6 modules · 18 lessons
Build confidence by understanding what you are actually looking at when you read a news site, scroll a feed, or open a forwarded message. Learners distinguish news from opinion and advertising, see how Irish news outlets are funded, and learn to read a story critically by comparing how different outlets cover the same events.
| News, Opinion, Advertising and Content | ||
| Who Pays? News Business Models in Ireland | ||
| Reading a Story Critically: Structure, Framing and What Is Missing |
Build practical defences against false, misleading and AI-generated content. Learners name the main types of misinformation, practise simple fact-checking habits like SIFT and reverse image search, and learn to spot deepfakes and synthetic media, including AI-voice scams that target older adults.
| Misinformation, Disinformation and Why It Spreads | ||
| Fact-checking Habits: SIFT, Reverse Image Search and Cross-checking | ||
| Deepfakes, Ai-generated Content and Synthetic Media |
Lift the lid on the recommender systems behind Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Google. Learners audit one of their own feeds, test how their search results compare with a neutral baseline, and take practical control by muting, unfollowing and switching to chronological views or newsletters.
| How Algorithms Decide What You See | ||
| Filter Bubbles, Echo Chambers and Polarisation | ||
| Taking Back Control of Your Feeds |
Make sense of what platforms know about you and what your rights are under GDPR. Learners estimate their data footprint, draft a Subject Access Request, and make three real privacy changes to a device or account, with the Data Protection Commission as their reference point.
| What Platforms Know About You | ||
| GDPR Rights: Access, Correct, Delete, Object | ||
| Practical Privacy: Browsers, Devices and Accounts |
Take an honest, unshamed look at how media affects your time, mood and sleep. Learners audit their screen time, notice how different sources make them feel, set one realistic media limit for the week, and plan one cross-generational conversation about media in the family.
| Screen Time, News Cycles and Doomscrolling | ||
| Media and Mental Health: News Avoidance, Anxiety and Wellbeing | ||
| Family Media: Children, Grandchildren and Older Relatives |
Turn understanding into action. Learners build a simple pause-before-sharing habit, choose one realistic way to support Irish journalism, and plan one constructive conversation with a friend or relative who is deep in misinformation, with safeguarding signposts where needed.
| Sharing Responsibly: Pause, Verify, Share or Don't | ||
| Supporting Quality Journalism in Ireland | ||
| Difficult Conversations: When Family Believes Misinformation |
Build confidence by understanding what you are actually looking at when you read a news site, scroll a feed, or open a forwarded message. Learners distinguish news from opinion and advertising, see how Irish news outlets are funded, and learn to read a story critically by comparing how different outlets cover the same events.
| News, Opinion, Advertising and Content | ||
| Who Pays? News Business Models in Ireland | ||
| Reading a Story Critically: Structure, Framing and What Is Missing |
Build practical defences against false, misleading and AI-generated content. Learners name the main types of misinformation, practise simple fact-checking habits like SIFT and reverse image search, and learn to spot deepfakes and synthetic media, including AI-voice scams that target older adults.
| Misinformation, Disinformation and Why It Spreads | ||
| Fact-checking Habits: SIFT, Reverse Image Search and Cross-checking | ||
| Deepfakes, Ai-generated Content and Synthetic Media |
Lift the lid on the recommender systems behind Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Google. Learners audit one of their own feeds, test how their search results compare with a neutral baseline, and take practical control by muting, unfollowing and switching to chronological views or newsletters.
| How Algorithms Decide What You See | ||
| Filter Bubbles, Echo Chambers and Polarisation | ||
| Taking Back Control of Your Feeds |
Make sense of what platforms know about you and what your rights are under GDPR. Learners estimate their data footprint, draft a Subject Access Request, and make three real privacy changes to a device or account, with the Data Protection Commission as their reference point.
| What Platforms Know About You | ||
| GDPR Rights: Access, Correct, Delete, Object | ||
| Practical Privacy: Browsers, Devices and Accounts |
Take an honest, unshamed look at how media affects your time, mood and sleep. Learners audit their screen time, notice how different sources make them feel, set one realistic media limit for the week, and plan one cross-generational conversation about media in the family.
| Screen Time, News Cycles and Doomscrolling | ||
| Media and Mental Health: News Avoidance, Anxiety and Wellbeing | ||
| Family Media: Children, Grandchildren and Older Relatives |
Turn understanding into action. Learners build a simple pause-before-sharing habit, choose one realistic way to support Irish journalism, and plan one constructive conversation with a friend or relative who is deep in misinformation, with safeguarding signposts where needed.
| Sharing Responsibly: Pause, Verify, Share or Don't | ||
| Supporting Quality Journalism in Ireland | ||
| Difficult Conversations: When Family Believes Misinformation |
Talk to us about adding Online Media Literacy for Life to your Skills for Life programme — pricing, onboarding, and a launch plan tailored to your library service.