EDTECH 543: My Digital Footprint

After reading about what a "digital footprint" is it reminded me of the term "carbon footprint", no matter what you do, you make an impact.  It seems like I am connected to the Internet a countless number of times per day.  I had a conversation with my students about a month ago about what the Internet was like when I was a kid, or I should say teenager.  It was the time of AOL and waiting for the server to connect.  I still remember the sound of static waiting to connect to the world.  Now a days its every where at every moment.  My own children have grown up in the world of iPads and smartphones.  Waiting even ten seconds now seems like a life time for a page to load.  Therefore our digital impact is unavoidable unless you decide to live off the grid.  The question becomes, how do I want my footprint to look.  Will it be clean or messy?  Will the path be focused or strayed?

What I have discovered about my own digital footprint is very limited.  There must be a lot of Lindsay Hoyt's in the world and I am one of the least exciting.  This could be good or bad.  Good because I have been careful enough in my digital use not to create a negative impact.  On the other side of the spectrum, I have not used the Internet to promote myself as a professional.  As a teacher I am very mindful of what I do online and have very limited social networking.  I do have an LinkedIn account, but I haven't really done much with it.  My personal Facebook is not the most exciting of accounts, for example today I posted an image of my dog and bearded dragon protecting the backyard (documenting my exciting life).  I have a lot to work on as a professional and understand that whatever steps are like walking in wet cement, they are there for all to see.

Resources

What is Digital Footprint? Webopedia Definition. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2017, from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/digital_footprint.html