Panel Discussion
Education in the Era of Fake News: How can we as educators attend to the impact of this new era in our classrooms?
In the current climate of fake news and the role of "experts" seemingly on the decline in media and beyond, how can we as educators attend to the impact of this new era in our classrooms. Please come and hear how our panelists attempt to grapple with this question and provide their thoughts on how science and math education has been and is being impacted, what they believe the role of the expert is or should be, and what can we as educators do, if anything.
Panelists:
Dr. Torah Kachur received her PhD from in molecular genetics at the University of Alberta and teaches at both the University of Alberta and MacEwan University. She is the syndicated science columnist for more than 20 local afternoon shows on CBC Radio One, is the co-creator of scienceinseconds.com, and has hosted 2 national specials for CBC radio on "The Food of the Future" and "Kapow! The Science and Technology of Superpowers."
Dr. Marie-Claire Shanahan joined the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary in 2013 as Research Chair in Science Education and Public Engagement. She began her career teaching elementary and high school science and math in Toronto but soon returned to grad school. She has had a nearly lifelong passion for science education and outreach and maintains this passion through ongoing projects in science communication as a writer, blogger, and radio host alongside her research work.
Dr. Phil McRae is an Executive Staff Officer with the Alberta Teachers' Association and adjunct professor within the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. He was the director of the internationally recognized Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) from 2005 - 2009, and taught several graduate courses in the Master of Education in Educational Studies program. He has worked in many secondary and post-secondary educational contexts and represents the teaching profession and field of education on several provision and national committees.