Newseum Unveils News Literacy Online Website

The following was announced Thursday March 17 at the Center for News Literacy Conference:

The Newseum (Washington DC) has just announced a new online site for teachers.
The Digital Classroom utilizes 12 of the most popular videos (and accompanying resources) from the museum..The videos and resources are designed to bring news literacy, journalism and history to students.
The URL is www.newseum.org/digital-classroom
You will be directed to register where you will be sent a password and a Survey Monkey evaluation. The 12 videos cover the following topics:
the First Amendment, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Bias, Edward R Murrow, Getting It Right, The Digital Revolution, News Apps, The Press and Civil Rights, Running Toward Danger, Sources, Watergate, What's News

Resources include: introductions, essential questions, links NCTE standards, links to web sources, and an extensive viewing guide.

Helping Students Evaluate News, Online Information

Students can be inundated with information online, and should be taught how to determine fact from fiction when searching for news and information online. The News Literacy Project offers tips to help students evaluate what they read. Students should consider whether they are reading an opinion column, news article or blog post, think critically about what they are reading, recognize bias, use Wikipedia with caution and double-check information using reliable Web sites, such as FactCheck.org or Snopes.com. More from Edutopia online.

Want Better Journalism? Boost News Literacy

Excerpt: There’s a lesson here for all of us who worry about the quality of journalism today: Citizens armed with the power of discernment will do more to rescue journalism than any dozen panels of veteran editors ruminating about their golden years in power and musing about better business models. Unfortunately, most Millennial Generation students have been deprived of a good civics class. That's where the News Literacy curriculum comes in. It aims to sharpen their critical thinking skills, reteach the history of America’s fourth estate, and start students on the lifetime search for reliable information.