52% of a national sample of 3,446 students said this Facebook video claiming to show ballot stuffing in the 2016 Democratic primaries was “strong evidence” of voter fraud in the U.S. The video came from Russia.
More than 3,000 students completed the task. Only three of them actually tracked down the source of the video. One student from suburban California skillfully engaged in lateral reading—leaving the video to look for information on the broader web. Read about the results of our research.
To help more students become skilled consumers of digital content, we first need to understand the mistakes they’re making. For many students, seeing is believing.
Teaching Evaluating Videos
You can gauge your students’ ability to evaluate the video with this assessment. After students complete the task, use the provided rubric and sample student responses to model the components of a strong evaluation of the video.
Students, like all of us, need multiple opportunities to practice these skills. This lesson provides students a chance to evaluate other videos.
Research shows that the curriculum helps students become more skilled evaluators of online information. With practice, students will become adept at asking this crucial question: Who is behind the information? When they do with the voter fraud video, they’ll quickly find information debunking it.