Digital manipulation

Digital manipulation’s Docs ▸ Digital manipulation

Title  “Digital manipulation”
Creator Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou
Main Idea / Description Students will learn to identify fake social media accounts, spot misinformation, and understand the difference between misinformation, disinformation, and malformation.
Target Group (students’ age, learning level, background, disabilities) Students aged 14-18 years old
Curriculum & Learning Subjects Computer Science
Competencies  Knowledge

  • Students will understand how social bots operate and be able to identify fake accounts on social media.
  • Students will be able to critically assess online content to distinguish between real and fake information.
  • Students will differentiate between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation and categorize examples accordingly.

Skills

  • Digital literacy
  • Critical thinking
  • Collaboration
Teachers’ Wellness Competencies
    • Emotional e-awareness
    • E-self management
    • Social e-competency
  • Emotional leadership/e-mediacy
Learning Scenario Framework
Pedagogical Method Project-based learning

Emphasizing strengths (T1. Lean on your strengths and have a positive mindset)

Relationships support (T4. Support and work well with others)

Encouraging engagement (Engage students in self-directed and dedicated learning)

Goal-oriented learning (T7. Be persistent and work toward your goals)
Software & Materials
Evaluation Tools
  • Participation in discussions and group activities.
  • Completion of the misinformation/disinformation/malinformation sorting activity.
Learning Scenario Implementation
Learning Activities

 (Description, duration, worksheets….)

 Description: This lesson encourages critical thinking about the digital environment while actively engaging students in scenarios relevant to their daily online experiences.

Discussion: Introduction to digital manipulation
Ask students if they have ever come across social media accounts that seem suspicious or fake. What made them think so?

  • What are Social Bots?

Explain what social bots are and how they create fake profiles to mimic real users.

  • How to Spot a Fake Account:
How trustworthy is the account?

  • Do you know the person? 
  • Do you know followers of the account?
  •  What the account had shared before? (If the account is usually posting on the same issue, you should look deeper into it) 
What does the profile description reveal? 

Social Bot accounts are to have a nonsense description or if there is even no description. For example, you can look at the links that the profile provides, are those trustworthy? 
How does the account write? 

 Ckeck the writing style.

 Bots use the same terms, same style of writing and elementary grammar. 
How active is the account? 

Even if you are a person who is very active on Social Media, there is a limit to posts that an actual person can make. 
How fast does the account react? 

Social Bots are much faster than human users.

 (If a post is shared or commented seconds after, probably it is a Social Bot)
How does the account react to contextual questions?

Everything that requires a deep understanding or any contextual knowledge is difficult for a Social Bot. 

Activity 1: Understanding Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation

Definition

Interactive Activity:

Provide students with a list of news headlines (some real, some fake) and ask them to categorize them as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation.

Activity 2 : Spot the Fake News (15 minutes)

GameTime:
Direct students to the GetBadNews game where they can learn through playing how to spot fake news, manipulate followers, and understand the tactics used by bad actors online.

Extension:

Students create their own fake news posts using BreakYourOwnNews, which will allow them to understand how easy it is to create misleading content.

Closing Discussion (10 minutes)

Ask students what they’ve learned about social media and online information. Discuss how they can apply these skills in their daily lives when interacting online, consuming news, or participating in digital communities.

Worksheets:

1. Have a look at the posts below. Write down if it is misinformation, disinformation or malformation.

     

2.Let’s play and learn !

Follow the link and play: https://www.getbadnews.com/

Let’s create fake posts: https://breakyourownnews.com/
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