Thing 16: Digital Tattoo & Digital Citizenship

Getting started on this subject was difficult with all the information I read and reviewed!  I like the way Thing 16 starts with the "Mind Reader" - a great video that features gullible young people from different backgrounds in an exotic foreign location (Brussels) that have plenty of personal information online, but don't realize it.  It would be a fun way to start a lesson with students on digital footprints.  Thing 16 also provided a plethora of lessons on the subject of digital literacy (citizenship, footprints).  I found myself bookmarking EVERYTHING into a folder on my computer for this subject. I was not aware that there was a week designated for awareness on the topic in October  (Digital Citizenship Week).  With lessons/videos from Common Sense Media - Education, iKeep Safe/Google, Cyberwise, Teachinctrl.org (InCtrl), Digizen, and the Teaching Channel, it would be easy to put some lessons together to raise awareness of the issue and teach digital literacy during Digital Citizens Week.  I could also find posters to display through some of these sites or Pinterest (I now have a DC board on my account).  Really, ideas are everywhere; thanks to Cool Tools for Schools, I have a wonderful set of resources to start with & will likely find many more.

Digital citizenship, copyright, plagarism, etc, can be had topics to get students excited about.  I have heard numerous times how dry the topics can be.  Students think they know how to behave on their "digital playground", but until they witness a hurtful or punishing consequence, they will ignore this topic.  This is where I plan to have multimedia lessons that are interactive.  One lesson that I watched through Teaching Channel could help engage students with a hands-on lesson Understanding the Impact of Digital Footprints. First the students go online and google the classroom teacher, who maintains a professional digital footprint as a good example. Then students are asked to investigate two people online for a job position and determine which one was honest and more reliable.  They need to make inferences to decide some factors, but collect evidence to back up why they chose one candidate over another based on profiles found on the internet.  This type of lesson could be very interesting and make a lasting impact on students.

One of the sources highlighted a book that may be useful to have on the shelves of the school library: lol...OMG by Matt Ivester.  This book is in our public library and I will check it out in the future as well as others that may be a little more up-to-date.

Lastly, I was interested in the article on sexism in the gaming industry with bullying or "doxxing" of female game designers who comment on the industry.  The term doxxing means to expose someone's true identity online (full name and address).  Most people do not want to have personal information online for safety reasons.  If you want to have your background information removed from the general public, you can contact various databrokers such as Pipl, Spokeo, Whitepages, etc.  Time-consuming, but likely worth it!

PS.  I did google myself and fortunately, I am not concerned about my own digital footprint - probably because I do make the effort to remain positive and professional with posts, pictures and personal information.

http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Kids/Get%20the%20facts/Digital%20footprint.aspx