Digital Footprints

Glenys Lowden, teacher librarian from Lowther Hall AGS, Essendon VIC recommends a great video (on Youtube) that Steve Johnson has produced which educators may find useful in teaching about the issues involved with digital footprints. "Our digital footprint tells others - where we've been, who we've been with, where we've wandered, and where we're going," it says in the video.

She is using it in a presentation to small groups of Year 12 (2010) students later this term along with an episode of Hack Half Hour from last year.

The Hack Half Hour is a studio-based chat program, which encourages feisty, passionate views, stories and debate. It's confronting, irreverent, thought-provoking and a little bit naughty, about the serious (and not-so-serious) issues that impact young Australians.

In the episode "Myface", the question is asked, "will we end up regretting what we reveal about ourselves online?" The reasons are explored why people want to post so much personal information online, and look at what the repercussions might be for user's life, relationships, and career. Bloggers, vloggers and social networking junkies, and even a hacker are interviewed. All of them have strong opinions.

At the centre of the discussion, is a very popular 16-year-old. Sophie Calland has the second highest number of friends on My Space in Australia. With over 208,000, she welcomes just about anyone into her space. She spends several hours a day maintaining her profile, posting photo-shopped pictures of herself, and writes a blog about her battles with illness, depression, and the things that piss her off. Sophie is happy with the level of control she has over her profile and isn't worried about the possible consequences of making personal information widely available.

What other programs are you using to explore the topic of digital footprints?

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Links
Watch Steve Johnson's YouTube video
Hack Half Hour Official website
Get the Hack Half Hour episode "MyFace" from EnhanceTV.
Get all episodes of Hack Half Hour
Image: 'footprints'