Digital Footprints Leave Lasting Trails

2 min read

Students don’t realize their digital footprints leave a lasting trail. Many believe what they post on ephemeral apps, like Snapchat, disappears or is kept secret. Some of their posts will disappear. However, our digital learners need to realize that posting and sharing so much on multiple networks is bound to leave a lasting trail. Moreover, what they share is only kept private if the people they share with keep it private. Our students don’t realize when they share they give power to their audience to use the information in ways they can’t control. Many young people now find themselves in trouble with the law for posting or sharing questionable photos. Some of our students’ pictures are used to bully or embarrass them. In most cases the pictures stay online and are never taken down. This is why in my new book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom, one of the missions is for students to manage the social media profile of an important historical figure. They post and share for the figure. At the end of the mission, the students reflect on the impact of the sharing and decide if the historical figure’s social media presence would have helped them make their impact or hindered them. Join us every Sunday on Twitter for the #EdtechMissions chat (10am to 10:30amET; click for more time zones) where we share ideas and resources.

Get your copy of Hacking Digital Learning, The 30 Goals Challenge, or Learning to Go. Ask me about training your teachers, ShellyTerrell@gmail.com!

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