Finding Information Online: Truth and Bias

The concept of truth and bias in a classroom, a textbook, in the media or the printed page fascinates me as a reader and a citizen. I continuously watch loved ones at home believe anything they read, see or hear. If I can't get my own family to understand the concepts of truth and bias, how do I get my students to understand and analyze the information that is presented to them each day? I need to learn more ways to model this behavior for my students and my children. I think I have always questioned people and their motives. That level of inquiry comes naturally to me and when others do not question, I am at a loss. Jeff brought up an really good analogy when he said, "At what age is your child old enough to go to the playground by themselves?" That answer is different for every parent and child. The same can be held true for every student in a classroom. "At what age do we trust them to know truth from bias?" I have students in my 7th grade class that mentally have yet to leave elementary school, where in the same classroom I have students ready to really question everything around them. Each person is different, although the Socratic method teaches us that the unexamined life is not worth living. By applying this to my teaching, I need students to learn to utilize those skills while online, watching a youtube video, and listening to the world around them.