Critical consumption

As I've written many times before, I firmly believe that in this world of information overflow we all need to develop our ability to crtically analyze what we read. Since evryone is able to publish whatever they want on the net today there is inevitably an awful lot of nonsense out there. The ability to question what you read, hear and view is an essential literacy and one that does not get enough attention in schools and colleges,

I have admired Howard Rheingold's work for some time and he makes an excellent argument for the need to focus on what he calls "crap detection" or, more academically, critical consumption. Deciding what sources to trust is not just an individual task, you rely often on the opinions of people and organisations that you trust. Building up a trusted personal network helps to find reliable information. In a series of three short videos Rheingold takes you through the principles behind critical consumption and its key role in education at all levels.