The new Google Sites arrived for everyone in November (Finally!). And according to many early adopters, Sites is a cinch to use.
First, of all, if you're still pondering a transfer to the new Google Sites, check out Mike Reading's comprehensive article comparing the classic Sites to the new:
The new Google Sites, with 🎉 drag-and-drop and 🎉 real-time co-editing, is looking simple for the moment (just a few themes to choose from), but things are guaranteed to change, ala Google's MO. Luckily, my favorite feature is already in place: 🎉 seamless integration with other GSuite products. And a must-have feature? 🎉 automatic optimization of Sites for different devices.
(One drawback is that you can't move your classic site over to the new.)
For those who would like a little assistance with visuals (always pausable) and a friendly, authoritative voice, try the video tutorials below, created by excellent trainers I personally trust.
The video tutorials are in reverse chronological order. I will add more I recommend, as they become available. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage for the shorter tutorials, or linger with a second cup for the longer tutorials: your choice!
•The All New Google Sites for Schools - Video Tutorial. Eric Curts. Control Alt Achieve. Article, with resources. Dec. 15, 2016. [Length: 1:16:23]
•EdTechTeam Live: Google Sites Demo and Q and A. Emily Fitzpatrick, Director of Professional Development. EdTech Team, Nov. 21, 2016. [Length: 31:41]
•NEW Google Sites 2016 for Educators. Flipped Classroom Tutorials, Nov. 20, 2016. [Length: 8:31]
I selected some pre-release tutorials, created by experienced trainers who had a sneak peak of Google Sites, out in Beta in June:
•The NEW Google Sites - 2016 Tutorial. Technology for Teachers and Students, Aug. 22, 2016. [Length: 17:58]
•How to use the New Google Sites - Tutorial 2016. Jamie Keet. Teacher's Tech, June 24, 2016. [Length: 16:03]
IMPORTANT NOTE, Mar. 31, 2017: This ongoing post of recommended reading and resources for teachers will continue to be vetted according to the code of ethics for excellent journalism and the celebration of a totally free press as protected by the First Amendment. I highly recommend bookmarking All Sides ("think for yourself") for an ongoing overall view of controversial issues, from the left, center, and right.
•Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Fake News Edition. On the Media, Nov. 18, 2016. Interview with Melissa Zimbar, assistant professor of communication and media at Merrimack College, who has "made a list of more than a hundred problematic news sites, along with tips for sorting the truthful from the troublesome. She talks... about how to be a savvy news consumer in a misinformation-filled world."
Listen:
Cut out and post in your classroom: •Lesson Idea: Media Literacy and Fake News. C-Span Classroom, Dec. 27, 2016. Handout and video clips, including the one below.
•To Test Your Fake News Judgment, Play This Game. NPR, July 3, 2017. Game: Facticious by JoLT (Innovation in Journalism Through Game Design) and AU Game Lab (American University).
Keep fighting, with some trusted sources •FactCheck.org. "A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center" •On the Media. "WNYC’s weekly investigation into how the media shapes our world view. " WNYC. •Media Literacy. "Find and share resources to help students learn to analyze, evaluate, and communicate in a world with countless media sources and constant access to powerful computers." Edutopia. •The News Literacy Project. "... equips students with the tools to be smart, active consumers of news and information and engaged, informed citizens." •Common Sense Media. •Digital Resource Center. Center for News Literacy. •The Trust Project. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Santa Clara University. •AllSides. "Balanced news. News and issues from multiple perspectives, respectful dialog." Search the topics and issues HERE. AllSides Dictionary: "A human look at hot-button terms from every perspective" HERE. •Portland State University Library LibGuide: Identify and Challenge Fake News. •Poynter. Collects all of the International Fact-Checking Network's fact-checking articles. •medialiteracynow.org. Classroom "materials and curriculum available online or to order." Online Guides, courtesy of the LibGuides (Librarian Authors) research community
•Fact Checking, Verification, and Fake News. Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York. •Fake News, Misinformation, and Propaganda. Harvard University. •Fake News. Indiana University East. •Fact or Fiction? How to Tell. Seabury Hall (us :D) •Search the LibGuides Community yourself. •Fake News. Fordham University. •Fake News. University of Washington. Worth a second mention Truth, truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a "post-truth" world. Joyce Valenza, Assistant Professor of Teaching at Rutgers University School of Information and Communication. School Library Journal, Nov. 26, 2016. A gold mine of resources, some of which are mentioned in this post. If you read only one article from this post, choose this one! Will you be tackling fake news and teaching media literacy at your school too? Let me know how it goes!
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P. S. I posted this news sources chart created by patent attorney Vanessa Otero in our library. We like it a lot, and we're using it as a starting point for discussion about the trustworthiness of news sources in general.
You can use any or all of the 8 TED-Ed videos below to launch discussions with your students.
Note: The Think link will take you to a quiz and Dig Deeper has additional resources for study. Discuss leads to online discussions already started, and if you join the TED-Ed community, you and your students can add your own discussion.
1. "How to choose your news"
Damon Brown
(4:49)
YouTube description: "With the advent of the Internet and social media, news is distributed at an incredible rate by an unprecedented number of different media outlets. How do we choose which news to consume? Damon Brown gives the inside scoop on how the opinions and facts (and sometimes non-facts) make their way into the news and how the smart reader can tell them apart."
YouTube description: "In previous decades, most news with global reach came from several major newspapers and networks with the resources to gather information directly. The speed with which information spreads now, however, has created the ideal conditions for something called circular reporting. Noah Tavlin sheds light on this phenomenon."
YouTube description: "http://www.ted.com As web companies strive to tailor their services (including news and search results) to our personal tastes, there's a dangerous unintended consequence: We get trapped in a "filter bubble" and don't get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview. Eli Pariser argues powerfully that this will ultimately prove to be bad for us and bad for democracy. Read our community Q&A with Eli (featuring 10 ways to turn off the filter bubble)"
4. "Not all scientific studies are created equal" David H. Schwartz (4:26) YouTube description: "Every day, we are bombarded by attention grabbing headlines that promise miracle cures to all of our ailments -- often backed up by a "scientific study." But what are these studies, and how do we know if they are reliable? David H. Schwartz dissects two types of studies that scientists use, illuminating why you should always approach the claims with a critical eye."
YouTube description: "Journalism can be much more than reporting. An authentic, human narrative touches audiences and keeps them reading. Learn how to shape a human-centered news story, and the importance of facts, context and heart."
6. "The key to media's hidden codes" Ben Beaton (6:00) YouTube description: "Colors, camera angles and logos in the media can all prompt immediate associations with emotions, activities and memories. Learn to decode the intricate system of symbols that are a part of everyday life -- from media messages to traffic signs."
YouTube description: "Kevin Slavin argues that we're living in a world designed for -- and increasingly controlled by -- algorithms. In this riveting talk from TEDGlobal, he shows how these complex computer programs determine espionage tactics, stock prices, movie scripts, and architecture. Slavin also warns that we are writing code we can't understand with implications we can't control."
YouTube description: "Statistics are persuasive. So much so that people, organizations, and whole countries base some of their most important decisions on organized data. But any set of statistics might have something lurking inside it that can turn the results completely upside down. Mark Liddell investigates Simpson’s paradox."
Conclusion: "All we can do is carefully study the actual situations the statistics describe and consider whether lurking variables may be present."
I added this TED talk as a bonus. Perhaps you can create a lesson for it? It is most definitely worth your students' time and consideration.
TED talk: "Battling bad science" Ben Goldacre (14:19) YouTube description: "Every day there are news reports of new health advice, but how can you know if they're right? Doctor and epidemiologist Ben Goldacre shows us, at high speed, the ways evidence can be distorted, from the blindingly obvious nutrition claims to the very subtle tricks of the pharmaceutical industry."
