A Teacher’s Guide to Helping Students Avoid the Pitfalls of Misinformation: Getting the Facts Straight

Presented by Mary Kate Lonergan, Social Studies Teacher, Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District (NY)
Moderated by Rachel Roberson, Program Manager, Humanities Professional Learning, KQED Education

Sponsored by KQED Education

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation. Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more

If it feels like misinformation is everywhere…you’re right. But there’s something we can all do together. As educators, we can help students avoid the misinformation pitfalls of social media and fact check like professionals. In this recorded, educator-led edWebinar, you’ll learn how to slow down and evaluate online sources, then practice with a fun quiz we call “Beware or Share.” Then, you can share these techniques with your students. Hear from an educator who makes online evaluation a key part of her curriculum and leave with classroom-ready resources to get started.

This recorded edWebinar will help educators in every content area as you teach your students how to be critical, informed researchers and information consumers. This presentation will also give you a preview of the free KQED Media Academy course, Analyzing and Evaluating Media for the Classroom.

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to elementary through high school teachers, librarians, school and district leaders, professional development leaders, curriculum leaders, equity, inclusion, and diversity leaders, school improvement leaders, and Title I/federal funding directors.

About the Presenter

Mary Kate Lonergan has taught eighth-grade students to critically engage with media and information in the social studies setting for 12 years. She’s made media literacy the heartbeat of the social studies curriculum and believes that media literacy is a civic necessity. Media literacy empowers students to think critically, ask questions, reflect, create and use their voices to take informed action. Mary Kate serves as a board member on the Central New York Council for the Social Studies and works as an educational consultant with the News Literacy Project. She also serves as an educator collaborator with Ithaca College’s media literacy organization Project Look Sharp. She has presented workshops and sessions at the National Council for the Social Studies and National Association for Media Literacy Education conferences as well as at state and local social studies conferences. Mary Kate has also developed and implemented professional development courses for integrating media literacy skills and practices across different content areas. Mary Kate holds a master’s in the science of education from SUNY Cortland and is working towards a Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy from the University of Rhode Island.

About the Moderator

Rachel Roberson is an experienced teacher leader and curriculum content developer who has served as a classroom teacher and administrator at public, charter, and international schools. Rachel specializes in professional learning facilitation and curriculum development, strategy and implementation. At KQED, she works to connect educators and students to KQED online education sites, KQED Learn and KQED Teach, by creating humanities curricula and professional learning content, supporting product development, championing youth-created media in and out of the classroom, and leading projects and partnerships focused on teachers and classrooms. Rachel is a graduate of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism and received her California teaching credential in secondary English and social studies from Mills College.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

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KQED supports educators in using public media in formal and informal learning environments. With a focus on amplifying youth voice, making media, civic participation, and richer learning, we provide free standards-aligned content and resources educators can trust.