"One Thing" for Tues. Feb. 18

There are a couple of important "footprints" out there these days. Our environmental footprint and our digital footprint. Here's what I found on Twitter today about "How to teach students about their digital footprint:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/01/20/kids-digital-footprint-937/

It's an article from eSchool News and talks about the consequences of images and words that go up online. We have probably heard cautionary tales about employers finding out information that led to the firing (or not hiring) of their (potential) employees after (easily) finding out information about the individual who has posted incriminating information about themselves online. The question is why was the individual not more discerning about what they were doing (or at least posting)? Did they not feel their boss would be able to search the internet?

Have you tried "Googling" (yes, apparently that is now a verb) yourself? Put your name in quotations (for a more accurate search) and see what comes up. I'll wait and see you after you go down an internet rabbit hole for a minute. The first thing that comes up for me is my Twitter account. Then there's stuff about my school and also the video application I did with my sister in hopes of getting on the first ever Amazing Race Canada (a goal of ours ever since the American version of the show first came out). While that's sort of embarrassing, at least it is something that is intended for the internet and we filmed it knowing this was where it was going. Only 146 people have viewed that though, so I'm not too worried.

Back to the article, it states that "The average young person ages 8-18 consumes 7.5 hours of media per day outside of school." That is a significant number. As a teacher, one of our roles is to try and help our students be smart and safe about what they put online and what they share. As soon as something has been put on the internet, there is always the chance that someone has taken a screenshot of it and that even if you take it down, the original can last out there. Forever. 

Is what is out there about you on the internet a true reflection of what you are like as a person? We would like it to be. So talk about this with your children/students and have a discussion about being a positive digital citizen.