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Episode Details

How do we help students become confident researchers in an internet shaped by algorithms, AI summaries, and endless scrolling? 

In this episode of Imagine This, Dylan speaks with Ken Boyd, Director and Educator at CIVIX, about CTRL-F, a Canadian digital media literacy program that helps students evaluate and verify information online.

The conversation begins with a common classroom challenge: while students are often taught how to create digital projects, they are less frequently taught how to research effectively. Ken explains why traditional approaches like the CRAAP test struggle in today’s online environment and introduces lateral reading—a fact-checking strategy that encourages students to leave a webpage, investigate its source, and compare claims across multiple reliable outlets.

Dylan and Ken also explore how these skills translate into the age of generative AI. From Google’s AI summaries to tools like ChatGPT, they discuss why students must learn to verify not just answers, but the sources behind them. The episode highlights why good research requires intentional friction—and how educators can build stronger, more critical researchers through inquiry-based learning.

About Ken Boyd

Ken Boyd is a Director and Educator at CIVIX, a national Canadian charity dedicated to strengthening the skills and habits of citizenship among young people. Ken leads professional development work and helps develop educational resources and programming focused on digital media literacy, constructive dialogue, and civic participation. His work includes CTRL-F, CIVIX’s digital media literacy program, which teaches students practical strategies for finding and evaluating information online.

Ken holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Philosophy and Science Communication at the University of Southern Denmark. He has taught at universities in Canada and Denmark.


In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • [00:00:40] Are Students Actually Ready for the Open Internet?
  • [00:03:06] Why Digital Literacy Has Become Essential
  • [00:12:08] Lateral Reading: Stop Reading the Page You’re On
  • [00:15:02] Why the CRAAP Test Falls Short Online
  • [00:18:53] How to Fact-Check Something Online
  • [00:24:43] We Need to Teach Research Skills Like We Teach Tech Skills
  • [00:28:23] Give Students the Job of “Fact-Checker”
  • [00:31:43] Don’t Click the First Result: Practicing “Click Restraint”
  • [00:32:33] When AI Search Gives You the Wrong Answer
  • [00:35:00] How to Fact-Check ChatGPT
  • [00:41:16] Good Research Should Have Friction
  • [00:41:59] Are Chatbots the New Infinite Scroll?
  • [00:44:15] Social Media Bans Don’t Teach Digital Literacy
  • [00:45:42] You Don’t Magically Become Digitally Literate at 16
  • [00:50:52] “I Have a VPN”: The Problem With Simply Blocking Access
  • [00:57:48] AI as “Normal Technology”
  • [01:00:44] AI Isn’t Magic—And That’s Important to Teach
  • [01:02:40] Where Educators Can Start

Resources discussed in this episode:

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Contact Classmate: 

Contact Ken Boyd | CIVIX: