What is a digital footprint?

Whenever you go online you leave a trail behind you. This is called your digital footprint. It is a record of all your interactions that you have when on the internet including clicking on a website, posting / chatting on social media, sending an email, writing a blog or watching a YouTube video. The footprints you leave behind can be active or passive.

Active footprints – these are created when a person intentionally leaves a footprint and includes online activities like posting on social media, writing a blog or sending someone an email.

Passive footprints – these are created when a person is browsing the internet and clicking on websites or uses websites and apps that can track your location.

2) Think, Write, Pair, Share : Consider the last week and write down all your online activity. Put the activities into two columns : Active and Passive.

3) Viewing activity : Watch the video and write down the images that feature in the short film.

 

(Common Sense Media, n.d)

4) Think, Write, Pair, Share:

According to the video, what do the following images have to do with the term “digital footprint”?

The lighthouse

The whisper in the ear

The photocopier

Stadium

The big screen

The permanent marker

 

5) Think, Write, Pair, Share:

How does it make you feel knowing that everything you do online is stored and can be searched for, shared or even broadcast?

(Common Sense Media, n.d)