Beyond the Scroll: Developing Information and Digital Literacy in the Age of Algorithms

1. Develop critical evaluation skills for digital information
Help students learn how to assess the credibility, reliability, bias, and intent of online sources, social media content, AI-generated material, and digital news.
2. Enhance research, synthesis, and collaborative inquiry skills
Guide students in locating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing information from multiple digital sources in order to create informed opinions, arguments, or digital products collaboratively.
3. Promote awareness of algorithms, media influence, and digital environments
Encourage students to understand how algorithms, personalization, and platform design shape the information they consume, their opinions, and their online behaviour.

This practice is designed for middle school students attending English language classes at approximately B2–C1 level proficiency. It is intended to be used as supplementary educational material alongside the regular curriculum, with a focus on developing students’ information, media, and digital literacy skills through authentic and engaging tasks.

This practice is effective because it connects language learning with students’ everyday digital experiences and encourages them to engage critically with the online world. Through authentic materials, collaborative research, and creative digital tasks, students develop not only their English language skills but also essential competences such as critical thinking, media literacy, digital citizenship, and responsible online behaviour.
It is also inspiring because it promotes active participation, inquiry, and creativity, allowing students to become not only consumers of digital information but also thoughtful and responsible creators of content. By addressing real contemporary issues such as misinformation, algorithms, and media influence, the practice makes learning meaningful, relevant, and directly connected to students’ lives.

1. Introduce Key Concepts
Begin with a guided discussion on digital literacy, misinformation, algorithms, bias, and online credibility. Activate students’ prior knowledge through examples from social media and digital news.
2. Explore and Evaluate Digital Sources
Provide students with different types of online content (i.e. news articles, social media posts, videos, AI-generated texts, advertisements). Ask them to evaluate credibility, reliability, bias, audience, and purpose using specific criteria.
3. Analyze Media Influence and Algorithms
Introduce how algorithms, personalization, and platform design influence what users see online. Encourage students to reflect on how digital environments shape opinions, behaviors, and information consumption.
4. Conduct Collaborative Digital Research
Divide students into groups and assign a contemporary topic or digital issue. Students research the topic using multiple online sources, compare perspectives, verify information, and identify reliable evidence.
5. Synthesize Information and Create a Digital Product
Students organize and synthesize their findings in order to create a collaborative digital product, such as a presentation, infographic, podcast, poster, or short video.
6. Present, Reflect, and Discuss
Groups present their work to the class, followed by reflection and discussion on responsible digital participation, critical thinking, and the importance of information and digital literacies in everyday life.

Worksheet / Student Handout.