Media Literacy Game for Detecting Viral Deceptions

NewsFeed Defenders, by iCivics and FactCheck.org, is a free media literacy game that engages students with the standards of journalism, showing them how to spot a variety of methods behind the viral deceptions they face today. To play the game, students join a fictional social media site focused on news and information, where they meet challenges to level up from guest user to site administrator. They can reach this level only by spotting dubious posts that try to sneak in through hidden ads, viral deception, and false reporting. In addition to maintaining a high-quality site, students are charged with growing traffic while keeping posts on topic. FactCheck.org also hosts lesson plans, misinformation directories, videos, and a teacher extension pack for use with projectors or interactive whiteboards.

Media Literacy Civic Literacy Journalism Social Media

SPOTLIGHT! On Diversity in STEM

Eighth-grade girls outperformed their male peers in five out of six STEM content areas in the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress Technology and Engineering Literacy assessment. Girls were especially strong in testing categories related to communication and collaboration. Nearly all student subgroups posted increases in scores, including among black students, Asian students, white students, low-income students, public school students, students whose parents did not finish high school, and those whose parents graduated college.

Diversity-specialized programs equip students with the knowledge, resources, and skillsets they need to achieve STEM opportunities in computing. Code as a Second Language (CSL) is a national initiative that works toward introducing youth to computer science and making technical training and careers accessible to women and underrepresented minorities.

Program to Prepare Thoughtful, Ethical Digital Citizens

Born in a Waldorf-inspired public charter school classroom in California, Cyber Civics meets a growing need to prepare middle school students to be ethical, safe, and wise digital citizens. The in-class program has three levels—Level 1: Digital Citizenship; Level 2: Information Literacy; and Level 3: Media Literacy for Positive Participation.

3D Animated Content in Science and Mathematics

Developed by Designmate for iOS devices, the Eureka.in-NSES app enables students of different age ranges and with diverse interests, abilities, and experiences to achieve scientific and mathematical excellence even in abstract concepts such as the Structure of DNA, Complex Physical Laws, or Intricate Chemical Bonds.

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