Footprints in the Digital Sand....and more!
Digital Footprints:
A digital footprint/tattoo is a permanent collection of data from the things that we do while online. An unintentional digital footprint can also be called a "passive" digital footprint. This is the information that is gathered without our knowledge like IP addresses, search histories, or even our locations (Christensson , 2014). I think I would also consider parents posting pictures and information about their babies and small children an unintentional digtial footprint because those kiddos don't have a choice in the matter. An intentional digital footprint can also be called an "active" digital footprint. This includes likes on Facebook, retweeting on Twitter, blog posts, emails, etc. So every time you check social media, send silly memes on Facebook messenger, or scroll through Pinterest, you are increasing your digital footprint intentionally (Christensson, 2014).
Students can deliberately cultivate a digital footprint by being more mindful of their actions on social media. Also, by managing and organizing any work they do for education in an ePortfolio. Some things that students should include in a public ePortfolio is evidence of learning, reflections, personal and educational success and struggles through a blog, etc.
My Digital Tattoo
I found it interesting that everything I found about myself on the internet was directly related to my professional background. I found news articles from where I won Innovator of the Year by the Education Foundation a couple of year. I found links to my district websites, as well as images that were from the Staff Directory. I also found that my name is linked to quite a few Eventbrite pages from professional developments that I have hosted. I honestly wasn’t surprised by what I found, but I was surprised that it was pretty much limited to the past few years.
I have digital footprint with quite a few places including Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Amazon, Google+, and quite a few others. I would give myself a 4 and I can say that comfortably. I have always been incredibly conscience of the things that I post or share on the internet. Originally, this came more from my parents influence. My dad is a youth minister, and my parents have always taught us that the things we say, do and post on the internet all affect our witness. Because of this, I have naturally made sure that the things I do on the internet are appropriate. Now, I know that this has helped me in more ways than one!
To learn more about Digital Footprints and how to manage your own, see the resources below!
Digital Access:
Access to technology is extremely important to me, and I have been fortunate to have always had access for as long as I can remember. My family has always had computers and access to Internet at home. For as long as I have had a cell phone, I have been on an unlimited data plan. I say all of that to illustrate how technology has impacted my life. I absolutely believe that this access has led to a comfort with using technology to reach personal, educational, and professional goals. On the flip side, I have taught students who don't have that same access to technology. With these students, I have noticed that they don't have a concept of using technology responsibly. As far as educational opportunities, this past year in my new role, I have seen situations where there are some students who never had teachers who used technology in the classroom versus students whose teachers use tech often, and it's a sad situation. Those students are missing out on a learning environment that would prepare them for life outside of public school. Now that my oldest is going into Kindergarten, I realize what a disparity there is. Shouldn't every student have access to the same quality of education regardless of which teacher they get?
The most serious threats to effective accessing and sharing of Internet content is the fact that it isn't taught. I think this is something that we often skip because it takes extra time and it limits us. No one wants to discuss copyright laws or citing where they pulled those cute images from because we live in a world where we believe that our time is more valuable than following those laws. Another serious threat is a lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people out there aren't using technology effectively because we aren't building capacity in our teachers and students.
Net Neutrality
Net neutrality is something that I had heard about previously, but not necessarily something that I paid close attention to. Unfortunately, I have fallen into the category of people that doesn’t really want to know how the internet works as long as it works when I need it to. When doing the research necessary, I was intrigued by the following points. The Federal Trade Commission has committed to monitoring and handling any instances where Internet service providers act in such a way that is unfair to consumers (Federal Communications Commission, 2015). I really liked the analogy of paying for utilities in our homes. When we pay for electricity, the company doesn’t get to tell me I have to pay more to power my refrigerator than I do my toaster because I use the refrigerator more often. In the same way, my Internet service provider shouldn’t be allowed to make me pay more to use Netflix because I use it more often than YouTube (An Introduction, 2014).
Although I had heard of net neutrality, I had never considered the educational implications. Students and teachers should not be redirected from pertinent, timely resources because of ISPs lining their pockets with incentives to favor content. When I read the hypothetical situations in Long’s article, it really made me realize the heart of the matter. Students should have equal access to content. Period. End of story. The quote by Barbara Stripling said it best, “We must ensure the same quality access to online educational content as to entertainment and other commercial offerings. But without net neutrality, we are in danger of prioritizing Mickey Mouse and Jennifer Lawrence over William Shakespeare and Teddy Roosevelt. This may maximize profits for large content providers, but it minimizes education for all” (Long, 2014).
To learn more about net neutrality, see the resources below.
References
An introduction to net neutrality. (2014) Retrieved from
http://www.marshalldata.com/2014/05/an-introduction-to-net-neutrality-what-it-i
what-it-means-for-you-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/ (Note: This is an introduction
before the FCCs ruling)
Christensson, P. (2014, May 26). Digital Footprint Definition. Retrieved 2018, Jun 14, from
https://techterms.com
Federal Communications Commision (2015). Open internet. Retrieved
from https://www.fcc.gov/openinternet
Long, C. (2015). What net neutrality means for students and Educators. Retrieved
from http://neatoday.org/2015/03/11/net-neutrality-means-students-educators/
