What is fake news? Why does it matter? How do we challenge it?
This resource is as much about learning about fake news as it is about taking a step back to pause and reflect.

After a warm up "Real or fake" test to engage students in the topic, we get into the crux of the matter, looking at where fake news comes from, it's often political nature and financial incentive, and who is targeted by it.

If fake news is nothing new in human history, recent inventions have massively increased the range and speed at which information spreads. Smartphones and social media means we have never, potentially, been more exposed to fake news and this has negative consequences, including stigmatization of people, reinforcement of stereotypes, the closing rather than opening of discussion and debate. It can even lead to violence.

Thankfully, we can challenge fake news thanks to our critical thinking. An extensive range of tips and steps we can take are taken from the Navigating the News (Part II) resource and linked in the resource before it finishes off with a "fake news" game into order to practice and stimulate thinking more.

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This resource is part of the information science collection.

The way our democracies are today is not necessarily how they should be tomorrow. There probably is no perfect system out there but this resource can help students think differently about democracy, approach its problems through novel angles and find new solutions.

The first part is a detailed look at the various democratic systems across the world, including plurality voting, proportional representation and direct democracy. Pros and cons will be laid out for each while key terms such as gerrymandering, uni and bicameralism, tactical voting, the concept of the blank vote, ballot intiatives and referenda will be explained. The left-right divide will also get a mention, the need to

The second part of the lesson will look more into alternative voting systems including ranked choice, approval, star and condorcet method. Considerations on the left-right-center political spectrum and some of its limitations will also feature.

The final part will focus on the two novel ideas: quadratic voting and liquid democracy. With quadratic voting, voters have a bank of credit and can cast one or multiple votes in favour of, or opposed to, a proposition. Liquid democracy enables you to vote directly on the issues you care about, or delegate your vote, by topic, to another person or party.

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Part of the political science collection.

An event happens in the world. We go online to inform ourselves and understand it. We scour the web, websites, social media posts, videos, reels, podcasts. Notifications come up, algorithms feed us, filter bubbles appear. We listen to the radio, watch TV news bulletins, speak with friends and family.

We aim for the cold facts, for objectivity and neutrality. Unconsciously meanwhile, factors out of our control are shaping the debate. We have our own biases. We are exposed and sensitive to certain point of views over others. Our senses, as much as our minds, are tricked.

Thankfully, with the correct tools, we can filter the flow of information on the web, navigate current events the right way and reach a certain degree of objectivity. This resource aims to help do just that.

This first part is about grasping the unconscious factors at play. Being aware of our limitations is the beginning to understanding news and the world we live in. It is also a means to open up to different point of views, as well as the colourful complexity of knowledge.

In the second part, we'll look at a concrete use case and how we can use critical thinking to filter information online.

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This resource is part of the information science collection.

This second part of the "Navigating the news" resource begins with the news of a fictional protest in a city. We live this event as if it were breaking, as we gradually pick up pieces of information (from speculative tweets to memes, opinions to out of context media) react and share.

The aim is to show how typical this is of how we consume news online, whether breaking or not. We are fed superficial, incomplete, sometimes fake, often biased information on a regular basis.

But not all is lost! This resource shows students that good habits can make an impact and help us navigate the news in a healthy way. The good habits are:

Pausing & taking a step back
Embracing the nuance
Keeping an eye on the bigger picture
Developing critical thinking

This last one, critical thinking, is divided into the following sections:
News articles
Media neutrality & the left-right divide
Experts & authorities
Opinion pieces & commentators
Algorithm
Stats
Studies
Social media

It finishes off with the Bullshit-o-meter, a framework to quantify the quality of a source. Concretely you add or reduce credit depending on how valid the information contained within a source is.

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This resource is part of the information science collection.

As we get caught up in elections cycles and endless political debates, we can sometimes forget what democracy is and its institutions; how they work, their strengths and weaknesses. It's divided into 5 sections.

The state of democracy
The first part looks at the overall state of democracy across the world. After definining what a democracy is, we're look at how not all democracies are equal in measure, with some having more functioning democratic institutions than others. A useful recap of the other major types of government will feature.

Checks and balances
The separation of powers (legislative, executive and judicial) come from the premise that concentrating power in the hands of one person, party or government can have a detrimental effect on society. Hence why power and functions are distributed across separate and independent entities.

Thriving political culture
A democracy is more than voting once every x number of years. It's first of all making sure everyone who is elligible to vote can easily do so (obstacles are common). Political culture is also determined through the freedom to contest and protest.

Transparency, accountability & corruption
It is a given that a functioning democracy, with politicians elected by the people who get to decide how tax-payer money is spent, decision-making processes and accounting should be as transparant and corruption-free as possible. Unfortunately, lobbying and other forms of corruption are proven to be a hindrance on democracy as a whole.

Media: the fourth power
What is discussed in media outlets - from podcasts to TikTok videos, news articles to TV news bulletins - can have a significant impact on society, raising matters of public interest, forcing politicians to take position, debate and take action.
Hence the importance of a free press. One that is independent, can speak openly about any issue, criticise the government if need be, without fear of reprisal. It is also crucial that information is transparent, that journalists can access information on what governments are doing without hindrance.

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Part of the political science collection.

Why do politicians lie? Why do they kiss babies foreheads when in campaign? Communication is key for politicians to master the narrative. They wish to control their image, what is said of them, how they are portrayed. They are flexible and adapt to the situation at hand.

Will be shown, spread out over 3 sections, are some of the techniques they use, from stirring speeches to catchy slogans, spinning the truth to fact denying. They rely on polls to measure public opinion, use focus groups to sharpen their words, fall back on stats when required. The sections:

Mastering the words
Mastering the image
Mastering the narrative

To sum all this info up and provide a concrete example, we'll take a look at a news segment where Kellyanne Conway, who at the time was a counsellor to the President of thr USA, is intervewed by a journalist. She truly masters the art of discrediting questions, taking the focus away from them, playing the victim, creating empathy, blurring the lines between truth and lies, fact and fiction.

There is a breakdown of some of the words and techniques she used as she tussled with the journalist.

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Part of the political science collection.

Do we vote in a conscious rational way or are there other factors at play? Do we vote out of self-interest and/or for the greater good?

In the run-up to an election, you read the manifestos, watch the debates, follow the political news on social media. You weigh up the pros and cons of each candidate/party, think about what matters to you and who is best placed to make that happen. You then turn up on election day and vote accordingly. You are a rational being and therefore vote rationally.

Simplistic no?

Reading through the academic literature on this subject is as complex as human psychology. Many other factors come into play if and how a citizen decides to vote.

There can be forms of altruism at play but also forms of egocentrism (the voter's illusion); a sense of duty; the belief that my vote makes a difference and that others are more likely to turn up and vote the way I vote. Research has also shown that turnout increases in highly contested seats.

Conversations, civic duty, social pressure can also have an impact as well as genetics.

Some highlights from research are featured in this resource, part of the political science collection.

Like footprints in the sand, everything you do on the web leaves a trace.

Every time you open up your web browser or app, every search you make, every purchase you make, meal you order, every friend you have, everything you like, everyone you follow, every website you visit, app you download - basically, every time you browse the web - you leave a trace, a footprint. This data is then gathered by actors on the web who then combine it all to set up a profile of you, which is then sold to advertisers who can then target you with very specific ads of things you might want to purchase.

This resource uses the ad-model of the web as a backdrop to explain how the web works. Search results, recommendations, cookies, dark patterns... the web will hold no secrets to your students!

It will help them understand why and how data on their activity is gathered. This will help them make more informed choices in what websites and apps they decide to use.

A final section will focus on digital detox, steps students can take to reduce their digital footprint and screen time.

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This resource is part of the information science collection.