April 2011 | Volume 68 | Number 7
The Transition Years Pages 92-93
The Transition Years Pages 92-93
Digitally Speaking / Positive Digital Footprints
A few months back, a group of 7th graders who were studying digital
footprints with the guidance of teacher George Mayo at Silver Spring
International Middle School in Silver Spring, Maryland, interviewed me. "Do you
think most kids know what their digital footprint is?" they asked.
"You're the experts!" I replied. "What do you know about digital footprints?"
"You're the experts!" I replied. "What do you know about digital footprints?"
The students gave me a definition right out of my worst nightmare: Digital
footprints are the trails people leave behind when they live online—and Internet
predators use these trails to track down careless tweens and teens. "At our
elementary school, they really tried to scare us," explained a group member.
"It's like they wanted us to be afraid of what would happen if we used the
Internet."
Sadly, their definition sounds familiar, doesn't it? Schools—caught up in sensational stories about cyberbullying, sexting, and Internet predation—spend an incredible amount of time trying to frighten digital kids. Although some students are at risk because of careless choices—openly talking about sex in digital forums, posting inappropriate pictures of themselves or their friends to the Web, or failing to act when confronted with dangerous situations in social media spaces—those risks are often poorly understood by teachers, who receive little training about how to effectively introduce Internet safety and new media literacies to students (Online Safety and Technology Working Group, 2010).
I thought this was a good definition from the kids that use it the most and what they think of it.
This is so true and our kids need to learn this, what they do on any digital meadia is there for ever and who know were it could go or how could see it. I think it is really inportant for kids to learn about there digtal footprint. To also learn how it can effect them in life now and latter.
Our digtal footprint is every were you go onto and digital meadia. It also follows you every were you go. The next time you are posting something you might want to think twice about it and how it can effect you latter on in life.
Sadly, their definition sounds familiar, doesn't it? Schools—caught up in sensational stories about cyberbullying, sexting, and Internet predation—spend an incredible amount of time trying to frighten digital kids. Although some students are at risk because of careless choices—openly talking about sex in digital forums, posting inappropriate pictures of themselves or their friends to the Web, or failing to act when confronted with dangerous situations in social media spaces—those risks are often poorly understood by teachers, who receive little training about how to effectively introduce Internet safety and new media literacies to students (Online Safety and Technology Working Group, 2010).
I thought this was a good definition from the kids that use it the most and what they think of it.
I also think it is important to teach children how there digital footprint could affect them in the future. I'm sure at this point in most kids lives they are not thinking about these kinds of things or if they are even aware that they are leaving a permanent footprint.
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