I came across a post this week that caught my eye about digital footprints, as we discussed them in DED318 recently. Mrs. Morris posted this piece called “Teaching Children About Digital Footprints” where she discussed how she teaches her fourth graders about digital footprints. Instead of focusing on the negative stigma and all of the fear marketing that is directed at students regarding their digital footprints, she stays positive and tries to teach students about the ways their online footprint can benefit them. Of course she must teach students about how to be safe online, but she chooses not to scare or intimidate them. I think it is excellent that she is teaching students about this at such a young age. This gets students thinking early on about their online activity and what they do with technology which is even more important now as younger and younger children have access to computers and the internet. In our class, Mrs. Danner-Kuhn focused on the positives also, more specifically the impact that digital footprints have on us being hired as teachers. This included a discussion about how to use our Facebook accounts, how to promote our websites on Google, and what to be aware of that is already out there on the internet. For students of any age, knowing the impact of what they do online is essential for their futures. At the end, Mrs. Morris summarizes what students need to know about digital footprints and provides several online resources for teaching about digital footprints:
Follow the Digital Trail: a Common Sense Media lesson for lower primary students
Trillion Dollar Footprint: a Common Sense Media lesson for lower primary students
Managing Your Digital Footprint with Year 8: lesson ideas and videos from Jenny Luca
Protecting Reputations Online in Plain English: Common Craft video
