Digital Footprints

Have you ever heard of the term "digital footprint"? It wasn't until I took this course that I heard it for the first time (I'm learning so much!). A digital footprint is the traces or evidence left behind of one's online activity such as when you join a website or post on a blog (like I am doing now). In education, the question is, when and where should we be teaching students about their digital footprint? This is a good question, isn't it? Kids are accessing computers at such a young age, that the sooner we educate them about the implications of their activity online, the better they are. Educating students and monitoring their online activity is essential to creating safe learning situations.
In schools, AUPs (Acceptable User Policy) help to ensure that school computers are being used in a safe, appropriate manner. The funny thing is, I'll bet many staff members have never seen their school's AUP--I know I was one of those teachers. At ISB, we have an AUP, but but I had never seen it. I think it would be beneficial at the start of each year, to send parents (and teachers!) a link to the AUP via a school newsletter and/or offer a hard copy of it. I'm sure parents are aware that staff members at a school will enforce appropriate use of computers, however, it doesn't hurt to make the AUP accessible and explicitly known.

If you Google your name, what comes up? Come on, we've all done it. One thing to be cognisant of is how your digital footprint will affect your job or future job applications. It seems crazy that employers would search for your name online, but some do! If they searched your name, what would they find? In other words, how 'clean' is your digital footprint? These things last a very long time, potentially forever. As educators, we have a responsibility to teach our students about digital footprints and the potential consequences, but also the benefits of leaving your "mark" in the digital world.
Don't get me wrong, leaving a digital footprint is not all bad. In fact, it's a very good thing! The digital world provides for us a very powerful stage on which to express our views, thoughts, ideas, concerns and so on about topics that we are passionate about. A colleague of mine, D.S. Watts, posts in her blog about the power of the digital footprint. She states that, "This is not something to be afraid of, but to embrace as a portfolio of life and learning." I couldn't agree more. If you're scared of leaving a digital footprint, you should ask yourself, "why?" Banking and personal information is one thing, but leaving trails of your thoughts and ideas is another. Let's embrace our growth as thinkers and doers...in the digital world.