Digital Footprint

I teach my students about positive digital footprints. We talk about how colleges and employers are now looking them up on their social media sites. Wow, it is definitely an eye opener for them. I ask them to think about the things on their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account. Then I ask them would a potential employer, college, or recruiter be happy with what they see on your social media page? Most of them say "No". I would agree; this is why I don't follow students.

I think somewhere down the line, after we have taught digital citizenship for quite a few years, the students I see will be more cognizant of what a positive digital footprint is and I will have less of a challenge in stressing this. For now, this is the first most of them have heard of it.

I Googled myself. My digital footprint consisted of my Twitter, Google+, YouTube, 2 Facebook pages, a Pinterest that wasn't mine, a Facebook that wasn't me, a LinkedIn that didn't go anywhere, and some background checks that weren't me.

My Twitter page was all professional and shows many of my hashtags to #iacue and #sbteachrs. The IACUE hashtag I post to is for Inland Area CUE (Computer Using Educators), I am Vice President of our board. The sbteachrs hashtag is one I created for San Bernardino teachers to follow. One of my Facebook pages is personal and blocked to only friends. This is the one I use to post pictures of the kids for my relatives to see. The other Facebook page shows only the EdTech group and all of the posts we are doing for EdTech 543. My YouTube page shows only positive videos I have created or the playlists I have put together. My Google+ page shows previous lessons I have done for classes I have had in the MET program. One of my presentations on creating Google Sites came up, but it was professional as well. The other sites which came up clearly weren't me. The background check sites, if you paid for them, might show I had a ticket for a California Stop almost ten years ago.

I use this Common Sense Media lesson for teaching Digital Footprints to my students and the following You Tube video. We have class discussions about all of it and it gets them thinking.