education in the age of fake news and disputed facts
TRANSCRIPT
Education in the age of
fake news and disputed
factsLee Rainie – Pew Research Center
• Facts are the atomic unit of truth
• Facts drive outcomes for individuals and societies
• Facts underlie justice
• Facts are democratic
• Facts are tied to trust
• Trust is what binds people together to:
• overcome uncertainty
• overcome vulnerability
• cement interdependence
• achieve collective action
Information revolutions are like avalanches
Elizabeth Eisenstein
Folklore
Witchcraft
Alchemy
Today
Trolls
Fake news
Weaponized information
A new tension in American life
Losing trust in traditional sources Want to learn and grow
June 15, 2017 8www.pewresearch.org
Learning needs start in labor markets
June 15, 2017 9www.pewresearch.org
June 15, 2017 10www.pewresearch.org
Americans believe knowledge of computers, social dexterity,
communications skills, and access to ongoing training are keys
to success for workers
40
35
37
33
22
23
10
10
45
49
48
49
47
41
27
25
12
12
13
16
26
26
40
43
Extremely
important
Having a detailed understanding of
how to use computer technology
Being able to work with people from
many different backgrounds
Training in writing and
communicating
Access to training to keep skills up to
date
Mastering social media
Knowing a foreign language
Very
importantSomewhat
important
Training in math and science
Knowing a computer or programming
language
NET 85%
85%
85%
82%
69%
64%
37%
36%
Learning as identity (% of those ages 18+)
57
61
73
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
I often find myself looking for newopportunities to grow as a person
I like to gather as much informationas I can when I come across
something that I am not familiarwith
I think of myself as a lifelong learner
Describes me very well
The motives of personal learners% of those ages 18+
33
36
60
64
80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Learn something to help with mychildren's or other kids school work
Wanted to turn a hobby into extraincome
Extra time on my hands
Learn something that would allowme to help others
Learn something make my life moreinteresting
And…
93% say they agree with this statement: “I appreciate when I get feedback about how I do things.”
92% say this statement describes them well: “I like gathering as much information as I can when I come across something that I’m not familiar with.”
91% say they agree with the statement: “I make an effort to gather information on a regular basis on the topics that matter to me.”
89% say this statement describes them well: “I often find myself looking for new opportunities to grow as a person.”
83% say they agree with the statement: “I usually take into consideration evidence that goes against my views.”
76% say this statement describes their views very well: “The harder you work at something, the better you will be at it.”
But, there are new challenges to facts and trust
16
The abundance of information has confused people
as much as it’s enlightened them
22 38 16 23
0 20 40 60 80 100
Very well Somewhat well Not too well Not well at all
I find it difficult to know
whether the information I find
online is trustworthy
% who say this statement
describes them…
People’s trust in various sources of information
3
14
17
18
18
24
39
40
31
54
48
54
43
58
44
38
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Info on social media
Info from financial institutions
Info from national news organizations
Info from local news organizations
Info from government sources
Info from family and friends
Info from health care providers
Information from local public library
a lot some
Fake news is seen as a problem
Most say Clinton, Trump supporters cannot agree even on ‘basic facts’
On important issues facing the country, most Trump and Clinton supporters … (%)
Trusting the President’s words?
Few have a lot of trust in information from
professional news outlets or friends and family
Social media garners the least amount of trust
Public Trust in Government: 1958-2015
Trust the federal government to do what is right just about always/most of the time
A year before election, most felt like ‘their side’ was losing
more often than winning in politics
On issues that matter to you in politics today, has your side been winning or losing more often? (%)
And it has even affected people at the personal level
Both Parties Have Lost Confidence and Trust in Public’s
Potential Wisdom
% very great/good deal of trust and confidence in political wisdom of
American people
26% of Americans have had false information posted about
them
This is the result of the double-edged impact of technology on learning and culture
Online survey of 2,462 Advanced Placement and Writing Teachers
77% of teachers surveyed say the internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” impact on their students’ research work
87% agree these technologies are creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans”
76% of the teachers in this study strongly agree “the internet enables students to access a wider range of resources than would otherwise be available”
76% strongly agree that internet “search engines have conditioned students to expect to be able to find information quickly and easily”
65% agree to
some extent
that “the
internet makes
today’s
students more
self-sufficient
researchers”
83% agree
that the
“amount of
information
available
online today is
overwhelming
to most
students”
90% agree that “the internet encourages learning by connecting students to resources about topics of interest to them”
71% agree that today’s digital technologies “discourage students from using a wide range of sources when conducting research”
Grading students’ research skills
1%
1%
3%
3%
5%
6%
7%
6%
11%
12%
19%
20%
20%
15%
26%
26%
29%
36%
38%
35%
37%
39%
26%
29%
33%
43%
24%
20%
21%
9%
0% 50% 100%
Ability to recognize bias in onlinecontent
Patience and determination inlooking for information that is hard
to find
Ability to assess the quality andaccuracy of information they find
online
Ability to use multiple sources toeffectively support an argument
Understanding how online searchresults are generated
Ability to use appropriate andeffective search terms and
queries
Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor
What people say they want/need
Smart allies (diversity really helps)Improved curatorsProof of authenticityTransparencyMore confidence they can find
material to help them learnJust-in-time help in
decision makingMore training on tech use and
information literacyOrganizations that will help
and protect them
In the next 10 years, do you think we will see the emergence
of new educational and training programs that can
successfully train large numbers of workers in the skills
they will need to perform the jobs of the future?
70% - “yes”
30% - “no”
Theme 1
The training ecosystem will evolve, with a mix of innovation in all
education formats
• More learning systems will migrate online. Some will be self-
directed and some offered or required by employers; others will be
hybrid online/real-world classes. Workers will be expected to learn
continuously
• Online courses will get a big boost from advances in augmented
reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI)
• Universities still have special roles to play in preparing people for
life, but some are likely to diversify and differentiate
Theme 2
Learners must cultivate 21st-century skills, capabilities and attributes
• Tough-to-teach intangibles such as emotional
intelligence, curiosity, creativity, adaptability, resilience
and critical thinking will be most highly valued
• Practical, experiential learning via apprenticeships and
mentoring will advance
Theme 3
New credentialing systems will arise as self-directed
learning expands
• While the traditional college degree will still hold sway
in 2026, more employers may accept alternate
credentialing systems as self-directed learning options
and their measures evolve
• The proof of competency may be in the real-world work
portfolios
