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Reflection Week 2

Brianne Yount

Lamar University 5316

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Digital Footprint

The digital world has advanced so much over the past 25 years of my life. In the 90’s,

when I was an elementary student, I went to a very small school and I do not recall the use of

technology by either students or teachers. The most technology we had was overhead projectors

and VCR players for our box TVs. At home, we got a 95 windows computer, where I did not use

it for anything academic. We would play games such as Chips Challenge, or the Mouse Trap.

Then, I moved schools in Middle School, and we had a computer lab. We had computer once a

week where we practiced typing and played games to advance those skills. I also do not recall

using a computer for assignments. My family kept updating their computer, and by middle

school I think we had the newest Dell computer. It wasn’t until high school that I got my first

Nokia cell phone. My teachers started assigning homework that needed to be completed on a

computer. This is also when I got my first Social Media account, Myspace, plus AOL email

messenger. This began my digital footprint. I remember when Facebook began and someone told

me it was only for college kids, but I got an account anyway. I started using Myspace less and

Facebook more, until I never touched Myspace again. Now, I still have that same Facebook

account and I get memories from 12 years ago reminding me of the beginning of my digital

journey.

Since that day in high school when I received my first cell phone and created my first

social media account, the digital world has changed so significantly that my past self would have

never imagined it. Only 15 years have passed, but now we can have the whole internet at our

fingertips. We can share information with the tap of our finger. We can do so many unimaginable

things. In only 15 years, there will be so many advanced digital items that I will not believe what

it was like today. And I will have another 15 years of a digital tattoo that cannot be erased or
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changed. This is why it is so important to know what a digital footprint is and how it impacts

your future.

A digital footprint is anything that an individual purposefully or unintentionally leaves

behind on the internet. Our students should be made aware of this phenomenon and encouraged

to make ethical, professional choices online. Digital Citizenship is important for this very reason

to ensure that individuals like our students are leaving something behind that they can be proud

of in 15 years. They will never understand its negative or positive impact until it is too late into

the future. This is why it is so important as teachers to teach the impact of what a digital citizen

leaves behind. (Shapiro, 2014).

I know that even though I was never taught about digital citizenship, I was taught what it

means to be a good person and how to treat others. I am so glad I had that background and that

my digital footprint can be something I am proud of.

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References

Shapiro, E. (2014). The case for teaching digital citizenship. Retrieved from

http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/the-case-for-teaching-digital-

citizenship/2014/01/23/