Pause! Reflect and Share

In the rapidly evolving digital age, the unprecedented access to information has undoubtedly enriched our lives, empowering students, educators, and parents with a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips.However, amidst this information abundance, there exists a daunting challenge that we must confront together: misinformation.

As we navigate the vast sea of online content, it becomes increasingly difficult to discern fact from fiction. Misinformation, whether unintentional or malicious, can lead to misguided decisions, erode trust in reliable sources, and undermine the very foundation of our understanding. Therefore, it is crucial for students, educators, and parents alike to equip themselves with the skills and tools necessary to combat misinformation effectively.

As part of HT Dialogues (School Edition), a special initiative by Hindustan Times to help all stakeholders in the educational domain adapt to the new learning system, an online session was held on Jul 28, 2023. It was themed, ‘Combating Misinformation in the Digital Age’ in which Ms Veena Goel, Principal at Apeejay School, Pitampura in Delhi and Dr Manisha Sharma, Principal, Venkateshwar International School, Dwarka were the esteemed panelists. They were joined by Ms Ruby Dhingra, Managing Editor at Newschecker. The session was moderated by Ms Roopali Dhawan, Head – HT Education.

The discussion of these experts started with Ms Dhingra explaining the terms misinformation, fake news, fabricated and misleading information. Armed by a team of fact checkers, her organisation helps citizens stop the spread. In her address, she acknowledged how fake news is aggravated due to technology. She further advised students to discern the content they consume and question anything outlandish. She also suggested that young minds must read more, understand the information and be careful to not fall prey to scams and schemes.

After this, Ms Goel was asked about methods to fight fake news in schools. She said, “At Apeejay, the use of technology has been promoted to students in a positive manner. So, not only do we recommend and promote critical thinking, but we provide sessions to our students on cyber etiquettes and cyber bullying. In addition to this, Apeejay has been a trailblazer in leveraging technology for the holistic development of children. Therefore, we ensure to sound parents, educators and students.”

While a specialised curriculum and training programmes keep students and educators fore-warned, Dr. Sharma highlighted how this process must be children-led as well. However, she raised important concerns like how responsibly children are equipped to use digital devices and resources, if they are digitally responsible or information literate. She named media literacy as a 21^st century skill and a need of the hour. Further, the educator advised all to get involved and engaged with children about such discussions.

Agreeing with her, Ms Dhingra emphasised how the knowledge gap among students must be addressed timely. She urged children to be curious to find more, to know the right from the wrong and learn to get to the bottom of things.

Alongside, Ms Goel shared, “The value of traditional methods of education cannot be under-estimated. It is important to have a collaborative approach and have a healthy teacher-student bond.” Following her response, Ms Dhawan asked her how parents can play a role in it. According to Ms Goel, dialogue, conversation and dining table discussions are some of the most crucial aspects. Parents need to ensure two-way communication with the child and partner with the school and its staff in the interest of the young learner.

Besides, sharing some easy tools to navigate the digital space responsibly were shared by Ms Dhingra. She opined that a regular search and reverse image tool are the best. She says, “Around 70% instances of misinformation occur using visual elements”. These are simply forwarded and believed more on the internet.

In light of this, Dr Sharma highlighted how the legal consequences of spreading fake information must be taught to students. Laws based on defamation, prevention and protection should be told to all in educational institutes. In addition to this, Ms Goel shared that in orderto mitigate an unfortunate event, a proactive approach is needed. Students must be counselled and parents should be taken into confidence depending upon the gravity of the situation. Ms Dhingra too highlighted the role of placing real-life implications in front of students since spreading misinformation can be fatal, disturbing and scarring.

Therefore, by fostering a culture of critical thinking, media literacy, and discernment, we can safeguard the truth and promote a digital landscape where reliable information prevails, empowering us all to make informed decisions and thrive in the digital era.