DIGITAL FOOTPRINT & CITIZENSHIP

What is a digital footprint?  I asked several people I know, in different age ranges, this question, and received several different answers.  Someone said it was a history of what was posted on Facebook.  Another thought it was a record of digital devices you have.  One said it was your browsing history, so companies can filter and be able to advertise directly to you.  I also heard the response, it’s your online profile, sort of like a fingerprint, it identifies you.  All of these responses are correct if you put all of them together, and add additional information, such as medical history, bank account information and purchase history.  It also includes any photos uploaded to websites for storage or to make greeting cards.  Email accounts, phone records, instant messaging, yes, those are included in your digital footprint too.

Most of us don’t realize how large our digital footprint really is. The YouTube video, Digital Dossier, shows just how much information is contained in our individual footprint over the course of our lives.  From sonograms before you are even born, to surveillance cameras in colleges, your digital footprint tracks you everywhere you go.  Most phones are GPS enabled, meaning your whereabouts can traced and be accounted for by pulling up your account number (digitalnatives, 2008). 

Students today have to learn that what they post, whether it is a photo, a tweet, a Facebook post or a blog comment, that information is forever etched in the cyber world.  The information is impossible to fully delete.  As a child, I was always told to “think before you speak”.  My parents taught me to be cognizant of how my words and actions would affect others, and how important making a good first impression was.  Today, a first impression may be a social media page, which can be interpreted differently by different people.  I do keep this in mind whenever I am posting something online.  I don’t want there to be something out there that will haunt me later because of poor judgment. 

The poster below is a great flowchart to share with students.  Teaching them to think and reflect before acting is a lesson they need to learn at an early age.  I think it is easier for those of us who were introduced to social media slowly to realize the implications of posting inappropriate material, and that it can be shared with anyone, not just your “friends”.  Students today were born into the world of social media and sharing information.  It comes naturally to them, and most won’t give it a second thought when sharing information.

It’s very important get students to think about digital citizenship very early.  The earlier they learn about it, and the more thoughtful they are about what they put online, the better.  I have some friends that have students in middle school who are very opposed to the school social media program.  They don’t want their kids exposed to social media at a young age.  My argument to them is that this is the time to get them familiar with it, and understand what is appropriate and not appropriate to post online.  There is no better time than when the students are monitored, and on a secure network to teach them about it.  When they do finally go out on their own, where they can’t be monitored and can go to any site they want, they will have the knowledge to make better decisions. Let's not forget that most employers now search the Internet to find out about you before they even interview you.  What they see could help or harm your employment opportunities.

The following acronym is used by the Forsyth County Schools in Cumming, Georgia to help guide students about responsible Internet and technology use.  The school is into their sixth year with a BYOT program, and since its inception have had very few issues, and those that have surfaced have been more behavioral in nature, than safety issues.   The philosophy is that the school has a responsibility, along with the family, to teach students about responsible and safe Internet use (Hobson & Clark, 2013).

(Hobson & Clark, 2013)

                                                                                                                                                    

When I was in school, they had the "stranger danger " workshops teaching us not to talk to strangers, and what to do if we were approached by someone.  In today’s world, strangers are also online, and can create false identities that make kids trust them.  If approached by a stranger face to face, you know it’s a stranger.  Online, that’s not the case.  I don’t think that there can be an overemphasis of “stranger danger” on the Internet.  I think that it always better to be safe than sorry, and that students today do need to be aware that posting personal information and where they are at every moment is not a safe practice.  I am still surprised by the number of adults who will announce on Facebook that they are going away on vacation for seven days!  That’s an open invitation for anyone with bad intentions to know the house will be vacant.

Social media is only one aspect of one’s digital footprint.  As students go through school today, they should be creating their own portfolio of work they have done, papers they have written and activities they have participated in that can help them when applying to college and when they are job searching. 

Lindsay & Davis (2012) make a great point, “When students graduate from high school, they should have a positive digital footprint with academic material included. It is only a matter of time before colleges begin requesting hyperlinks for e-portfolios and other online work, and we should help our students build positive, impressive digital footprints while still protecting their privacy” (p. 1).

Here is a link I found to a great article on how to help students understand digital citizenship. There are some videos to share with students as well as some great activities to help them understand their own digital footprint.

A Great Guide on Teaching Students about Digital Footprint

Resources:

Digital Citizenship Poster for Middle and High School Classrooms. (n.d.).  Retrieved from  

                http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/middlehigh_poster.

digitalnatives. (2008, August 13). Youth and Media - Digital Dossier [video format]. Retrieved from YouTube: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=79IYZVYIVLA

Hobson, J., Clark, T. (2013, June 6). Learning to TRUST with Responsible Use. Retrieved from BYOT Network: http://byotnetwork.com/tag/digital-footprint/

Lindsay, J., Davis, V. (2012, August 7). Navigate the Digital Rapids. Retrieved from ISTE: http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/issues/march-april-2010/navigate-the-digital-rapids

The Role of Technology Integration Specialists

As I pondered the question about what a technology integration specialist is, many things came to mind.  A Technology integration specialist is a facilitator, teacher, mentor, liaison, and in many cases a technical advisor.  As technology is dynamic and always changing, so is the role of the technology integrator. 

In  EDU 641 class last term, we had some discussions about the idea of virtual libraries. The role of the library is changing as we move forward in the 21st century.  As the library role changes, so does the role of the librarian.  Librarians today are becoming facilitators. They are helping students to find information and help them find the technology resources they need to manipulate and present the information.

The technology integrator role is changing too. It is not about bringing a computer or iPad into a classroom.  As stated by Warlick (2010) “21st century leaning has nothing to do with iPads, iPod Touches, or any piece of technology.  The only thing that is one to one that we should be concerned with is equitable access to rigorous, relevant, and irresistible learning experiences that reflect and harness the times, environment, and ultimate goals of the learning” (p.1).  I think this statement says a lot about how important it is to not just bring a piece of equipment into the classroom, but to bring a bigger idea or concept into the classroom and expand on it with the help of technology.

In my previous role in the corporate IT world, I was responsible for integrating technology into businesses to help enhance their business operations and help improve efficiencies.  To be successful, we had to make the integration as seamless as possible, and focus on the benefits of the technology, and how it would make the employees’ jobs easier. We didn't explain the nuts and bolts of the technology to the end users; we incorporated the technology into their workplace and gave them tools and resources to help them be more efficient. I feel that integrating technology in the classroom is similar.  The focus should not be on the technology itself, but on the content of the lesson, and the technology should be there to help students to make connections to their own experiences. It should also be there to help the teacher teach students how to engage their creative side and to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.

Technology integrators will take on the role of facilitator, and help teachers facilitate learning by helping them find technology that will enhance their lessons.  We need to be familiar with the common core standards and help teachers achieve them.  The common core standards are evidence-based standards designed to prepare students for college and entering the workforce.  Students must have 21st century technology skills to be successful when they leave high school.  They have to know how to use social media, for example, responsibly.  They have to know how to collaborate and communicate using technology.  

Students today are connected 24x7.  They were born into a digital world, and most have not known the world without the Internet.  Technology is an integral part of their lives.  Technology is engaging.  Who can argue that an interactive website is more interesting than a textbook full of words, and some pictures?  I know I can’t.

Teachers have to embrace change and look at technology as a complement to their lessons.  It is a way to bring lessons to life, and to engage students so they are active learners. We don’t want them to be passive.  When they are active learners they are thinking and questioning and participating in the lesson.  Technology integrators have to take on the role of teacher and mentor to some.  Some teachers will not want to change and will not feel comfortable with new technology. Technology integrators have to find ways to engage the teacher, and help them to learn new technology while being there as a mentor to support them. 

Being a liaison between the teachers and the administration is also another role technology integrators may play.  Depending on the school district and the staff, technology integrators may work with the administration to let them know what the teachers need, and to help draft grants and proposals for new technology. 

Finally, technology integrators have to be creative, and have a toolbox handy to provide resources for teachers and students. We have to be willing to be learning every day, because technology changes every day.  What should we have in the toolbox?  In the words of Mimi Ito, in the video Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner, we need to give students, “access to standards, literacies and expectations about what they need to participate in contemporary society, and be reflective” (macfound, 2010).

Resources:

Common Core. (2012). Retrieved from Common Core State Standards Initiative: http://www.corestandards.org/

macfound. (2010, December 1). Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=c0xa98cy-Rw

Warlick, D. (2010, August 16). Technology for 21st Century Learning: Part 1. Retrieved from 2¢ Worth of Seeking the Shakabuku: http://2cents.onlearning.us/?p=2712