#IWASFAKE Basic Learning Course
INTRODUCTION
Welcome, students!
You are about to embark on a 4-week course about “Dealing with Disinformation Amidst the Infodemic”. This course is titled #IWASFAKE because it will teach you how to protect yourselves and your community from “fake news” especially in this difficult time of the coronavirus pandemic.
The course is designed to be used by students with minimal supervision. It contains four modules meant to be studied in four weeks while following the prescribed sequencing (Module A to D). Each module has two lessons containing a brief discussion of concepts, case studies, and question prompts for self-reflection.
We recommend that you use a notebook or any writing pad as you go through the modules. Writing notes enhances your learning. Worksheets for each of the four modules are also available. Ask us or your teacher for these and other learning materials.
Enjoy, and together let’s IWAS FAKE!
"Fake news" and the Infodemic
The very first step in getting into a battle is knowing your enemy. “Fake news” and the coronavirus share so many qualities. Finding ways to solve these two problems starts within us.
Misinformation & Disinformation
There’s a reason why we keep the term “fake news” inside quotation marks. Yes, it is a widely popular term but you have to be more careful when you use it. What’s better: if you can name the different types of mis-/disinformation.
Practicing Healthy Skepticism
The key to not falling for misinformation is to keep our emotions always in check. This may even be more crucial than knowing how to distinguish ‘fake’ from ‘fact’. A healthy skeptic has to look both inwards and outwards.
Basic Verification & Reporting
It doesn’t have to be burdensome; verifying online information should be everyone’s habit. Here you’ll learn the basics of checking information that you encounter online and the steps you must take after.
Is your internet unstable?
Don’t worry! You may take the #IWASFAKE Basic Learning Course offline by downloading the modules in PDF format. You may open it on desktop, tablet, or your mobile phone; or, you can print them out if you want. Study anytime, anywhere!
© This learning resource is made available by Out of The Box Media Literacy Initiative under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0). You can copy and redistribute the material, remix, transform or build upon it so long as you attribute #IWASFAKE as the original source. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. View detailed license information at creativecommons.org.