I've done it many times before, I'll admit it. I've "Googled" myself. I never managed to find much on myself, because there are many other people who share my name. Kimberly Smith is definitely not the most original name on the planet. When I entered my name into Google I learned that there are many people with my name who have become quite successful in their career pursuits, but I was unable to find anything that linked directly to me. I think for a long time I interpreted this to mean if someone were to try and find out anything about me, it would be next to impossible. After some more in-depth searching this week, I have modified my thinking a little bit.
The technological developments of the 21st century have brought about a cultural norm in which almost everyone is online in some way, shape, or form, making the creation of a digital footprint nearly inevitable. While this may cause some people discomfort, I find it to be both a gift and a curse (for some). A digital footprint can be beneficial in that it promotes the adoption of responsible use of the Internet. Those who are aware of the impact one's digital footprint can have on life off the web are likely to proactively build a positive trail of information about themselves. They are well aware that nothing happens on the Internet in secret, and that the decisions they make online is public knowledge.
At the same time, many people are uneducated or in some cases completely unaware, of the existence of digital footprints. Some of these people still make responsible choices about posting online, and if made aware of the trail of information they leave behind, would discover they had a positive digital footprint. However, there are many people (commonly, but not exclusively, adolescents) who do not make responsible choices. These people are unaware of the impact that content posted online can have on their life.
As a teacher in an elementary school, I find it critically important that students are educated about their digital footprint from an early age. Increasing awareness from the beginning of a child's life as an Internet consumer could be a helpful first step to decreasing the presence of negative digital footprint content. I will be assuming the position of technology teacher for the 2014-2015 school year. I will have the opportunity to meet with each class in my school once a week. Digital citizenship is something that I plan to make an issue of importance early on in the school year.
In returning to my initial discussion of my own digital footprint, or what I perceived to be a lack thereof, I put a little more effort into tracking my own digital footprint this week. I used the site Spokeo to see what information I could find based on email addresses (current and past) I have had, and my phone number, since a first/last name search was sure to report the same results as searching for myself on Google. The first piece of information I found about myself was my dorm address during my freshman year of college ten years ago. This information linked directly to my current address. This proves that information made available on the Internet does not have an expiration date. Through further searching I was able to find links to all of my social networking profiles (though because they were all created using a variety of email addresses I've used throughout the years, were not all present in the same group of information), addresses that I have had in the past, and the names of family members. Following this revelation, I went back to Google and searched myself with + between all the words and added my location to the search. I was able to find a couple of photos I've used for profile pictures on various sites, as well as a link to my page on our district's website. The image search also returned pictures of other people I know from certain aspects of my life, from my district's Director of Special Education, to one of my college roommates, and even some people I have had classes with in the Ed Tech program! This was probably my most shocking discovery.
I was never in denial that I had a digital footprint, I knew it was out there. I simply thought it would be harder to find than it really was. While I don't think I am probably the easiest person to track down online, I know it is possible. This week has served as a reinforcement of the importance of my maintaining a positive digital footprint for myself personally, and as a role model for my students.
Kim,
ReplyDeleteYour post was insightful and like you found that my personal search turned up many people with exactly the same name as myself. It was a little creepy but I also knew my name was very common which surprised me when I figured it out many years ago. The comment you made on the digital norm hit a chord How the digital norm has changed significantly with the introduction of social media makes me wonder what the Internet looked like 10-15 years ago. I realize it must have been considerably smaller, but what was there. In trying to remember Internet searches that far back, my recollection is that I did not "search" per se. Then I have to wonder if there was anything to truly search for either.
I completely agree with your comments on teaching elementary students the ins and outs of responsible Internet usage. This concept is introduced to my students on the second day of school when I discuss the use of technology at school and hand out the AUP. Interestingly even though the form has a small section containing the student email address and password to be cut off, nearly all of the forms come back intact. This frustrates me greatly because if I were a betting person, I would bet very few if any parents keep a record of the address or password. Teaching students digital safety is so very important and I suppose we also need to teach the parents this lesson also.
Good luck with with your new position in the fall. There is no doubt all of your students will receive solid lessons on digital citizenship along with learning many other skills.