Footprints in the digital sand.

Today's topic:

Reflect on your own digital footprint and personal thoughts on digital citizenship, as well as the necessity of teaching students about digital citizenship in school. Also, discuss your thoughts on an appropriate age of introduction to digital citizenship.

My own digital footprint is pretty small from what I can tell. The standard Google search of my name (in quotes) gives you a look at where I work (public school), my membership in the NHGMC, my Facebook page (just the front page, public stuff), and a random mention of me in a friends Google+ posting from like 4 years ago at Disney World. I remember when my digital footprint was a bit larger, but many of the photos of me have gone away with old websites, etc.  Who cares, right?

Me from the internet, aren't I handsome?

I have been pretty careful about what I let get put onto the internet about my personal life. I keep the Timeline Review feature active on FB and I do periodically search for myself to keep an eye on it. Not in a paranoid way or anything, but in a curiosity way. I try to personally be a good digital citizen. If I would close my blinds at home, I wouldn't post it to the internet. Also, I carefully read everything I post to make sure that inferences are minimized and that I'm not insulting people when I don't mean to be. Digital communication is a lot harder than most people think.

Frontline did an excellent documentary on digital citizenship called Generation Like. It is about how the social media craze is all about what other people think. This lends itself to the idea that we need to teach our children about digital footprints and digital citizenship early. Children can become members of groups that are spread across the country and across the world. They can get their 'empowerment' from anywhere, their rush of endorphins when someone 'likes' their post. They are becoming more social and less social at the same time.

PBS's documentary program.

One of the problems I think they might run into is that they are lacking experiences that they might have had if they hadn't been so focused on the one or two ideas/topics. They won't have the opportunity to experience differing opinions as they gather in large, digital groups. We have to steer them away from that thinking. We have to get them to thinking critically about what they read on the internet, even if it is in their favorite Reddit thread.

As the generations change, I think the digital footprints and the problems associated with it will become less egregious. As these students grow up, they will teach their own children about good digital citizenship and their experiences can be passed on to a new generation of digital natives.  Because we as educators are encountering this now, we have to take the steps that the parents don't or can't because they don't know how to educate their children on this extremely important part of growing up.

Until next time. . . .