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Just had a thought. I know teachers are overwhelmed and I would hate to create more work for them, but what if "Responsible Social Media Use" was added to public school curricula? Simple things like not every article is true, content creators may have an agenda, how to determine if a source is reliable, being responsible with what you post, etc. My thought is that it would be something taught in English class for a week each semester starting in middle school. Topical examples could be used, projects, etc.
Of course I am not a teacher or education administrator so there may be many things wrong with the idea and I realize it would be more work put on an already overwhelmed work force. But I see it as a way of helping democracy and a bigger part of civics in general.

towkneed 7 Dec 30
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4 comments

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0

My first response is that I would never want to violate any one's First Amendment Rights.
The students in my classes can say and do anything that floats their boat.

However - I do talk about Academic Sources. When they give oral citations I tell them to always use databases like the ones in the library and on line in their course. I help them find one that suits their subject area.
If they use a commercial magazine or periodical they have to explain to me who paid for the story or product placement. We need to not be told to eat more beef from the Meat Packing Industry....
T

I didn't mean to suggest that we try to circumscribe their speech. Just call to attention some of the issues with the platform.

0

Maybe it is not the young who need it, and how about a class explaining Responsible Use of Schooling. and how to be critical of what you are taught in school. Especially for the home schooled.

1

Drop the "social" and it should be, somehow.

In high school I took a class titled futurism - it was a history class dedicated to the history of people predicting the future. Every Friday the teacher would read The National Enquier to us (this was the late 70's) and we would discuss just how they were trying to manipulate, obstifucate, sensationalized, and push the angle most likely to keep people reading and buy next week's paper, too. Probably the best class I ever took, from a critical thinking aspect.

1of5 Level 8 Dec 30, 2019
1

I'd back it up two or three steps and teach critical thinking skills and a mastery of the main logical fallacies and how to accurately identify them. Social media can be a great vehicle to examine those topics, but it is just an enabler / catalyst to the real problem, which is the death of truth.

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