Month: January 2021

Currently, the internet plays such a key role the way our society functions. I think it is arguable that it is a part of who we are or even how we define ourselves. We post our ideas, photos, and videos on our social media accounts, forums, and websites. So, in a way our online presence is a part of who we are. This online presence has been called our digital footprint. Is all the digital information that people produce that there are either actively sharing  through posting on social media or uploading to the internet or by devices passively uploading information that people may not be aware of, but have consented to, like sharing GPS data (Thatcher, 2014).

Attribution: Footstep by Samy Menai from the Noun Project
https://thenounproject.com/term/footstep/372220/

Since it is so common to have a digital presence, that looking into someone’s digital footprint is becoming a regular part in a background check. This means that an employer is not exclusively looking for criminal offenses, but also looking into who you are on social media, to ensure that you are who you say your are (Benson & Filippaios, 2010), but most likely to see who you are compared to what you said in your interview.

Due to this extra layer of scrutiny on our digital footprint, we need to exert caution as to what information we put on our digital scrapbooks. This may be disheartening to some, because we want to share our experiences and share with friends and family who may be far away. However, a negative digital footprint can cause a lot of problems for a person in the future. By posing inappropriate information, pictures, or opinions  you can ruin a chance at employment, a post-secondary opportunity, or be reprimanded at work (Buchanan, Southgate, Smith, Murray, & Noble, 2017). Therefore, I think we need to change the way we teach social media in school to including the importance of a positive digital footprint into our lessons on digital safety and citizenship.

Societal norms have changes, in which we expect people to have a digital presence, teaching kids to not use social media can also be damaging to the futures (Buchanan, Southgate, Smith, Murray, & Noble, 2017) We should be teaching students about the importance of the digital footprint. It can be a way of representing your own “ ‘Personal brand’ that allows others to see your interests, achievements and skills” (Buchanan, Southgate, Smith, Murray, & Noble, 2017, p. 285). I think that through these kinds of lessons, we can also show the opportunity for professional networking, sharing of ideas, and resources that can be achieved through social media.

Check out an example of how to include positive uses of social media  embedded within the classroom environment.

References

Benson, V., & Filippaios, F. (2010). Effect of Digital Footprint on Career Management: Evidence from Social Media in Business Education. Springer, 480-486.

Buchanan, R., Southgate, E., Smith, S., Murray, T., & Noble, B. (2017). Post No Photos, Leave No Trace: Children’s Digital Footprint Management Stratagies. E-Learning and Digital Media, 275-290.

Thatcher, J. (2014). Living on Fumes: Digital Footprints, Data Fumes, and the Limitations of Spatial Big Data. International Journal of Communication, 1765-1783.

I think that my word of the year is going to be balance.

I feel that it is easy for myself to get swept away with a task and it can feel all consuming. Therefore, my goal this year is to instill more balance in my schedule.

In terms of school…

I want to give myself balance with schoolwork, work-work, and personal life. I found that in the past semester doing online learning, it was hard to be able to “leave school”. I felt that every time I would open my laptop to play a game or watch Netflix, I would feel guilty for not doing more reading or homework because school was basically equal to my laptop. I felt the same way when I came home for subbing. So, this year, and hopefully into future years as well, I am going to work towards finding the balance. Where, I work during my allotted work time, and relax afterword. What I think will work well for this is setting myself a consistent schedule.

In terms of screen time….

Lastly, I want to introduce more balance into my time using technology. I want to find balance in my screen time as well. Since we spend so many hours on zoom because of the online nature of school, I want to take more time to be off the computer. So! I have formulated a list of novels that I have been dying to read instead of watching TV in the evenings.

In terms of fresh air…

I want to introduce more balance into my time outside vs inside. Sometimes it feels like I can spend days without really going outdoors, other than to my car, to the store, and back to my house. So, I want to take more time to go for walks outside and really enjoy the mild winter.  Hopefully, we get more snow and then I would love to get outside for exercise like cross country skiing and snowshoeing.