{"id":40364,"date":"2025-07-13T11:13:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T15:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/?p=40364"},"modified":"2025-08-22T15:53:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T19:53:06","slug":"is-seeing-believing-ensuring-students-are-prepared-for-a-world-of-constantly-altered-images-and-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/is-seeing-believing-ensuring-students-are-prepared-for-a-world-of-constantly-altered-images-and-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Seeing Believing? Ensuring Students Are Prepared for a World of Constantly Altered Images and & Videos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is Seeing Believing? Ensuring Students Are Prepared for a World of Constantly Altered Images and & Videos<\/strong>
\nby Frank W Baker, media literacy educator
\n(Submitted 6\/20 for august\/Sept consideration by MiddleWeb)<\/p>\n

The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) means it is increasingly challenging for educators.\u00a0 You may be asking: what does this mean to me and how can I guarantee my students have the critical thinking and media literacy skills to question what they see.<\/p>\n

No doubt, you and your students have already been exposed to images that you may or may not realize had been AI produced. How can you tell? Why is this important?
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If we don\u2019t prepare students to question the explosion of digitally altered images, they may become more susceptible to believe what they see. Skepticism and discernment become more important than ever.<\/p>\n

Since more students are spending more of their time on social media, it may be wise for middle grade educators to consider how to address their new media habit.<\/p>\n

A study recently published in the journal MEDIA found that \u201cindividuals with low critical thinking skills are significantly more vulnerable to fake news generated by artificial intelligence (AI), especially among young adults.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fake news\u00a0in general refers to news stories or images that are deliberately fabricated or significantly distorted to deceive the reader, often lacking verifiable facts, sources, or quotes.\u00a0But the meaning of that phrase has changed over time\u2014with many using it when discrediting journalists and media organizations.<\/p>\n

The Role of Media Literacy in Confronting AI & Fake Content<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re reading this and have<\/u> taken part in any professional development around media literacy, then you know that critical thinking and critical viewing are at the core.\u00a0 But if you\u2019ve never taken part in a media literacy workshop, then you may not be prepared to help students recognize or combat the \u201cbad actors\u201d.<\/p>\n

Examples of the tactics \u201cbad actors\u201d use include:
\n1. Deepfakes: These are videos and audio deliberately manipulated to fool people
\nExamples include: using existing video (or sound) of well-known people and altering one or both elements to change the original intent<\/p>\n

2. Malinformation: when true information is used but taken out of context for the purpose of causing harm
\nExamples include: actual photos or video but the description has been changed to fool the viewer<\/p>\n

3. Amplifying divisive issues: the deliberate targeting people already in a politically polarized environment
\nExamples include: bloggers, podcasters and others, who may have a large following, taking advantage of an issue or attempts to make the issue controversial<\/p>\n

4. Using Authentic Content to draw in a trusting audience then offering them misinformation<\/p>\n

Using Media Literacy Questions and Strategies<\/strong>
\n<\/u>
\nOne of the first media literacy considerations is \u201cwho is the author or producer of the message,\u201d and many times it is impossible to know who created it. Often the message is shared by many on social media without consideration of whether the image is authentic.\u00a0 Ask students to research the source of the image using well regarded applications such as Google Reverse Image Search and TinEye.com<\/p>\n

Fact-checking is an important consideration here: many fact checking websites are reliable for verifying whether a news story or image is authentic. \u00a0Students should become accustomed to using these:<\/p>\n

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\nAnother important media literacy consideration is: \u201cwhat techniques does the producer use to make the message attractive or believable\u201d?\u00a0 As an educator, you can help your students become proficient in identifying those ways producers use AI.<\/p>\n