ABOUT US
What is infOasis?
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What:
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infOasis is an online toolkit full of interactive and unique modules that will help promote media literacy. Our toolkit is free and accessible to anyone, but is mostly created with undergraduate college students in mind. The modules range in activities from mini-games to definitions to reliable additional references.
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Who:
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We are a team of 8 college kids working in collaboration with Invent2Prevent to create this project
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When:
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We have until May 9th, 2024 to get this project up and running so we appreciate any and all support from all of our users to help our program be the best it can be, and welcome feedback to help us be better.
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Where:
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Our toolkit is accessible online and we have social media accounts on TikTok as well as Instagram. Our team is located out of the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.
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Why:
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As technology rapidly advances, the bubble of media we are all in grows more complex and harder to navigate. Media literacy skills are critical, and are often under-taught in school curriculums. Social media is a fun and efficient tool but can also be dangerous when used incorrectly. In a generation where teens use social media more than ever and spend an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes a day consuming media, understanding what they are seeing is important. With the development of tools such as Artificial Intelligence, false media is easier to create than ever. College students are often not thought of when considering media literacy as it is assumed they have a firm grasp on it after a highschool education. However, 55% of students reported not being even moderately confident in their ability to recognize false information online. Additionally, only 42% of Americans report knowing how to access quality media literacy training online, which is where infOasis comes into play. We aim to be a reliable, credible, and accessible toolkit with relevant information that teaches users how to learn media literacy in an interactive and fun way. After all, we are just trying to make "LOL" mean "learning online literacy" 😉
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"Invent2Prevent, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships and managed by EdVenture Partners, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, and Credence Management Solutions, LLC, empowers university and high school students to prevent targeted violence and terrorism through the development and deployment of innovative initiatives that produce measurable results.
As the nature of the threat of targeted violence and terrorism is dynamic and far-reaching, the opportunity to harness diverse perspectives from youth across the nation allows for a wide range of responses from students. Invent2Prevent provides them with a practical and hands-on chance to proactively do something about the issues impacting their schools and local communities. This is one of the greatest strength of the Invent2Prevent program."