Tackling misinformation with Minecraft: How these B.C. students are learning to separate fact from fiction
CBC
Students at a Coquitlam middle school are learning about the dangers of online misinformation using tools to help spot the difference between fact and fiction.
Mason Foulkes, a grade 6/7 teacher at Maple Creek Middle School, says children are inundated daily with online misinformation and disinformation.
"All of your information now is coming from social media feeds. Unverified sources. Misinformation spreads like wildfire. It's the new way we need to prepare our kids for the future."
Foulkes's lesson plan takes a non-traditional approach to teaching.
Instead of the students simply completing a worksheet, they're exploring a new world in the popular video game Minecraft.
CBC Kids News developed and released the map, Reporting 101: Misinformation, through the Minecraft Education program, a platform that allows teachers to offer interactive and educational lessons in Minecraft, to help students develop media literacy skills.
Minecraft is a sandbox video game that allows players to create and explore their own unique worlds.
"Media literacy is such an important part of what we do at CBC Kids News, and we need to continually find ways to create content where our audience spends time," said Lisa Fender, CBC Kids News senior producer.
"We've been able to create a world that not only appeals to students' gaming interests but gives teachers a creative way to explore this topic in the classroom."
In Reporting 101: Misinformation, students play the role of a junior reporter. A rumour has spread through the school that summer is cancelled.
It's up to the reporter to explore the Minecraft world, speak to residents, collect evidence and determine whether the rumour is true. And, as a reporter, they're racing to meet the deadline. Students need to publish a story on the scandal by the end of the day.
Gavin Hannah, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) support teacher for the Coquitlam School District, says it's about creating an engaging learning environment.
"Kids are immersed in a world, and they can be tuned in and pick up new things and build knowledge as they're exploring the world, in a way that is very special."
But if you ask the students, it's just fun.
