Tech Task #2

Hello!

Let’s talk about something we don’t often think about- our digital identity and the online footprints that trail behind us…forever. The digital identity that we create of ourselves can impact us in a positive or negative way… well I suppose there can be a happy medium, which is where most of us are.

After a little introspection of my own digital footprint I found that my online services are pretty basic, but there was still a trail left behind. Here is a picture of only some of the places that I have accounts on or use on a regular basis:

As for a Google search, there were few things that popped up when I search my name, one of them includes this very wonderful photo of me playing rugby in my younger days. It really had to be THAT photo though. I thought I would share my unfortunate action photo despite most of my brain telling me not too *kermit to kermit*. I do have to say a 77-5 win brings back some happy memories. 

Aside from an unlucky photo post of my own, the digital footprint you leave behind is a very serious conversation that we as teachers need to be having with our students as they could result in much more than slight embarrassment. We need to do our best to educate them on how to protect themselves in the online world. 

The fact that the videos, photos or other content we post will always be available to find. This also includes what OTHERS post of you. As a way to protect myself as best I can, I set my accounts to private, for example on Instagram I have to approve your friend request before your able to view my content. For me, this makes me feel a little more secure because then I know the people who are viewing my personal stuff rather than it be open to anyone to follow. I also do this to protect the people I post about such as my family.

This is a topic that has been stressed to us as education students as well. Our job as a professional means that we have to be extremely aware about our digital footprint as employers, students, and parents are able to easily search us. As we have seen in many PD's and in our classes, this has not been a favourable outcome for some. 

Here is a TED Talk (because I love TED Talks) by Michelle Clark and her take on Digital footprints.

                                       

So this IS a topic of importance to be addressed in schools. And for it to be brought up more than once. It should be something that is talked about often, at a young age, and keep those reminders up because it is THAT important. 

To be honest, I have taught my son about it and he is still so young. If I’ve taken a picture of him he always asks if I’m putting it on Snapchat or on Instagram and sometimes he doesn’t allow me to. So even at a young age I think that we can teach kids to be mindful about what they want shared.

In my future classroom I might use some analogies or metaphors explaining how digital footprints impact us to keep it interesting and for them to connect to it more. I would set up some posters by the computers and also have my students practice being mindful about what they want shared including in their own home. Sorry parents… but we really do create a digital footprint of our kids pretty much starting on the day they are born. Hey I’m guilty of that too, but I do think the important thing is to have ways to protect the content we share online and to educate our students about the permanency of the digital world.