Digital Footprints

Just tying up loose ends and putting this last post on my blog so that it will always be there unlike Vista...

Issues related to privacy and personal digital footprints are often being debated in schools and libraries. How much information should we put out 'there' about ourselves? How much information about us already exists about there? How do we manage our digital footprint? What strategies do you use to teach your students to manage their own digital footprints? 

When I give a lesson on research, I try to touch on the subject of giving credit to photos we take from the internet and where we should be taking these photos. For this, I like to use Facebook as an example of how unsafe our personal photos are. Many of the students do not realize that FB can use our photos for whatever purpose they see fit. They don't even have to give us credit for it. Imagine a photo they took that belongs to you for some sort of ad. How would you feel about that? It's nice to point that out to them to bring awareness to what they post on their FB.



This leads to the talk about how nothing is impossible and that anything we put on the web stays on the web regardless of whether we remove or secure those moments. I always encourage students to not put their last names on the web and try to avoid any personal information especially if it is not required. Always be aware of what they put online because it can backfire.



I really enjoyed the video about digital dossier. In this age, it is inevitable to have a footprint, we just need to make sure how we make it. Make it a positive one.

***This year, we created a Tumblr account to capture students at our school reading. Before we started to post those photos online, I had to make sure that it was safe to put student photos online. After discussion, student photos can be put on the web but their names must remain anonymous. I even thought about uploading our Matheson On The Move video announcements on YouTube but that could be another can of worms. 

My previous professor said that in this digital age, we must make a name for ourselves and put our "brand" out there. Instead of being anonymous, make a name for yourself in this digital age. There are some many different ideas on how to approach the World Wide Web that it's still a wide debate on what to do...