Social media, one that most teachers are using in distance learning whilst this pandemic,
has been identified as a critical factor that play an enormous role in the widespread belief in
online misinformation, which seeds reforms in educative and technological platforms.
As aforementioned, for all its worth, yes, social media should be celebrated, yet, we
cannot take away its dreadful wing: false information. Clear as a crystal, wrong information
influences the general public, more so, students who are really vulnerable to believing it,
manipulating them for awful reasons. This is where the role of teachers in combating fake news
will begin. How can they catch sight of false information, and what can they do to strive against
it?
Teachers bother on the spreading of fake news into the classroom seeing false
information found online – cited in their pupil’s output or classroom discussions. This disturbing
trend shows that despite knowledge in the use of educational technology many students still lack
the digital literacy needed to distinguish between fact and fiction.
Raise awareness.
Truth be told, social media offers a lot of pros. It bridges gaps and distances between
families and friends, it is an avenue for everyone to speak up their minds, to travel into one’s
world just by seeing his/her posts, and many more. Nonetheless, it is our role as educators to
open the eyes of our students to the ground reality that not everything we see and browse through
online platforms are true and credible. Simply put, raise their consciousness and awareness.
Teachers can provide pupils with various information to identify which are real and
which are fake news and ask them to decide which one is more truthful and why. They can also
share videos, to vote on what news they believe to be fake. Discussions regarding these things
should be welcomed and promoted.
Whether we like it or not, social media is an integral part of human life now. Therefore,
the answer is not for students to be unconnected completely from these social networking sites as
students believe some interaction through social media is necessary. What is needed is an
increased awareness among learners on the effects of social media in their lives, the risks of
overuse, and the need to educate themselves on privacy issues.
Digital literacy and citizenship are as vital as possessing core competencies nowadays. We are
living in a world where almost every single thing happens online, hence, it is a must to equip
young minds and hands with knowledge and skills they stand in need of in such an environment
that we currently have.

By: Ma. Rhodora V. Herrera | Teacher I | Bataan National High School