Fake News Check: An App to Help Students Recognize Fake News on the Internet
Fake news is a growing concern that has led to mass mistrust of journalistic media. The Fake News Check app, developed in collaboration with the Lower Saxony Institute for School Quality Development, aims to help students recognize fake news on the internet. The app walks students through 19 questions, with each question listed on a map. The students can give an assessment to each question using regulators and buttons. The app does not recognize fake news automatically, but it helps students learn to distinguish fake news from real news by asking important questions and initiating reflection.
The Fake News Check provides background information and assistance on each question, along with an extensive glossary of 29 terms from the fields of journalism, politics, and net culture. The app evaluates the answers based on classic traffic light colors, changing the background of the app to red, yellow, or green depending on whether the answer speaks for or against a fake news. Students receive a detailed feedback on the last card, with various guidance on how to deal further with the news. The Fake News Check is a great tool to raise awareness of the critical approach to news and sensitize students to the issue of fake news.
