MISINFORMATION, TEACHING, AND ARTICLES
Fighting Misinformation About Coronavirus
Slowing the Infodemic: How to Spot COVID-19 Misinformation (podcast, video, infographic, classroom guide)
7 Ways To Avoid Misinformation During The Coronavirus Pandemic- PolitiFact (article)
Mapping Misinformation In The Coronavirus Outbreak- HealthAffairs (blog)
Sifting Through the Coronavirus Pandemic (blog)
3 Ways To Help Children Think Critically About The News- The Conversation (article)
5 Ways To Manage Your News Consumption In Times Of Crisis- The Conversation (article)
5 Quick Ways We Can All Double-Check Coronavirus Information Online- First Draft (article)
Coronavirus and Misinformation Podcast- New York University School of Global Public Health (podcast)
Twitter Canada Shares Tips On Separating Coronavirus Fact From Fiction Online – Global News (article)
The Trust Issues- LexisNexis (magazine)
Cutting through the Covid-19 confusion- Ofcom (blog)
Coronavirus: Fact & Fiction (blog)
Infodemic: Half-Truths, Lies, and Critical Information in a Time of Pandemics- Aspen Institute (webinar)
#CoveringCOVID: 6 recommendations for combating disinformation- International Journalists’ Network (article)
Why smart people believe coronavirus myths- BBC (article)
Use these fact-checking tools to debunk COVID-19 hoaxes- Now (article)
Online Teaching Support
Best Tools for Virtual and Distance Learning- CommonSense Education
How Teachers Can Navigate School Closures Due To The Coronavirus- KQED Education (article)
Virtually Viral Hangouts Hosted By Media Education Lab (webinar)
Resources For Teaching And Learning During This Period Of Social Distancing- KQED (article)
Alternative Educational Delivery Methods- Internet Governance Hub
Resources For Learning From Home During COVID-19 School Closures- The Fordham Institute (blog)
Discovery Education Virtual Learning
Free Media Literacy Resources
How Young People Feel About The Coronavirus- PBS NewsHour (lesson)
The New York Times Learning Network (lessons)
Virus Information And Prevention Resources- PBS LearningMedia (lessons)
Create Your Own Video Lessons On TedEd
Navigating Digital Information Series- Crash Course (YouTube)
Media Literacy- Crash Course (YouTube)
Helping You Plan And Continue Instruction During The COVID-19 Crisis- Newsela (lessons)
Scholastic Learn at Home (lessons)
Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation- Connecticut Public Media (documentary)
KidLit TV (videos and radio)
Media Literacy Clearinghouse- Frank W. Baker
Soundtracks: Songs That Defined History- CNN Original Series (videos)
PBS Soundbreaking- TeachRock (videos)
Common Sense Launches Online COVID-19 Resource Hub For Families And Educators
Keeping People Safe and Informed About the Coronavirus- Facebook
Interesting Articles/Useful Information
Meet The Woman Fighting Coronavirus Misinformation Online- CNN Business (article)
Public Statement of Library Copyright Specialists: Fair Use & Emergency Remote Teaching & Research
Will The Coronavirus Pandemic Uncover Our Students’ Digital Inequality?- NJ.com (article)
Where Westchester Teens Get Their Coronavirus News- New York Times (article)
How Wikipedia’s Volunteers Became The Web’s Best Weapon Against Misinformation- Fast Company (article)
Parenting (in RL) During A Pandemic- Net Family News (blog)
Online ‘phishing’ attacks targeting housebound federal staffers as COVID-19 spreads- CBC (article)
“I’m Not An Epidemiologist But…”: The Rise Of The Coronavirus Influencers- BuzzFeed News (article)
Coronavirus could lead to spread of racist rhetoric online, hate monitors warn- Arizona Republic (article)
Disinformation and blame: how America’s far right is capitalizing on coronavirus- The Guardian (article)
Twitter Will Ban Tweets That Spread Misinformation About Coronavirus- HuffPost (article)
Predictability can help kids cope- Kidscreen (article)
How the coronavirus is creating chaos for teens. And why there’s hope.- Poynter (article)
How to Talk to Your Kids About a Global Health Crisis- PsychologyToday (article)
Misinformation, alternative medicine and the coronavirus (article)
There are so many coronavirus myths that even Snopes can’t keep up- Washington Post (article)
From Our Partners
Identifying and Recognizing Misinformation
NewsGuard: Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center
NewsGuard’s new Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center ranks and lists news and information sites in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany that have published false information about the virus.
News Literacy Project: Get Smart about COVID-19 Misinformation
As part of an effort to combat misinformation about COVID-19 and the new strain of coronavirus that causes it, the News Literacy Project created this resource page to provide accurate information about the pandemic and free resources to educators and the general public.
Bites Media: COVID-19: Fact and Fiction
In this article, Bites Media breaks down what COVID-19 is, why it matters, and dispels some common myths about the virus.
Educator Resources
KQED: How Teachers Can Navigate School Closures Due to the Coronavirus
NewsGuard’s new Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center ranks and lists news and information sites in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany that have published false information about the virus.
PBS NewsHour: Distance Learning: PBS NewsHour Classroom Resources for Students
These teacher-produced resources and lesson plans curated by PBS NewsHour Extra can be implemented for students who are distance learning. Examples include current events resources, their “Super Civics 2020” election series, and more.
PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs: Making Sense of Coronavirus Through Storytelling and Media Making
With many schools closing and teaching moving online, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs has created a special unit that covers the basics of local community journalism, storytelling, scripting, and video editing. They are also offering daily office hours from 11 a.m. to noon ET through Zoom for teachers and students who want to talk through story ideas, troubleshoot audiovisual needs, or brainstorm lesson plans.
The Media Education Lab: Online Resources for Media Educators
The Media Education Lab wants help in building a Google Doc with curated resources that can be useful for media educators, including how to talk to students about COVID-19, media literacy practices with remote instruction, and fighting misinformation about coronavirus.
Common Sense Education: Reduce Student Anxiety (and Your Own) During Uncertain Times
Common Sense Education put together some ideas and resources focused on news literacy, media balance, and healthy communication to help reduce students’ anxiety during this difficult time.
Pulitzer Center: Printable Activities and Virtual Journalist Visits
Pulitzer Center is supporting educators as they transition to remote teaching by revising some of their most popular lesson plans to create printable activities for students to explore at home. They are also connecting K-12 classrooms with a journalist for a virtual visit to talk about what it’s like reporting on public health emergencies.
Education Development Center: Resource Page for the COVID-19 Crisis
This resource page contains links to Education Development Center resources and ideas for parents and teachers that have been contributed by EDC staff around the world. Resources include virtual learning, STEM, and history lessons.
Learning Technology Center of Illinois: Learning Online Podcast
In a new podcast episode, Ben Sondgeroth, a Regional Educational Technology Coordinator for the Learning Technology Center of Illinois, discusses how to use video in online learning. He shares tips for teachers and administrators on how to find helpful tools and content, and the importance of educator self-care during these times of change.
iCivics: 5 Tips to Prepare for a Remote Classroom Due to Coronavirus
iCivics provides some tips for educators to keep the learning going outside of the school walls like preparing lesson packets or game play alternatives for students who may be without internet at home and creating some guidelines for students and their parents to help facilitate online learning at home.
New America: Tips and Resources for PreK-12 Online Learning with Equity in Mind
New America is providing guidance and resources focused on equity, quality, and a human-centered approach to the use of technology for learning. This resource page focuses on helping more students gain access to remote learning, how to engage parents in at-home learning, how to find and use openly-licensed digital learning materials as a part of distance learning, and how to choose and use digital media with young children.
The Trust Project: The Trust Project Lesson Plan
With misinformation and false rumors spreading rapidly due to the societal disruption caused by COVID-19, it’s important to help students know how to sort accurate journalism from imposter news stories and sites. Santa Clara University Library has developed a set of free curricular materials to help students use the Trust Indicators, developed by the Trust Project, as part of learning media literacy.
WNET: Curated Resources for Educators
WNET is curating a list of free lessons and activities from WNET, PBS LearningMedia, and other trusted partners to help students learn at home. All resources are free and standards-aligned. The resource pages are broken out for educators, families, subject area, and middle- and high-school students.
Kunhardt Film Foundation: Educator Guide for Films
The Kunhardt Film Foundation hosts links to stream award winning films co-produced by HBO, lesson plans and discussion guides, as well as a rich collection of primary source photographs and an Interview Archive. Films on Martin Luther King, Jr., Bryan Stevenson, and Gloria Steinem are featured, with more added each month.
Teaching for Democracy Alliance: Distance Learning Resource Page
Members of the Teaching for Democracy Alliance are working to create and elevate civic resources which may be useful to students and teachers dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Resources include distance learning materials from the American Federation of Teachers, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).
Copyright and Creativity’s: Copyright and Distance Learning
Copyright and Creativity’s (C&C) free lessons and videos provide information about how to successfully navigate copyright, and are readily usable for online learning. C&C also offers free, online training for educators and an information sheet to help educators navigate the copyright questions that arise in distance learning.
Project Look Sharp: Free COVID-Related Media Literacy Lessons
Project Look Sharp has released media literacy lessons for educators to use in the classroom related to coronavirus, including lessons on Google searching, fact-checking messages, navigating misinformation related to the virus, and the connection between climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
History Communicators: American History YouTube Videos
These YouTube videos from History Communicators on American politics are available for high school teachers teaching American history. Videos include topics such as television and elections, newspapers and elections, and the origins of public relations.
Center for Media Literacy: Media Literacy Infographic
This new infographic from the Center for Media Literacy illustrates their five core concepts and key questions for questioning media messages and social media.
Family and Student Resources
MediaSmarts: Social Media and Screen Time During a Pandemic
In a blog post, MediaSmarts discusses the quandary of being quarantined and the increase in screen time for kids. They offer general guidelines on how to moderate the amount of screen time kids have each day and other screen-free activities and resources that families can use in lieu of screen time.
Illinois Digital Educators Alliance: Ideas for @Home Learning
The Illinois Digital Educators Alliance has gathered resources to support educators during the planning and preparation for e-learning for all grade levels and learning platforms that are being used, with tips for social emotional learning, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity skills.
National Digital Inclusion Alliance: A National Listing of Free & Low-Cost Internet Plans
The COVID-19 health crisis has shed light on the need for home internet service, and the large number of American households who don’t have it. In this list of free and low-cost internet plans from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, some internet service providers have responded with new or improved discount broadband plans that are available.
The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture: Weekly Video Roundtables
The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture is launching a weekly Video Roundtable focused on the question, “How do we support youth and media in a pandemic?” These Video Roundtables, starting April 1, are free and open to all Youth Media Artists (ages 10-26) and Youth Media Practitioners (any age) around the world and in any discipline. Space is limited to 20 people.
Jacob Burns Film Center: JBFC Kids: At Home Viewing
With so much online content, finding quality films for kids can be overwhelming. The Jacob Burns Film Center has selected some films including shorts, documentaries, animations, and silent films, that are ready to stream and fun for the whole family.
Retro Report: Coronavirus: Lessons From Past Epidemics Documentary
With so much online content, finding quality films for kids can be overwhelming. The Jacob Burns Film Center has selected some films including shorts, documentaries, animations, and silent films, that are ready to stream and fun for the whole family.
Free or Discounted Services
CyberWise: Cyber Civics Program
Through the Cyber Civics program, teachers and parents can use their lessons and activities to teach kids at home about how and why good citizenship is important. For schools planning to teach Cyber Civics next school year, they are giving their families immediate access to Cyber Civics lessons at no additional cost.
News-O-Matic: Free Access to News-O-Matic for Schools and Students
News-O-Matic is offering a safe, age-appropriate resource for global news for students for free through June 30. Teachers or school leaders can receive free access for their class and the service is also free for families through the end of the school year.
News Literacy Project: News Literacy Project Checkology Virtual Classroom
Educators and parents of students affected by coronavirus-related school closures in the United States can use the News Literacy Project’s Checkology Premium at no cost through the end of the school year. Checkology Premium gives students access to news literacy lessons about topics such as misinformation, understanding bias, and the watchdog role of the press and the use of algorithms in personalizing what people see online.
NewsGuard: NewsGuard Removes Paywall
The NewsGuard browser extension, which costs $2.95/month, is now free for all users until July 1. The extension flags websites that have published COVID-19 hoaxes and other misinformation.
IREX: IREX Media Literacy Course Free for a Month
The Great Courses has opened IREX’s media literacy course (and all their content) free for a month, which can be a resource for educators looking for activities and virtual learning to share. Use the code FREEMO.
Meridian Stories: Project-Based Digital Storytelling Projects Free
Meridian Stories has over 125 three- to four-week creative digital storytelling projects in STEAM, history and language arts for middle and high schoolers. These project-based challenges are now free for the rest of the school year.
Newseum: Newseum Ed Free Classes and Training
The Newseum can help provide students with virtual classes and resources to help cultivate First Amendment and media literacy skills essential to civic life.