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4 things you need to know to help your students manage their online reputation

We often hear complaints about what students say and do online, but we often neglect to look into educators helping them manage their online reputation. This infographic is geared toward adults, but it can serve as a great starting point for conversations and activities that educators can engage in with students to help them to establish an active digital footprint that represents who they want to be perceived as online.

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Why I Let My Kids Have an Internet Presence

Guess post BY GWYNRIDENHOUR | Crossposted at dirt under my fingernails

Eva and Ian using the computer Eva bought with income from her book sales. Those sales have in part been made possible by her website.

Education and technology – it seems everywhere I look folks are talking about it. Should we do more, less? What about virtual schools? Interactive white boards? Cell phones? Facebook and Twitter? Should we let kids be out there on the ‘net? Should we post their pictures? Won’t they be kidnapped??
These are legitimate conversations, and each person has to make these kinds of decisions based on their own comfort levels and according to the needs of the individual child. I know people who are aghast that my kids each have a website with their names attached. I know many others who don’t even blink about it.

The way I see it, there is risk in everything we do. We put our kids on school buses every daywithout seat belts. We let them play contact sports. We drive our cars on roads with thousands of other imperfect drivers (the legal license age here is just 14!!). We fly in planes. Heck, we get up in the morning. I figure you can get injured or killed just as easy staying safe at home as you can if you travel across the world. But personally, I would take the second, far more interesting option.

So yes, I let my kids have a presence on the internet – first and last name and everything. And though I’m sure there are risks involved, the benefits for us far outweigh them. Here are some of those benefits:
I’m going to be talking mainly about Eva’s online presence, because it is more fully developed than Ian’s is currently. Ian is still developing product for his site; once he has sheet music that bands can use, he’ll be able to connect with people in much the same way that Eva has. We are also still developing his website’s overall message and determining how it will best benefit other kids and musicians.

It Provides Real-Life Motivation for Quality Work
I talk a lot about doing away with grades for my kids’ work and instead providing the same types of motivational opportunities that drive adults. Kids aren’t so different from adults in that respect. Getting an “A” might feel good, but having your story published in a magazine feels better. Eva knows that her books aren’t just going to be filed in a cabinet, but read by dozens and dozens of people, many of whom she’ll never meet. Talk about motivation to produce quality work.

The kids’ online presence serves as an important element for this type of motivation. They each want to enhance the quality of their websites, and in order to do so, they have to continue to produce quality work. They also love it when I share their accomplishments on facebook. Though I emphasize that it’s not about the hits, likes, and comments, but instead about the connections those things represent, there is something exciting about seeing that positive feedback. It’s validating.

It Enhances Sense of Identity and Purpose
Over the past two years, Eva has come to see herself as an author. This year, she’s also come to see herself as a public speaker. Her website has not only enhances that sense of identity, but has helped create it, as it has made the sharing of her video lessons on writing possible. Making the videos allowed her to practice public speaking with the comforting lack of a physical audience. Her global positive feedback has boosted her confidence. And when she spends time tweaking and evaluating and adding to her website, she is learning to polish her professional image.

It Connects Us with People from Around the World and Creates New Opportunities
Through social media, our family has been able to connect with some pretty amazing folks – people we would have never had the opportunity to meet otherwise. Many of these people are our creative heroes, including Neil Gaiman, Sir Ken Robinson, Adora Svitak, and for Jamie, Peter Straub. These people live all over the world, and we live in middle of North Dakota. But with twitter and facebook, we have been able to talk with them as if they were next door. Amazing.

We’ve also “met” dozens of writers both young and old, teachers, principals, musicians, home educators, parents, kids. Eva has talked with folks from all over the world, sharing inspiration to write and tell stories.

And the opportunities! As a direct result of Eva’s video lessons on writing, she has been invited to speak in elementary school classrooms, both in person and via Skype. The possibilities are terribly exciting. One year ago, I would have thought the idea of public speaking for Eva was out of our grasp, at least for several more years (she can be very shy). But now… I stand in amazement at her poise and courage.

It Helps Us Be the Change We Wish to See in the World
What I want most for my kids is two things: 1) I want them to be happy and fulfilled by their life choices and 2) I want their life choices to benefit not only themselves but others as well. We’ve got just this one world, and it will be what we make it. I want my children’s world to be full of compassion, intelligence, generosity, and creativity; we have to be those things if we want that reality. We are living in a unique time, and can connect with people across the world in seconds. My kids have gifts to share – to inspire and create, to collaborate and enrich. What better way to improve both the quality of their lives and that of others than by encouraging this exchange of ideas and support?

And There’s More to Come!

With all my talk of internet presence, I recognize that we only dip the surface. We primarily use blog-based websites, facebook and twitter to achieve our digital goals. Starting today, husband Jamie is forging a new online frontier. To promote his novel Barking Mad (Typecast Publishing, 2011), he is embarking on a blog tour. Every day for three weeks, a different literary review blogger will post a unique interview with Jamie. Some of these interviews actually feature the dapper Reginald Spiffington, the main character of the book. What an exciting prospect! He hopes to connect with more readers and writers this way, and of course he hopes to boost his sales.

It really is a hilarious book, by the way – a comedy murder mystery with a werewolf! Set in 1931 England, the book reflects some of the literary joy of Agatha Christie and the Jeeves and Wooster stories. You should come along on the blog tour and learn about this exciting new venue together with us. His publisher is also giving away prizes both during and at the end of the tour. For more information, visit Jamie’s calendar page.

One Final Note on Security
I shouldn’t close without letting you know the ways I do protect my kiddos. They each have email addresses, but I receive copies of every incoming email. I proofread most of what goes back out as well. Youtube comments have to be approved by me, and I don’t allow youtube likes or dislikes. All comments on their websites also come to me for approval. As neither kid is 13 yet, neither of them have facebook accounts. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s not a perfect world. I say we forge ahead and embrace the positives in a smart, informed manner!

What about you? How do you feel about giving your children a presence on the internet? And how do you think the internet should be used in the classroom?

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Facebook Timeline: The 21st Century Resume - Available Now!

Educators who are up to the task of preparing our students with the essential tools for success today will want to know that starting now, Facebook Timeline is available to all, so if you haven't gotten it, now's the time to get it. Timeline provides an easy way to rediscover the things you shared, and collect all your best moments in a single place. It is a tremendous resource for any school admission counselor or human resource executive interested in seeing if a candidate is a good match. It's the job of today's innovative educator to ensure their students know how to create an online image that will lead to the school or job of their dreams.

It is the job of the 21st century educator to ensure students have created a digital footprint that will lead to academic and career success. While controlling your digital footprint is as easy as 1-2-3, unfortunately, rather than prepare students with the tools they'll need to create and develop their online image, boneheads like this teachers' union spokesperson are advising teachers to leave students stuck in the past.

Of course to do that, you'll need to be familiar with Timeline yourself. To do that, this video provides a useful overview of Timeline.
Once you've watched the video, joined Timeline, and become familiar with it, here are five things you can do to support your students.

5 Ideas for Getting Your Students Started with Facebook Timeline

Know your brand - Everything you post online says something about you. Ensure that is a message you want to convey.
Fix mistakes - Sometimes something is shared that does not represent our best selves to the world. It this happens, Timeline will let you hide the story, post, or picture shared by you or someone else.
Celebrate what you are proud of -Was there something that occurred that you are especially proud of and really represents the image you want to convey? If so, Timeline let's you feature it and star your favorites to double their size.
Imagine yourself as a historical figure -We know that social media is tool necessary for success in many fields. For instance, if our students choose to run for office, they'll need social media savvyness and a respectable digital footprint. It is reasonable in fact that any student today could become a historical figure in the future. Ask your students to think about themselves as future historical figures and contemplate what their timeline says about the young version of who they are to become.
Tell your story -Have your students think deliberately about their Timeline from the perspective of an autobiography that would be attractive to those considering them as candidates for college and career. Have them actually write an autobiography selling themselves by pointing out important milestones on their timeline that would make them desirable to those considering them for employment or acceptance into their program. You could extend this activity by having students write the biography of a classmate to students see how they are perceived by others.
Fill in the blanks -
As students think critically about their image, they may realize that important parts of their story aren't included on their Timeline. No problem. They can go back to when they happened and add them.

To get timeline, simply go to the Introducing Timeline page and click "Get It Now." Or you can wait until you see an announcement at the top of your profile.

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Discover what your digital footprint says about you

Does your digital footprint convey the message you want? If you don't know you should spend time figuring this out. In the 21st century our digital footprint conveys an important image and people should know what that is. Below are ideas that will enable you to explore and consider if your digital footprint conveys the message you want to share with the world. It will also give you ideas for activities you can do with your students so they can do the same.

General Internet Footprint
Here are some basics to get you started in discovering what your general footprint is on the internet. Start your personal discovery and begin reflecting on the questions below.

Google yourself.
Start in the obvious way and just Google yourself by typing your name into Google’s search box in whatever way(s) someone doing a search about you might i.e. John Smith, teacher. Take a look at what you see.

Use Google Alerts to monitor what others are saying about you
Sign up for Google Alerts to receive email updates of the latest relevant Google results about you by simply visiting the site and entering your name. You can click preview to see the type of results you'll receive.

Spezify who you are.
Spezify is a search tool presenting results from a large number of websites in different visual ways. The site moves web search away from endless lists of blue text links and towards a more intuitive experience giving viewers an overview of a subject. The site mixes all media types: blogs, videos, microblogs and images. Everything communicates and helps building the bigger picture.

People Searches
There are several people searches. Are you listed? Here are some common ones to check. http://www.zabasearch.com | http://pipl.com | www.123people.com
While the initial reaction by some when they discover they are listed is concern, keep in mind that people have been listed in phone books for a very long time. There is no evidence that having this information available is cause for concern. Instead, the primary cause of danger is rarely by strangers. Instead when it comes to maltreatment of children the number one source is in the home followed by a close friend or family member. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families Child Maltreatment

Reflect Upon Your Social Media Footprint with Recap Apps
Recap apps are a great tool for teachers to get to know students and for students to get to know each other. It provides a vehicle for students to reflect upon what messages they are sharing with their friends over the past year. You may want to ask students to create a status collage of what they might want their message to be in the new year or ask them what their photos may represent. It also provides a fantastic way for students to get ideas for further sharing and publishing about the topic they are most expert in...themselves.

Twitter

Reflect upon what you are saying with a cloud at http://tweetcloud.com and enter your username.
Note: If you don’t have a Twitter account sign up. Make a cloud searching other people or current events on Twitter.

Facebook
Note: If you don’t have a Facebook Account partner with someone who does so you can understand what this looks like.

Create a cloud at http://statuscloud.icodeforlove.com

Look at your year of photos on Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/my-year-in-photos

Check out the museum of me http://www.intel.com/museumofme/r/index.htm

Your Digital Footprint Analysis.

What are proud of?

What are you surprised to see?

Is there anything you are embarrassed about?

What might you want to change or do in the future to ensure your footprint accurately represents the picture you want to convey?

Suggested activities
What activities might you do with young people?

Personal Narrative

Have students write a memoir based on their status collages or pictures. They may pick one update/picture or build upon a theme.

Have students create a year in review video highlighting their status collage updates or their year in photos.

Have students create one, or a number of, personal narrative audio cast or Voki based on their status collage updates.

Team building ideas to help students learn and connect.

Have students print out their recap app and let students identify which belongs to which student. With the photo app, you may want to count how many other schoolmates are in each student's collage.

Have students tag their recap app in Flickr using a teacher created account and in the comment box either place a recap app narrative or use the comment box to guess who the app belongs to.

Have student compare and contrast their recap app. They could write a narrative explaining what they have in common and might never have in common with another class member.

Have students place their app as a note on FB and tag 20 of their friends asking them to share their thoughts perhaps with an interesting question i.e. what surprised you, stood out, or could you relate to.

Arts and Crafts

Print the recap apps onto iron on paper and make tee shirts with students word clouds on the back. This could even be used as a fundraiser.

Use the recap apps to decorate a "Year in Review" in photos and words bulletin board.

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Clicking with Caution Internet Safety Video

Clicking with Caution is a series of educational videos, created by kids for kids, to raise awareness of internet risks and teach preventive measures. The series was made in collaboration with the NYC Dept of Education’s Office of Instructional (now Educational) Technology and the Mayor’s office in partnership with Reel Works Teen Filmmaking and Microsoft. Students will enjoy these videos even more when they discover they were produced by twenty young ReelWorks filmmakers who drew from their own experiences online and worked with professional directors to create these powerful messages. The series features introductions by “Gossip Girl” star Jessica Szohr and contains two narrative pieces and two documentaries, covering the following topics:

Online Sexual Predators:
Young people must be cautious when using chat rooms or social networking sites. This video shows children how to protect themselves from people they meet on these Web sites who may be dangerous.

Cyber Bullying:
Students often do not realize that the Internet—through Web sites, blogs, social networking, e-mail, and instant messaging—can escalate bullying behavior. This video shows students the consequences of cyber bullying and how they should handle these situations.

Maintaining Anonymity:
Teenagers tend to reveal personal information online without realizing it. Watching this video will help children avoid accidentally sharing personal information with strangers that could put them at risk.

Online Gaming:
Internet gaming has become a popular hobby for students, but it is important to remind kids that excessive gaming can be harmful.

“In today’s digital world, one online mistake can have a dramatic impact on your future,” said Fred Humphries, Microsoft’s Managing Director, U.S. Government Affairs. “These videos help teens understand the real-world consequences of the choices they make while using social networking sites, visiting chat rooms or gaming online.”

While it’s certainly important to ensure students are safe online, it is equally important that we teach the benefits of being online and establishing a purposeful digital footprint.

You can view the video by clicking on the “Clicking with Caution” image on this post.

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Related Reading:
HOW DO I HELP MY CHILD LEARN TO USE THE INTERNET WISELY?

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The Innovative Educator’s Advice for Managing Your Digital Footprint

I’ve been invited to Skype in as an expert to a class of students putting together a documentary about digital footprints. This is a topic of great interest to me, especially, since I actively began managing mine about three years ago. Back then when someone searched for me they’d find a bunch of other people with the same name and buried down somewhere was some information about volleyball tournaments in which I competed. It was then that I decided I wanted to be at the top of a search for both my name and the topics about which I am passionate. Today, when I search Lisa Nielsen, I am the first thing that comes up. I also am the first result when searching “educating innovatively” or “The Innovative Educator.” I branded myself to have an online identity of which I’m proud. This is an important skill to teach students. Equally important is conveying the idea that being safe and responsible online does not mean hiding your identity but rather defining it and owning it.

Below are articles I have written for educators and parents to help their students do the same.

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Can the National Council of Teachers of English Keep Up with A Changing World for Literacy Teachers? Not Really.

I just came across the National Council of Teachers of English Policy Research Brief on 21st Century Literacies on my Twitterfeed, and though they take literacy past what it looked like in the 20th Century, it still seems quite rather distant from my vision of What a 21st Century Literacy Class Might Look Like Today.

Along with the Council’s outdated name (there’s so much more to it than teaching “English” in our globally connected world), their report, published in The Council Chronicle in 2009, gives little attention to what makes literacy in the 21st century so powerful, authentic publishing, Personal Learning Networks (PLNs), connecting via social media, establishing a professional digital footprint. There’s mention of MySpace (that’s like so five years ago), and social media software (uh, it’s not technically software), but nothing about the biggies like Facebook, Twitter, Ning. And, nothing about ditching the paper and hopping on the eReading and writing bandwagon.

The report suggests that global economies, new technologies, and exponential growth in information are transforming our society. Today’s employees engage with a technology-driven, diverse, and quickly changing “flat world.” English/language arts teachers need to prepare students for this world with problem solving, collaboration, and analysis—as well as skills with word processing, hypertext, LCDs, Web cams, digital streaming podcasts, smartboards, and social networking software—central to individual and community success.

Ugh. the report clearly was not written by those involved in the world of 21st century literacies. The language is outdated, key pieces are missing, and my personal bias, no...kids and teachers don’t need to use smartboards. The myth that they’re used as anything more than a projection tool in the real world of business is one the IWB companies are thrilled educators have bought into.

Wanting to give the NCTE the benefit of the doubt, I thought perhaps their 2009 policy brief Writing Outside of School may have touched on some of this. Nope. Okay, there’s some dabbling in the authentic use of online tools but the digital immigrant accent shines through loud and clear with examples that don’t make a lot of sense for instance: Two middle schoolers keep and share online journals in which they write reviews of music and films. Really? They keep online journals to write reviews of music and film. This is not how middle schoolers review music and film, and for the record, they don’t say “film.” Just not seeing that as the medium for this activity. Post comments and rate music and videos on YouTube is more in alignment with what students are doing. Another suggests: A teenager joins a group of his peers at 826 Valencia and reads his poem aloud. How about he posts his poem online to an authentic audience who rates, comments, and provides feedback becoming part of the student’s personal learning network where he connects with others with similar passions.

Looking at what I consider the big five, PLNs, social media, authentic publishing, eReading, and establishing a digital footprint, the NCTE gives little focus or attention to what is arguably some of the most important types of communicating our students need to learn to do. Here’s my suggested reading for the NCTE.

Crucial reading to develop the big five of 21st century literacy
PLNs, social media, authentic publishing, eReading, digital footprint development.

To help educators support students in authentic publishing read:

To help the paper-trained become digital readers read:

To help educators harness the power of social media read:

To help educators learn to harness the power of a personal learning network read:

To help educators support students in developing their digital footprint and 21st century voice read:

So what’s this mean for innovative educators? It means look at your council. Do they look like your students? Are they interacting in their worlds? Are they bringing students into the conversation? Do they exist in online worlds? If the answer is no, they probably aren’t preparing you or your students for the world outside the classroom. But don’t worry, if you want it, you and your students can develop a PLN that will be there for you.

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The Innovative Educator