What is digital citizenship? Today technology pervades very area of life. Our students have access to a range of devices all with internet connectivity, from tablets to televisions to computers to gaming systems. We are all digital citizenships. But what type of footprint are our students creating in this digital world?
Everything that our students post online makes up their digital footprint. This might be a post on social media, articles from blogs, tags from videos or articles published in newsletters or journals. A digital footprint is like a brand name. Our students need to consider if their digital branding on message, does it reflect how they view themselves?
Publishing content online can have immense educational benefits. A digital footprint motivates quality work as students think about publishing to a real-world audience. Furthermore digital presence helps students create a sense of identity and purpose. We should aim for our students to work towards a positive, responsible and thoughtful digital footprint. Once content is published online and shared with a global audience it is almost impossible to erase. Therefore as teachers we must spend time with our students considering how to create a positive digital footprint.
When publishing content why don’t you encourage your students to think about the following questions:
Are my personal details private? Only ever publish content using first name and initial of surname. Never publish any personal details such as address, age or names of family members.
Is this content positive? Everything that is published online should be positive or constructive so that it adds value to the digital footprint.
Am I producing quality work? All work that is shared online should be of a high quality. This means that the content is thoughtful and the work has been checked for spelling and grammatical errors.
Am I being respectful? It is important to respect the content of others. For example using a photo of a friend without their permission is not respectful.
Have I thought about copyright? All written work published online should be original. Any images used in projects or blog posts should ideally be sourced from Flickr, Creative Commons or Google labeled for reuse.
