Abstract
With growing advances in media technology and the increasing popularity of social media among people from different age groups and with different socio-economic and socio-cultural backgrounds, measuring the role of online media in shaping the conceptual, perceptual, and thinking patterns of the public is needed more than ever. While online media provides opportunities for people to have more empowering individual and collective involvements and facilitate two-way communications and interactions regardless of place or time, it can also act as an active source of misinformation, miscommunication, and concept manipulation. This paper aims to critically reflect on online media, its impacts, the significance of critical media literacy, critical science literacy, online communication, and critical public pedagogy as solutions for developing more critical thinkers in the battle against misconceptions and misinformation in science. It also aims to critically analyze the misinformation effects of social media in shaping misconceptions in Science and how it could be challenged through the active critical engagement of science teachers, learners, and scientists in online space. This study provides guidance for further research in media, technology, and science and offers suggestions on how critical public pedagogy and online communication could help to develop more critical consciousness among educators as they could act as public intellectuals in enlightening the public over misinformation and misconceptions in science.
Presenters
Sam YousefifardInstructional Technology Designer, McMaster University - Hamilton, ON, Ontario, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Critical Media Literacy, Critical Public Pedagogy, Critical Science Literacy
