Letter to Educators
Dear Educator,
Your students may be digital natives, but they may also be digitally naive. The purpose of this site is not to scare your students, but to urge them to think critically about their behavior online, and how that may affect them in the present and in the future.
It’s important to teach students about their digital footprints. In 2008, 10% of college admissions counselors said that they looked at applicants’ social networking profiles, and 38% of them found something on those profiles that negatively impact their impression of an applicant (Common Sense Media, 2010). Learning to take control of one’s online identity is a 21st century skill, and the sooner students begin to consider these issues, the better.
Many educators and parents started using the Internet as adults and never had to consider these kinds of privacy issues as a teen. But our students do not have that luxury--and they wouldn’t want it, because it would mean being left behind socially and academically. Our job is to make sure they have the tools to make the best decisions possible about their online lives.
You've probably noticed that sometimes there aren't clear-cut answers to the prompts in the polls in Measure Your Footprint, the Choose Your Digital Footprint Adventure Game, and even the Assess Yourself quiz. Your students may not be used to this kind of ambiguity, but it is intentional. Students must be prepared for a digital world that requires critical thinking. In the Introduction to the National Education Technology Plan (2010), there is this statement:
"We want to develop inquisitive, creative, resourceful thinkers; informed citizens; effective problem-solvers; groundbreaking pioneers; and visionary leaders. We want to foster the excellence that flows from the ability to use today's information, tools, and technologies effectively and a commitment to lifelong learning" (U.S. Department of Education, 2010, p. 1).
We hope you enjoy teaching this module. Please use the comment form on the "About" page to send your feedback or share additional resources on digital footprints.
Dear Educator,
Your students may be digital natives, but they may also be digitally naive. The purpose of this site is not to scare your students, but to urge them to think critically about their behavior online, and how that may affect them in the present and in the future.
It’s important to teach students about their digital footprints. In 2008, 10% of college admissions counselors said that they looked at applicants’ social networking profiles, and 38% of them found something on those profiles that negatively impact their impression of an applicant (Common Sense Media, 2010). Learning to take control of one’s online identity is a 21st century skill, and the sooner students begin to consider these issues, the better.
Many educators and parents started using the Internet as adults and never had to consider these kinds of privacy issues as a teen. But our students do not have that luxury--and they wouldn’t want it, because it would mean being left behind socially and academically. Our job is to make sure they have the tools to make the best decisions possible about their online lives.
You've probably noticed that sometimes there aren't clear-cut answers to the prompts in the polls in Measure Your Footprint, the Choose Your Digital Footprint Adventure Game, and even the Assess Yourself quiz. Your students may not be used to this kind of ambiguity, but it is intentional. Students must be prepared for a digital world that requires critical thinking. In the Introduction to the National Education Technology Plan (2010), there is this statement:
"We want to develop inquisitive, creative, resourceful thinkers; informed citizens; effective problem-solvers; groundbreaking pioneers; and visionary leaders. We want to foster the excellence that flows from the ability to use today's information, tools, and technologies effectively and a commitment to lifelong learning" (U.S. Department of Education, 2010, p. 1).
We hope you enjoy teaching this module. Please use the comment form on the "About" page to send your feedback or share additional resources on digital footprints.
How to Use this Site
This website was created to help students understand digital footprints and use what they have learned to manage their own footprint and become positive digital citizens.
This is a suggestion of how to use this site.
1. Begin a discussion with students on what should be considered appropriate use of technology.
2. Have students read the short introduction and watch the video.
3. Ask students to think about their own habits in regards to technology usage.
4. Students should read and study the Follow Your Footprint facts.
5. Then, have students click on the Measure Your Footprint page to learn more about their footprints. Students should answer all three poll questions to get a sense of how their habits compare with those of their peers. In small groups, students can compare their footprints with their classmates.
6. Students can complete the Game scenarios to see how their choices could affect their digital footprint and their careers.
7. Students should complete the Assess Yourself quiz, to see how much they have learned.
Here are a few discussion starters you could use with your students:
-After completing the lessons, are you concerned about the shape or size of your digital footprint?
-Do you worry about the parts of your footprint that can be seen (e.g., your Facebook profile), or the parts that are invisible to most people (e.g., web sites that collect marketing data to send you targeted commercial messages)?
-What are some things you can do right now to shape your digital footprint in the way you want?
-What do you think about parents who post photos or videos of their kids? How will those kids feel about having their baby pictures online when they grow up?
-How about friends? What responsibility do we have for our friends’ digital footprints?
-How much of our digital footprints can we realistically expect to control?
-Together with your students, make a list of activities on the board that the students (and you, if you want) have participated in in the last day or week. Do those activities have a positive, negative, or neutral impact on their digital footprints?
This is a suggestion of how to use this site.
1. Begin a discussion with students on what should be considered appropriate use of technology.
2. Have students read the short introduction and watch the video.
3. Ask students to think about their own habits in regards to technology usage.
4. Students should read and study the Follow Your Footprint facts.
5. Then, have students click on the Measure Your Footprint page to learn more about their footprints. Students should answer all three poll questions to get a sense of how their habits compare with those of their peers. In small groups, students can compare their footprints with their classmates.
6. Students can complete the Game scenarios to see how their choices could affect their digital footprint and their careers.
7. Students should complete the Assess Yourself quiz, to see how much they have learned.
Here are a few discussion starters you could use with your students:
-After completing the lessons, are you concerned about the shape or size of your digital footprint?
-Do you worry about the parts of your footprint that can be seen (e.g., your Facebook profile), or the parts that are invisible to most people (e.g., web sites that collect marketing data to send you targeted commercial messages)?
-What are some things you can do right now to shape your digital footprint in the way you want?
-What do you think about parents who post photos or videos of their kids? How will those kids feel about having their baby pictures online when they grow up?
-How about friends? What responsibility do we have for our friends’ digital footprints?
-How much of our digital footprints can we realistically expect to control?
-Together with your students, make a list of activities on the board that the students (and you, if you want) have participated in in the last day or week. Do those activities have a positive, negative, or neutral impact on their digital footprints?
Standards Alignment
In order to be prepared for college and careers, today’s high school students need to demonstrate digital citizenship. In addition to broader goals like information fluency and critical thinking, ISTE’s (2007) NETS Standard 5 requires students to “advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology,” and “demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning” (para. 5). For more information about the ISTE NETS, visit: www.iste.org
Additional Digital Footprint Activities and Resources
You can help your students develop good habits that will protect their privacy and set them up for success. Here are a few additional resources that you can share with your students and their families:
Koppel on Discovery Your Digital Footprint Interactive
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/koppel/interactive/interactive.html
In this activity, primarily targeted at adults, the user learns about how his or her habits--from visiting web sites to using a magnetic ID badge--contributes to his or her digital footprint.
Digital Footprints: Your New First Impression Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZjmrJvL_eg
This video (3 minutes, 41 seconds) summarizes the positive and negatives about developing a digital footprint, including information about what employers look for when researching job candidates online.
The Innovative Educator: Discover what your digital footprint says about you! Blog Entry
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/08/discover-what-your-digital-footprint.html
This blog entry provides some easy activities that you can do to get a sense of your digital footprint and what others might find if they search for you online.
Common Sense Media’s Digital Literacy and Citizenship in the 21st Century Site http://www.commonsensemedia.org/digitalliteracy
This site features information about integrating digital literacy into existing curricula. Common Sense Media also has lesson plans about digital footprints and digital citizenship, and tips for parents about keeping kids safe.
Koppel on Discovery Your Digital Footprint Interactive
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/koppel/interactive/interactive.html
In this activity, primarily targeted at adults, the user learns about how his or her habits--from visiting web sites to using a magnetic ID badge--contributes to his or her digital footprint.
Digital Footprints: Your New First Impression Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZjmrJvL_eg
This video (3 minutes, 41 seconds) summarizes the positive and negatives about developing a digital footprint, including information about what employers look for when researching job candidates online.
The Innovative Educator: Discover what your digital footprint says about you! Blog Entry
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/08/discover-what-your-digital-footprint.html
This blog entry provides some easy activities that you can do to get a sense of your digital footprint and what others might find if they search for you online.
Common Sense Media’s Digital Literacy and Citizenship in the 21st Century Site http://www.commonsensemedia.org/digitalliteracy
This site features information about integrating digital literacy into existing curricula. Common Sense Media also has lesson plans about digital footprints and digital citizenship, and tips for parents about keeping kids safe.