Digital Citizenship Lesson #1 - Your Digital Footprint

(Get handout of the information below; follow along on your worksheet, highlighting most important info)

Digital Citizenship Lesson #1-Your Digital Footprint

Learning Targets:  Students will be able to ...

• ‡learn that they have a public presence online called a digital footprint.
• ‡recognize that any information they post online can help or hurt their image and future opportunities, including their chances for college admission or employment.
• ‡consider how to present an authentic and positive image of themselves online.

Essential Question: How can information you post on the Internet affect your future opportunities?

(no need to copy this Lesson Overview in notebooks)

Lesson Overview: Students learn that everything they or anyone else posts about them online becomes part of a public online presence known as a digital footprint. Students will view elements of digital footprints and consider how the footprints might affect those admission to college and future career opportunities. Students will discuss what kinds of information they want to include in their own digital footprints, and learn strategies for shaping a positive online presence.

digital footprint: all of the information that can be found online, posted by you or by others

Step 1) Determine your digital footprint-Write down everywhere you have an online presence, specifically online accounts like instagram, facebook, snapchat, google, youtube, etc. Don’t forget accounts like Dropbox or iCloud or other cloud accounts. (Also, make a note if you have multiple accounts.).

Step 2) Watch video- 18 year old, speaks about posting online and college applications.  Here is a link to the video:  Abbas' Story

Discuss: What are your thoughts about this teen’s story?

Step 3) Discuss the following questions in table groups. Be prepared to share out some of your discussion with the whole group. (10 mins)

• Have you seen any posting or picture on a “friend’s” FB, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram that you think is unwise to post? Without names, explain what and why unwise.
• Have you ever posted anything you later took down because it did or might get someone upset or you in trouble? Did you take it down because you thought to or you were told to?
• Which is worse-posting something mean about someone, posting a too sexy picture or posting party pictures?
• Do kids KNOW they shouldn’t and post anyway? Why? Or do they NOT know?
• Discuss the qualities needed for a positive digital footprint? What kinds of posts are helpful/positive to your college and job applications process?

Step 4) Review

• Posting means losing control of it being passed on and searched by a large, invisible audience.
• Often permanently online, because it is archived in a variety of ways and passed on by others.
• Digital footprint can lead to losing a scholarship, job, or acceptance into college.
• Think of digital footprint as your college application or job resume. Even babysitting or yard work!

Step 5) Activity

• Role Play: Evaluate College applications
• College admissions officers discuss what they found online about a particular candidate.  The colleges need to gather information from each candidate’s digital footprint to help justify their decisions. 
• Invite 2-3 students  in front of the class to role-play college admissions officers discussing what they found online about a particular candidate.  The colleges need to gather information from each candidate’s digital footprint to help justify their decisions. (be appropriate)

Step 6) Debrief this activity-Focus on the positive

1. Think twice before you post or text: Before you press the "send" button, imagine the last person in the world that you would want seeing what you're about to share. Remember that everything you post or text can be saved, copied, and sent far and wide.

2. Ditch the drama: When rumors and fights start online, there's a clear record of who got involved and when. It's also not worth the chance that you and your friends will end up feeling upset. Take the high road, and find positive ways to support those who are being teased or harassed.

3. Give and get credit: We all have a responsibility to respect one another's creative work, especially online. Illegal downloading, digital cheating, and cutting and pasting other people's stuff may be easy, but that doesn't make those activities right.

4. Nothing is as private as you think: Check out the privacy policies on sites and apps you use most, then change your account settings accordingly. Never share your passwords or private information online.

5. Make this a world you want to live in: Spread the good stuff, and contribute to your online world in positive ways!

Step 7) Wrap up: Exit ticket

• Next to each of your warm-up online accounts add something actionable to change: Write down something you want add or delete to your digital footprint to support your applications for college scholarships, employment, or college admittance.
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Glue worksheet into notebook when finished.

Extra time? Three choices:
-Lifeboat Slides
-CCE Notebook
-SSR