Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Everyone seems to be concerned about AI these days, and while understandable, it’s only part of the story. The real crisis is that we’re trying to navigate the most complex information landscape in history with a 20-year-old map.
I’m Melanie Trecek-King, and I’ve spent decades in the classroom seeing where our information literacy falls short. From fact-checking (CRAAP vs lateral reading) to databases to Wikipedia to misinformation… and yes, to AI… this video is a bit of a rant about the fundamental basics we’re missing.
It’s not about blaming schools or teachers—we’re all learning in real time—but the tools we’ve been given simply don't work anymore. It’s essential to teach students how to navigate the world they actually inhabit.
Here are 5 major media literacy skills we’re missing and what we need to do to fix it.
Pre-order “A Field Guide to Spotting Misinformation: How to Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age” (available August 4): thinkingispower.com/a-field-guide-to-spotting-misinformation
Support TIP on Patreon: patreon.com/ThinkingIsPower
Resources:
Digital Inquiry Group. (n.d.). Teaching lateral reading. cor.inquirygroup.org/curriculum/collections/teaching-lateral-reading
Cut the CRAAP: youtu.be/Niu0HRFlmsQ?si=5ujrIdun9y5rrbQU
Sources:
Breakstone, Joel, et al. "Why we need a new approach to teaching digital literacy." Phi Delta Kappan, 2018.
Giles, Jim. "Internet encyclopaedias go head to head." Nature, 2005. (This was the landmark study that found Wikipedia was about as accurate as Encyclopædia Britannica).
Hill, Benjamin Mako, and Aaron Shaw. "The Wikipedia Paradox." First Monday, 2020.
Wineburg, Sam, and Sarah McGrew. "Lateral Reading: Reading Less and Learning More When Evaluating Digital Information." Teachers College Record 121, no. 11 (2019): 1–40.
#Education #Teaching #Learning
Everyone seems to be concerned about AI these days, and while understandable, it’s only part of the story. The real crisis is that we’re trying to navigate the most complex information landscape in history with a 20-year-old map.
I’m Melanie Trecek-King, and I’ve spent decades in the classroom seeing where our information literacy falls short. From fact-checking (CRAAP vs lateral reading) to databases to Wikipedia to misinformation… and yes, to AI… this video is a bit of a rant about the fundamental basics we’re missing.
It’s not about blaming schools or teachers—we’re all learning in real time—but the tools we’ve been given simply don't work anymore. It’s essential to teach students how to navigate the world they actually inhabit.
Here are 5 major media literacy skills we’re missing and what we need to do to fix it.
Pre-order “A Field Guide to Spotting Misinformation: How to Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age” (available August 4): thinkingispower.com/a-field-guide-to-spotting-misinformation
Support TIP on Patreon: patreon.com/ThinkingIsPower
Resources:
Digital Inquiry Group. (n.d.). Teaching lateral reading. cor.inquirygroup.org/curriculum/collections/teaching-lateral-reading
Cut the CRAAP: youtu.be/Niu0HRFlmsQ?si=5ujrIdun9y5rrbQU
Sources:
Breakstone, Joel, et al. "Why we need a new approach to teaching digital literacy." Phi Delta Kappan, 2018.
Giles, Jim. "Internet encyclopaedias go head to head." Nature, 2005. (This was the landmark study that found Wikipedia was about as accurate as Encyclopædia Britannica).
Hill, Benjamin Mako, and Aaron Shaw. "The Wikipedia Paradox." First Monday, 2020.
Wineburg, Sam, and Sarah McGrew. "Lateral Reading: Reading Less and Learning More When Evaluating Digital Information." Teachers College Record 121, no. 11 (2019): 1–40.
#Education #Teaching #Learning
