Tuesday, October 11, the European Commission published a new document related to disinformation. This time, it issued a set of Guidelines on how disinformation can be tackled by educators. What it is interesting about this is the fact that it addresses this problem through promoting digital literacy. We should remember that digital competence is one of the 8 Key Competences for Lifelong Learning as defined by the European Council (in 2006 and updated in 2018) and includes the ability to discerne between credible and reliable sources of data and information and viceversa.
“The Guidelines provide pedagogical expertise on strengthening the critical thinking skills of our young people in view of fostering their resilience in the digital world. Likewise building trust in the classroom and creating a safe space for students and teachers to discuss sensitive issues are also explored. The Guidelines are intended for primary and school teachers/educators in different subjects and with different levels of experience and knowledge in the field.”
Keyconcepts as defined by the authors of these Guidelines:
Disinformation: verifiably false or misleading information that is created, presented, and disseminated for economic gain or to intentionally deceive the public. It can cause public harm.
Malinformation: factually correct information that is used harmfully
Misinformation: verifiably false information that is spread without the intention to mislead, and often shared because the user believes it to be true.
Verification: the process to ascertain that a site, an address, an account, or information is authentic and real.
Main documents:
- Document: Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training
Format: PDF
Available languages: BG, DE, EN, FR - Final Report of the expert group;
- Video material.
