Effective Ways to Improve Media Literacy in the Classroom

These days, the ability to know what is “true” is more important than ever – but this ability is under threat by technology-induced shorter attention spans and an ever-growing flood of misinformation. With AI only accelerating the production of digital content, teaching students how to critically assess the quality of information may be the top priority for educators.

In the “AI era,” media literacy extends far beyond simply fact-checking headlines. Here, we share more about giving students the preparation and tools to critically assess the credibility of information they are reading, watching, and creating.

Why Media Literacy Matters in the Age of AI

A 2016 Stanford study found 82% of middle school students couldn’t tell the difference between sponsored content and real news. This wasn’t just a minor oversight. Many students couldn’t distinguish between what was essentially an advertisement, and what was genuine news, making them highly susceptible to treating misinformation as fact. 

Making matters worse, social media websites, from where people of all ages are increasingly getting their news, make their money from embedding advertisements to look like “organic” content created by unsponsored people.

When you combine this with the recent introduction of tools like ChatGPT, which fluently generate plausible responses with questionable accuracy, it’s clear why so many educators are deeply worried about media literacy. The rise of AI-generated content is only going to increase, which means media literacy is only going to become a more critical skill. 

3 Things Students Should Remember About AI Media Literacy

AI is confident but not correct

ChatGPT can provide answers to questions that sound authoritative but often can include fabricated or inaccurate details. Students need to understand that confidence in delivery doesn’t necessarily translate to accuracy. Learning more about ethical uses of AI can help start a discussion in the classroom about checking sources and verifying claims.

Misinformation is evolving 

Deepfakes and AI-generated hoaxes are becoming more and more sophisticated. Even adults can be misled, which only emphasizes the importance of teaching students to be critical of the content they are consuming. Detecting deepfakes isn't as easy as detecting AI-generated text with AI detectors, but it is possible to trace the origin of videos to sources that can verify or dispute its contents.

Algorithms have bias 

Ad-based social media, search engines and news sites, which means most of the popular websites you know, currently make money by trying to keep and hold your attention so they can serve you more ads. This can lead to biases toward content that is designed to provoke strong emotions — delight, outrage, disgust, fear, anger, or offensiveness. Understanding how this bias plays a role in these algorithms helps students develop a better awareness of how forces like money influence the content they consume – whether it is Google results or recommendations on TikTok.

4 Teaching Exercises for Media Literacy in the Age of AI

So how do you help students learn to tell the difference between the real and the artificial? It requires a careful blend of critical thinking with real-world application. 

Analyzing AI claims for verifiable sources 

Here’s a simple exercise to get students to think critically about the information they get from AI sources.

1. Have students draft a short argumentative paragraph using ChatGPT about a topic that requires facts and evidence to support, like whether plastic recycling is an effective method of reducing waste.
2. Analyze it with GPTZero.me/sources to identify the AI-generated sections. This shows that not all digital content is human-generated or reliable. 
3. Encourage students to scrutinize AI-generated phrases like ‘some experts believe’ or ‘many studies suggest’ – red flags as these indicate claims but don’t share actual sources. 

Use real-world case studies 

Another exercise to understand media literacy is to do a research project or reflection on “fake news” or “deepfakes.” Here’s an example assignment you can give to your students:

1. Find an example of AI-generated misinformation, for instance a proven fake news article or viral deepfake.
2. Discuss in class how you could verify the authenticity of a source like this when you see it. 

This could include very recent examples like the Brad Pitt romance scam, or the Chrystia Freeland deepfake case, where fake AI-generated videos showed her endorsing financial schemes.

Verifying sources 

1. Introduce students to fact-checking and credibility-assessment tools like Politifact, Newsguard, and GPTZero’s sources tool.
2. Walk them through a news article or social media post and how you would assess they posts reliability, including:
   1. Does the person talking about this have a source they are citing?
   2. Does that source have a motivation or agenda or reason for making this claim?
   3. Do these sources explain how they gathered or came to the information they learned? Can you find the original place (online) where the information was first shared or published?

Awareness of algorithms  

Get students to analyze how algorithms shape the content they see on TikTok – asking for specific examples of how social media algorithms amplify certain narratives and can create echo chambers. 

1. Start by explaining how these algorithms actually work: by prioritizing content based on engagement, watch time, likes and comments – as opposed to objective accuracy or balance.
2. Ask them to try on a blank account to follow some random topic they know nothing about and are not interested in. Where does their feed go after that?
3. Ask them to look into the settings of their apps to see if there are settings that prevent personalization of ads or content based on interest. What happens if they turn these filters off? (The answer is, there's no reduction in content, but the quality of the ads or content may change.)

How to Make Students Care About Media Literacy  

If your students don’t know or care about what is "real" and think of AI as being "true", they risk becoming more vulnerable to manipulation and biased narratives. But how can you encourage them to become more engaged? 

1) Connect to real-world consequences 

Use relatable examples to show the risks of believing lies (e.g. social media scams like fake giveaways that trick people into losing money). AI-generated misinformation is also being used to manipulate people who are looking for jobs. 

A student could be applying to an internship that seems to come from a reputable company with realistic testimonials – and turn out to be a scam where they’ve lost personal data and paid fake ‘training material’ fees to cybercriminals. 

2) Tie it to their aspirations  

Show how AI will be part of their future work, and that knowing its risks – such as how to evaluate information – will give them an edge. It’s not just a topic for those working in marketing and tech, as AI is bound to affect nearly every industry in the coming decades. 

From business to healthcare to journalism, knowing how AI tools function and being able to critically assess information credibility is more than an academic skill. It helps students understand that consuming information shouldn’t be a passive exercise but is instead an active and ongoing process. 

3) Make it personal

For many students, discussing media literacy can seem sort of abstract, and something only applicable to political debates as opposed to their personal lives. However, students need to see how the truth (or lack of it) impacts their daily lives. One example could be how social media feeds are designed to prioritize content that aligns with users’ previous interactions. 

For example, a student who watches videos about a new diet trend could start being pushed more posts along the same idea, even if the claims are devoid of scientific evidence. The student might automatically assume this diet is healthy, without realizing other credible voices (including doctors and nutritionists) are giving contradictory viewpoints. Media literacy is what helps them question perspectives rather than assuming what they are seeing is true and beneficial.

Developing Classroom Guidelines  

Instead of developing a set of classroom guidelines for evaluating digital content and then sharing it with your students, it’s a better idea to include them in the design process. As a starting point, the guidelines could include:  

Using at least two reliable sources 

Verification should become standard practice, as opposed to an afterthought, with a minimum of two credible sources. This helps students to be more discerning with their information sources.

Checking the publication date 

This helps students to avoid outdated information, and encourages them to see the news as an ever-evolving ecosystem. For example, health advice from 2010 might not reflect current medical research. 

Investigating incentives or potential bias

This teaches students to look closely at the intention or bias behind a piece of content, which can influence their daily lives right now (e.g. AI-generated reviews on online stores can make an average product seem like an absolute must-buy). 

Preparing students for the future  

The mix of AI with the rise of fake news has created a perfect storm for today’s teachers. It can be hard to engage students who prefer to lean on AI-generated news as gospel, without questioning it – but it’s also an opportunity to bring contemporary and ‘fun’ topics like social media and AI into the classroom. 

Today’s students are the voters, consumers, and professionals of tomorrow. It’s important to convey that their ability to discern fact from fiction will impact them more than anyone else – with long-lasting effects on their careers and finances as well as their political choices.

Media literacy is more than a classroom skill – it’s an essential life skill for finding a way through the layered information landscape of the 21st century. Ultimately, this can be an exercise in the cornerstone of education: teaching students they should always nurture the ability to think for themselves.