Digital Footprint

I am blessed by a very common name with a few famous "John Ferguson's" on the list as well. The best part of this was when I had a chance to see the Stanley Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and was able to get a picture of myself pointing at my name on the cup itself...Well it IS my name! A simple Google search and you'll see how irrelevant and difficult it is to find any reference to me.



Unfortunately, there was a need to "teach" some of my students about their digital footprint. It ended up being a very good discussion and by the types of questions my students were asking they took what I was saying very seriously. It was good to see that they cared about the impressions they were making. Interestingly it was surprising how little many of them had previously thought about the issue. Sometimes we, as adults and educators, assume the abilities and critical thinking skills, especially those dealing with technological issues, are greater than they are.

Sadly, these would not be issues at this level (Junior High) if it was clearly indicated in the curriculum. My hope is that some of my students consider the consequences of their "digital footprint" before they stomp over something cherished...