Tch Talks 14: How To Combat Fake News

In this Tch Talks podcast, we discuss fake news -- what it is, its implications for teaching and learning, and how we as educators can help our students discriminate between what's fake and what's not. We talk with Janelle Bence, a humanities teacher at New Tech High in Coppell, Texas; Joe Kahne, professor and Chair of the MacArthur Foundation's Youth and Participatory Politics Network; and Erica Hodgin, Associate Director of the Civic Engagement Research Group at Mills College.

[audio src="http://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/files/Tch_Talks_Fake_News.mp3"]

Janelle Bence

Janelle Bence is a high school humanities teacher of 13 years at New Tech High in Coppell, TX and an active member of the North Star of Texas Writing Project, where she serves on their technology team and is active on both the local and national level.

Joseph Kahne

Joseph Kahne is the Ted and Jo Dutton Presidential Professor for Education Policy and Politics at the University of California, Riverside. He is also Chair of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP). Through this network, scholars from diverse disciplines examine ways participation with digital media is shaping and reshaping youth civic and political engagement. Professor Kahne's research and writing focuses on the influence of school practices and new media on youth civic and political development.

Currently, with Cathy Cohen, he is Co-Principal Investigator of the YPP survey project. Scholarship from this project draws on a nationally representative survey of youth and examines engagement with new media and politics. He is also Co-PI with Erica Hodgin of Educating for Democracy in the Digital Age – working with Oakland Unified School District and the National Writing Project on a district-wide, civic education effort. Kahne sits on the steering committee of the National Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and on the advisory board of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning.

Erica Hodgin

Erica Hodgin is the Associate Director of the Civic Engagement Research Group (CERG) at Mills College and the Research Director of the Educating for Participatory Politics project -- an action group of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP). She is also Co-Principal Investigator with Joe Kahne of Educating for Democracy in the Digital Age – a district-wide, civic education effort in partnership with Oakland Unified School District and the National Writing Project. Her current research focuses on the educational implications of youth civic and political engagement in the digital age.

She has authored articles in Theory and Research in Social Education and the Journal of Digital and Media Literacy, as well as book chapters in Digital Equity and Educational Opportunity and #youthaction: Becoming Political in the Digital Age. Erica received her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Mills College and completed her dissertation on the ways cultural humility can enable teachers to build effective relationships with students across racial and cultural differences. Before joining CERG, Erica taught English and social studies and served as an instructional coach at the middle school and high school level.

Resources:

• Educating for Democracy in the Digital Age video playlist
• "Growing Partisanship Fuels Fake News - But We Can Stop Its Spread"
• Citizenship in A Partisan Age infographic [downloadable pdf]