As defined by the Oxford Learners Dictionary, a digital footprint is “the information about a particular person that exists on the internet as a result of their online activity” (Oxford Learners Dictionary). Anything and everything a person ever does online, including search histories, posts and purchases, leaves a digital footprint that will always be there. This growing portrait we create of ourselves online is most likely more public and accessible than we presume it to be (Internet Society). If you have not already watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix, I would suggest that be a good place to start in order to educate yourself on healthy consumption and use of technology. It is important we recognize the trail we are leaving behind us online because it could potentially impede our successes in life, such as obtaining a job or acquiring a loan from a bank. At the end of this blog post is a link to a video explaining why you and your future students should care about your digital footprint to help you understand the impact it has on your identity and reputation.

Even if you have nothing to hide about yourself and your search history, it is still a good idea to protect your personal information, because it is invaluable. Only you should be able to decide how your personal information is shared and what happens with it. As a school district employee, it is very important to have clean and professional social media accounts. Making accounts private will benefit you towards the potential of being hacked or have photos of you reposted on other digital platforms that could harm or hinder your reputation. Whenever you spend any time online and, on the internet, it is important to think about what you are searching, typing, and revealing about yourself. Ask yourself if what you are sharing or doing could harm you in any way. It is so integral to teach students the significance their digital footprint can have for them in the future since younger generations are spending more and more time online. Allot of sites will not let you access them unless you allow them to use ‘cookies’, which enables the website to record your browsing history for future use. It is important one knows how to clear their ‘cookies’ when operating technological devices or navigating digital platforms.

Now, having a digital footprint has both pros and cons. It is important to know when your usage is appropriate or not and how to differentiate good and bad uses of the internet. You can find some of this information plus tips and tricks in my older blog posts about Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy. There are ways to create a beautiful and professional digital footprint for yourself that could actually make you more hirable! How you advertise yourself online, matters. One way you could introduce the topic of digital footprints to your students is having them google their name on the internet to reveal the photos, websites and links that may pop up (McGuckin). Some students may have more active social media accounts and therefor have more information about themselves readily available to anyone online. Another thing you could do as their teacher is help them learn how to set up stricter privacy settings on their devices to help protect their information (McGuckin). Ultimately, you will not be able to help your students regarding their digital footprints if you do not fully understand the scope and dangers of your own. Get researching and be more mindful of your online activity! You never know who is keeping track or who is watching. Be a safe exemplar for your students.

Video : https://www.internetsociety.org/tutorials/your-digital-footprint-matter

Resources

Internet Society. (n.d.). Your Digital Footprint Matters. Internet Society. https://www. internetsociety.org/tutorials/your-digital-footprint-matters/

McGuckin, D. (2018, November 30). Teaching Students about their Digital Footprints. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/teaching-students-digital-footprints/

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. (n.d.). Digital Footprint. In OxfordLearners.com dictionary. Retrieved Janaury 23, 2021, from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ definition/english/digital-footprint