Digital Footprint

This interactive, digital learning module supports teachers in the delivery of Digital Footprint education, an integral

element of Digital Citizenship, and facilitates students to actively understand the important concepts in a connected, real-world learning context. Various learning activities are embedded throughout to develop deep understanding of these concepts.

Digital Citizenship in the 21st century is more than keeping young people safe online. It’s about enabling and equipping them to use technology optimally and positively, to facilitate and enhance their learning and online activities. It means being a citizen of the digital world (Preston et al, 2017). It requires technology users to be mindful and responsible members of their digital communities, to best prepare them to be active and informed 21st century citizens, who are productive users of technology, as outlined by the Melbourne Declaration(MCEETYA, 2008). Hollandsworth (2011) states that Digital Citizenship is less of an educational movement and needs to be more a student-centred, social action that becomes a habit and way of life.

While teachers and teacher-librarians are well-positioned to deliver the curriculum-aligned Digital Citizenship elements, a whole-community approach to positive Digital Citizenship mindset development is required. Buy-in from parents and carers is essential and while students often perform well on Digital Citizenship tests, this theoretical knowledge doesn't always translate across to practical application at school and home, which identifies a real mindset discrepancy (Hui & Campbell, 2018).

With technology access and rights, comes great responsibility. Technology users must engage positively and ethically to

cultivate a positive Digital Footprint. A permanent, digital trail is created with every click. Your Digital Footprint contains personal information about you such as your name, date-of-birth, nickname, address and as social media algorithms become increasingly sophisticated, so too does the detail and breadth of your Digital Footprint. The International Society for Technology Education (ISTE)states that a good Digital Citizen "understands the permanence of the digital world and proactively manages their Digital Identity" and understands that most students do the right thing with technology ... as long as they know what the right thing is.

A Digital Footprint is an increasingly important responsibility for digital technology users with the rapid increase in Web 2.0 tools, which have transferred the majority of digital technology use from passive and asynchronous to active and collaborative use (Richards, 2010). Essentially this online impression of data one leaves when engaging online, an official record of online activity, can now be both actively and passively created. Hence, Digital Citizenship now has to go beyond a set of rules to become a mindset or way of working in the digital environment. Teachers must mentor and guide students to create a positive digital construct of themselves and become "responsible, competent, confident and creative" users of technology (Preston et al, 2017). The National Curriculum for England and the ACARA ICT Capability learning continuum focus on the importance of taking action to avoid the dangers to personal security when interacting online and further highlight the need to teach students to protect their online identity and privacy by learning to reflect on their digital citizenship. Students need to be aware that everything they do forms part of their online reputation and as Martin el at (2018) states they need to "self-reflect before they self-reveal". These curriculum documents and articles by Preston et al (2017), Richards (2010), Buchanan et al (2017) and others suggest that there are deeper identities at play including ones' values, beliefs and a sense-of-self when it comes to creating and maintaining an Digital Footprint.

How will you be remembered? How will your students be remembered?

Digital Footprints vary depending on age and stage of interactivity in the online world, however have one common theme in that students must be aware of what they are doing in their online worlds and how that translates to an online record of themselves, which has great longevity. The following clips provide a good introductory overview for each age group.

For Teachers - In your footprint, leaving a mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2EJ2oelEOc&t=86

Infants - How big is your Digital Footprint? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sw7Q5MMX6E&t=43s

Year 3&4- How will you protect yourself? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=23&v=kHYkWtI700

Year 5&6 - Live my Digital for students: Filmed at Google https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBg2YYV3Bts&t=9s

Australian children are high consumers of the internet with 76% going online for more than 2 hours everyday for school work, to watch video clips, play games, email and communicate with friends. While the internet is an intrinsic part of their existence, students sometimes do not actively consider how their online actions can impact their online identity, let alone impact their future careers (Buchanan et al, 2017).

Also referred to as a Digital Shadow, Digital Reputation or Digital Tattoo, the permanency of a Digital Footprint often goes unrealised. The predominant focus of a Digital Footprint or Digital Identity is that negative actions equal negative outcomes. While this is highly important, it is not the only concern. There has been a lack of focus on positive Digital Footprint creation until recently. Yes a Digital Footprint is permanent but as Buchanan et al, (2017) identifies here , it doesn't have to be negative. "The lack of a Digital Footprint can be as damaging as a badly managed one!" Buchanan et al (2017) continues.

The conscious creation of a positive Digital Footprint is where children need to be directed. The negative connotations associated with Digital Footprint creation are a very restrictive and limiting belief and a Digital Footprint has much more potential that the purely negative and damaging affects that negative online behaviour can have. Rather than be afraid of creating a Digital Footprint at all, students need to be mentored and guided to create a positive Digital Footprint for the benefit of their future identity. Teaching students the concept of curation and curating a positive Digital Footprint for now and the future is to become an essential 21st century skill (Buchanan et al, 2017).

Developing sound Digital Citizenship skills associated with Digital Footprint creation is how teachers can mentor students to focus on their "digital identity, well-being and professionalism" (Line et al, 2017). Students need to have an active, appropriate and responsible use of technology and can be guided by the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship that create useful sub-headings to shape their learning. Mike Ribble (2018) is a leader in this field and vows that leading students through these 9 principles will equip them with the tools and know-how to navigate their Digital Citizenship development.

At the Primary school level not all of these 9 elements are applicable, however the ones most pertinent are:

• • Digital Access (can users participate at acceptable levels?)

  • Digital Literacy (do users know how to use technology effectively?)

  • Digital Etiquette (do users have respect for themselves and others?)

  • Digital Health & Wellness (do users consider the risks they are taking?) and

  • Digital Security (do users protect their own information?).

With the development of these over time during students' Primary school career, lays the foundation for the development of the remaining elements (Ribble, 2009).