Tread Lightly: Leaving a Thoughtful Digital Footprint

Path in the Woods by Jiri Hodan

“Leave no trace” was the motto used by staff at Strathcona Outdoor Camp as they guided my students and I on a back-packing excursion into the beautiful forests of BC. Everything we brought along on our journey was meant to return with us. After we left, the land was meant to appear as though we’d never been there. However, in the online world it is almost impossible not to leave a trace and, in fact, it can be very beneficial to leave a digital footprint. “Tread Lightly” seems like an appropriate motto of how to do this in an active, thoughtful, and responsible manner.

Each one of us, whether we intend it or not, has a digital dossier. As suggested by Digital Tattoo,  I used Personas and Spezify to search what my digital footprint looks likes. According to these tools, I don’t exist! However, a Google search resulted in a bit more information, particularly related to the sites I have signed up for during LIBE 477 (Pinterest, Blogger, Google Reader, Diigo, Prezi, Goodreads). As I am in the early phases of creating a digital footprint, I can be active rather than passive about creating my “digital reputation”. I was intrigued by Lisa Nielsen’s comment in her blog post about helping students manage their digital footprints: “I decided that I wanted to be the number one topic that came up whenever someone searched for "educating innovatively." Nielsen is a woman in control of her digital reputation. Nielsen suggests having students Google themselves to see what already exists about them and pose the following questions: 

What do they like?

Is there anything they are proud of?

Is there anything they are embarrassed about?

What might they want to change?

What might they do to more effectively represent how they want to be viewed by others?

Educators have a role to play in helping students develop positive digital footprints. Jim Steyer in his article “Curriculum teaches digital literacy and citizenship” writes: “Today's kids may be tech savvy, but they still need guidance from adults to understand how to use this media in ways that are responsible and enriching as well as safe.” When it comes to web publishing, I like the idea presented in Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other powerful Web Tools for the Classroom ,“…to take the middle ground by having students use just first names when publishing” (Richardson, 2010, p.14). In terms of online behavior, I like Anne Collier’s suggestion to“…be very clear that there's no distinction between online and offline behavior.” At the school I teach at, we already have very high expectations of student behavior; it makes logical sense to extend this to how students interact online. Finally, it is the job of parents, teachers and TL’s to help kids understand that what they post has long-term effects. I like the notion of using videos such as “Digital Dossier” by DigitalNatives or “Two Questions” by Daniel Pink as starting points for a conversation on digital footprints. Common Sense Media also provides quality videos on various web related topics such as this one: 

 

Terms like carbon footprint and forest footprint remind us that damage to our environment caused by humans is often irreversible. Erasing negative digital footprints, although possible to some extent, is not easy to do and can cause damage that can't be undone. As educators, it is our job to teach students that they can and should be active creators of their online reputation; selecting carefully what they choose to share and how they choose to participate.

Question: What other strategies do you use to help students manage their digital footprints?


Works Cited:

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.