needed for informed decisions
Greater burden on individuals to get reliable information and assess its meaning and relevance accurately
Highly consequential: assessing reliability inaccurately can have serious social, personal, educational, relational, health, and financial consequences
High importance to citizenship: drives social agendas, degree & nature of engagement in public discourse, determination of public policy, etc. (Flanagin & Metzger, 2008)
Challenge of online sources
Range of complex information sources (multimodality, websites, video, social media, etc.)
Challenge of online sources
Information overload (multiple views, competing accounts, increased knowledge demands)
Greater likelihood of useless information (little relevance or use), misinformation & “doctored” information (altered/edited photos & videos clips), attempts to deliberately deceive people (e.g., Internet hoaxes)
Challenge of online sources Ill-defined criteria & standards to help us
manage complex sources & info overload New uses for online formats (e.g., politicians using
Facebook) Easy for anyone to create & disseminate Lack of vetting process Author credentials & qualifications often hard to determine
Complex, multi-faceted problems – High knowledge
demands Climate change
War & Terrorism
Inequality
Water shortages
Food crises
Ocean life destruction
Disease
James Martin (2007). The Meaning of the Twenty-First Century.
Global & local impact
Cross-disciplinary
Understand & address multiple causes political, economic, historical, cultural, etc.
Need understanding of interconnection
New thinking, new ways of acting
Understanding mediated by media, digital information sources
Using the Web to manage
challenges Online procedures to authenticate sources:
Online searches on author provenance & background
Check digital trace or history of source Use online networks & media outlets to check
authenticity (e.g., Snopes, Politfact) Engage source to request further information -
challenges Use Internet to track down key information, check
internal multimodal consistency (e.g., check images or links provided as evidence)
Use Internet to gain necessary background knowledge, cross reference, check & confirm information
These moves require understanding how the Internet works & how to use it strategically. New understandings and procedures to help students use Internet as a tool to evaluate the reliability of information