Digital Footprints

Have you ever googled yourself? (If not try it) Everything that comes up in your search is your digital footprint. A digital footprint is unique to each individual. It is what traces each individuals online activity.  For example, have you every put down a cup and notice that your fingerprints are left behind? Similar to fingerprints, digital footprint is every website you've gone to, every photo uploaded, game played, every question google or account made. It is your unique online presence.

When I first googled myself I was shocked to see what I found. Pages on pages of Pinterest pins, old news articles about sports teams I played on, articles of school events I took part in, social media accounts, personal photos, websites used for school projects, etc. Somewhere along the line I realized that this was not okay. People didn't need to know all this about me. Especially as a looked for job as a professional. So with some dedication I started to clean up and restrict the privacy on my accounts. I think it is important especially in this digital age that we teach the importance of protecting ones digital presences. Once a persons personal information is online its permanent. anyone can see it, access it and possibly use it. For the longest time it didn't matter me its not a big deal, but it was after watching a horror film where that changed. I deserve the right to privacy and creeps, spammers, etc. don't need to have access to my personal data. I do it for my personal security and peace of mind.

So what can you do to protect yourself and limit your digital footprint? One you can set all your social media accounts to private and only let people you know follow you. Second you can use an alias or fake name and avoid using your own name. Three you can block cookies that website use to track what you do and how they target advertisements. Four never visit cite that you do not trust. Five NEVER give your personal information to anyone that you do not trust. Use the 5 P: Profile, Privacy, Protect, Positive, and Permission.

I cannot say enough how important educating students about their digital footprint is today in our digital age. Our generation of students have grown up using tablets, smart phone, laptops and TV's their whole life. But that still means that they need guidance navigating the online world similar to the offline world. With little life experience they have no idea the consequence of mistakes online. Something they are happy about posting now may not be the same years later. Although they may have grown up with it they still need to understand the sheer permanency it has. Many schools have incorporated digital citizenship class into the cycle with the intention of informing and guiding students. Teachers can role model what it looks like to to have a safe positive digital presence and use resources like below to help students understand digital footprints.

Here are some resource to help students understand and help them monitor their digital footprint.




Here is an excellent short video for elementary students:




Just remember your online identity is just as important as your physical identity. Now what are you going to do about it?

Until next time,