Internet misinformation undermines credibility of classroom learning

Rafael Conde Melguizo, senior researcher in the Innovation and Technology from and for Education, Culture and Society (ECSIT) research group at the University of Design, Innovation and Technology (UDIT), warns in a report published in Education 3.0 Magazine that the proliferation of fake news is "weakening the credibility of what we learn in the classroom and diluting its capacity for critical analysis". To counteract this phenomenon, he proposes practical activities that allow students to experience first-hand the challenges of information validation. These include editing articles on Wikipedia, where it is essential to cite sources correctly. As he points out: "Most of what they write gets deleted because they don't cite sources properly. I take this opportunity to explain how a text should be referenced and, above all, why it is essential to assess whether the source is viable or not".

Through these proposals, the researcher seeks to encourage students to develop critical competences and verification skills that will enable them to function in an information ecosystem marked by the overabundance of data and the circulation of false content. His contribution underlines the importance of integrating strategies into teaching practice that not only strengthen analytical skills, but also promote an academic culture based on rigour and responsibility.

Educación 3.0 is the leading media in educational innovation, with physical distribution throughout Spain and on the Internet. It publishes four issues a year and its core readership is made up of teachers from all over Spain.

The article features experts and professors from different universities who reflect on other aspects of the same topic.