Free, Online Tool Helps Students Find Credible News

A recent study found that digital natives have difficulty judging the credibility of online news. A startup software and solutions company based in Austin, TX has released a new tool to help K–12 students improve news literacy and better judge the credibility of online news.

Prolific Labs created QuoteItWith.Me (QIWM) to help young writers learn how to spot fake news and master source material. Developed by former writing teachers, the online tool asks users to input a quote and “then walks them through the steps necessary to frame the quote while coaching them on the finer points of evaluating sources,” according to the company’s website. In other words, students are asked to consider who said the quote, why, when and other important questions that will help determine its credibility and how to incorporate it into writing.  

Moreover, the tool providers feedback on sources, letting users know when they quote a source whose audience, according to a Pew Research Center study, is more liberal or conservative.

“QuoteItWith.me’s goal is to coach students through the steps that more accomplished writers take for granted,” said Robert McCarthy, co-founder of Prolific Labs, in a prepared statement. “With research and writing now fully online, plagiarism and poor source choices happen at the speed of a copy-and-paste. We created QuoteItWith.Me as a way to apply the brakes.”

To use the free tool, visit the Prolific Labs site here.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • abstract image representing AI tools for reading and writing

    McGraw Hill Introduces 2 Gen AI Tools for K–12, Higher Ed Students

    Global education company McGraw Hill has added two new generative artificial intelligence tools to help personalize learning experiences for both K–12 and higher ed students, according to a news release.

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs Off on AI Content Safeguard Laws

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills into law, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • KnowBe4-MobileMind Integration to Simplify Security Training Management

    It's now easier for MobileMind users to track and manage teachers' progress with KnowBe4's security training campaigns.

  • Human Error Remains the Leading Cause of Cloud Data Breaches

    Human error is still one of the biggest threats to cloud security, despite all the technology bells and whistles and alerts and services out there, from multi-factor authentication, to social engineering training, to enterprise-wide integrated cybersecurity platforms, and more.