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Building a digital legacy is an issue I believe doesn't garner enough attention in our personal and professional lives. In fact, some of the heaviest users of online tools and social media, are our young students, who are growing up as a generation of visual learners and visual attention seekers. This is in fact the Facebook and YouTube generation, and the reality is that many teens are unconcerned about the dangers of sharing personal information online.

A highly respected education advocate, Kevin Honeycutt, once asked me if any of us from our generation (GenX and before), had ever made a mistake in puberty. He then asked if our mistakes are "Googleable."

The reality is that our mistakes from puberty are not "Googleable". But our students' mistakes are. "They're on the record you see, " Kevin continued, "so if they're gonna do it (live online) anyway, I think it behooves us as educators to help our students shape and build a positive legacy."

With that in mind, I have developed some important facts and opinions that our students should be completely aware of as they live in their digital world, creating digital footprints along the way.

10 Things Your Students Should Know About Their Digital Footprints

College admissions and employers do read your online profiles and they do make decisions based upon information they find out about you online. In fact, college's will make decisions based upon many forms of questionable involvement. Scott Cornwell, College and Career Adviser at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Missouri said, "I had a case where a parent sent an email to a college suggesting they look at the Facebook page of a student who was applying to the same school as her daughter. The Facebook page showed the other student at a party with alcohol. The mother's goal was to get rid of some of the competition her daughter would have at this selective school. In the end, both the student at the party and the daughter of the mother were rejected (the first in part because of the Facebook page, the second because the college was concerned about dealing with such a manipulative mother for four years).

As illustrated in the example above, educators and parents do see, read, and hear about your online escapades, even though you go to great lengths to hide them from us. There have been many times I wish I hadn't stumbled upon a student Twitter or Facebook post, but I have. These experiences, which included foul language,cyberbullying, and basic immaturity, have only reinforced to me that digital citizenship needs to be taught in our schools as early as possible.

3.) Educate yourself on the basics. What does Digital Citizenship mean to you? What should it mean? These are important lessons that students can research on their own. However, wouldn't it be fantastic to offer some of this education in our schools as well?

Create a profile that says simple, non-specific details about yourself, but that is still identifiably you. Ultimately, we are all personally responsible for our digital reputation, but many of our students, and quite frankly many adults, don't know how to accomplish this important task.

5.) Create separate accounts so you can consistently remain positive in public online spaces. If you have already developed a full identity online, you don't necessarily need to " scrub it clean", but it would make sense to create a professional identity, and limit the amount of personal information you share publicly. Increase your privacy settings on all of your personal information, and publicly share all the wonderful things you are contributing to the world.

Learn from others. Find teenagers, professionals, or reputation resources who are doing things the right way and model your online presence in a similar manner. Read the surveys that have been conducted and make informative decisions on what personal material is appropriate to share publicly, and what is not.

Keep private information private. Have you heard the saying the " Internet is forever?" You may think you can easily hit delete, and what you sent goes away. But it truly doesn't. Be aware and learn why the Internet is permanent.

The Golden Rule. Never has this rule applied more than to how you speak to others online. What are you truly accomplishing by saying things behind the veil of a computer screen, that you would never say to someone in person? Treat others as you would like to be treated. Simply put, if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Remember, you can't truly delete when you SEND.

9.) Don't be afraid to make a mistake, but be mindful that being careless, too open, too trusting, and realize spending too much time on the Internet, has real consequences.

Build your own positive image and brand yourself in a great way. I created a wonderful lesson for my class by asking them who they are as people, not as students. I then asked them to create a short video to show me who they are. It was a great success and I learned a lot about my students in a very positive way.

I hope you will find this information helpful. I would love to hear your feedback in the comments section.

Good luck!

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10 Things Your Students Should Know About Their Digital Footprints

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Building a digital legacy is an issue I believe doesn't garner enough attention in our personal and professional lives. In fact, some of the heaviest users of online tools and social media, are our young students, who are growing up as a generation of visual learners and visual attention seekers.

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Educators Guide to Handling Cyberbullying

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Educators Guide to Handling Cyberbullying

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Tech Resources

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All Grade Levels!

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Common Sense Media improves the lives of kids and families by providing independent reviews, age ratings, & other information about all types of media.

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Tips For Parents (Printable)

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The Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum

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The Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum

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Free iBook also Teacher's Guide

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We are thrilled to announce the release of our entire Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum as a set of eight interactive, multimedia iBooks Textbooks, available in the iBooks Store. As schools implement 1-to-1 programs, increasing student access to technology at school and at home, it's more important than ever to teach digital citizenship skills.

Now, our groundbreaking curriculum, used by more than 70,000 schools worldwide, is available for easy access by teachers and students using iPad devices.

The Teacher Editions include lesson plans with activities, videos, and interactive assessments, as well as teaching tips, videos of lessons in action, background information about the topics, and resources to share with parents.

The Student Workbooks include engaging lesson activities, thought-provoking videos, and interactive assessments. After students have completed an assignment within the student workbook, they can submit it electronically to the teacher.

Find all the titles at itunes.com/commonsensemedia, watch the video, or click on individual titles below to learn more.

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We are thrilled to announce the release of our entire Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum as a set of eight interactive, multimedia iBooks Textbooks, available in the iBooks Store. As schools implement 1-to-1 programs, increasing student access to technology at school and at home, it's more important than ever to teach digital citizenship skills.

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A guide to websites, toolkits and other resources for understanding, preventing and combating bullying

According to the American Psychological Association, "Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions."

Physical bullying can involve bodily injury or damaging possessions, verbal bullying can involve saying or writing hurtful things, and social bullying can involve harming someone's reputation or relationships. The root of it all lies in an imbalance of power, whether real or perceived, between the bully and the victim. Bullying is an increasing public health issue in the United States. With the advancement of technology, bullies can now hide behind a screen to do harm in the form of cyberbullying. Many reports have stated that social workers do not feel like they are equipped with the right tools or knowledge to handle this kind of bullying.

Bullying prevention is a community responsibility. To combat it requires proper intervention and a collective effort. As a school of social work, we believe education is one of the most important tools to eliminate bullying, and we have put together this resource guide to allow anyone and everyone to have access to vital information. This guide contains links to websites, toolkits and other resources meant to assist you in understanding, preventing and combating bullying. There are also separate categories specific to certain groups to meet different needs. So whether you are a student, educator, parent or other community member, you can take action to prevent bullying and harassment by fostering a culture of caring and respect in your school, home and community. Use the resources below to support your efforts.

Bullying Prevention in Schools

Because children spend so much time in school, they are more likely to be bullied there than anywhere else. Nearly one in five students in an average classroom experiences bullying in some way. Victims may even skip school for fear of being attacked. It is an issue that can have a negative impact on students both physically and emotionally, ultimately affecting their ability to learn. The best way to address bullying is to stop it before it starts. Here are some great resources that can help you create a safe environment in schools and prevent bullying whether you are a student, parent, community leader or educator.

"Bullying ... Change Your School Community," STOMP Out Bullying
"Prevention at School," StopBullying.gov
"5 Key School Bullying Prevention Strategies," School Bullying Prevention
"Pennsylvania Bullying Prevention Toolkit," Highmark Foundation
" School Bullying Outbreak," by USC Rossier Online Doctor of Education.

Bullying Prevention Tools for Parents

Parents play a very important role in preventing and responding to bullying. If you suspect that your child is involved in bullying, whether as a bully, victim or a bystander, the next steps in addressing the situation are crucial. Here are some resources that will guide you through steps such as helping your child know what to do and how to bring up the issue with the school.

"A Parent's Guide to Role-Playing Bullying Reports," Committee for Children
"Face Bullying with Confidence: 8 Kidpower Skills We Can Use Right Away," Kidpower
"Telling Classmates About Your Child's Disability May Foster Acceptance," PACER Center
"Bullying : What's a Parent to Do?" Toolkit from the National Center for Learning Disabilities
"A Parent's Guide to LGBT and Homophobic Bullying," NOBullying.com

Bullying Prevention in the LGBT Community

Students in the LGBT community are at a higher risk for bullying than any other students. In 2011, a national survey from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), found that more than eight in 10 LGBT teens reported that they had been verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation. LGBT bullying is different because there may be a lack of support from their families, friends and schools. There are other unique and important aspects to consider when addressing bullying of LGBT youth, so here are some resources to start.

Bullying Prevention in Communities with People with Disabilities or Special Needs

According to researchers, children with special needs often have a lower social standing among the other students in the classroom, which may lead to them becoming the targets of bullying. Those with special needs or disabilities may already experience a difficult time dealing with the day-to-day challenges of life, and being involved in any sort of bullying does not make their experience any easier. Special considerations are needed when addressing bullying among those with disabilities or special needs. Learn about them here and use these resources for help.

Bullying Prevention in the Workplace

Bullying happens in schools, but it can carry on well into adulthood, including the workplace. As adults, we don't label aggressive bullying behavior as bullying and tend to downplay the seriousness of it. It often goes unreported. Workplace bullying should not and cannot be ignored because it can impact the health of those involved and their ability to do their job, which can ultimately affect their livelihood. Here are some resources that may help.

Bullying Prevention in Nursing Homes and Other Older Adult Communities

Bullying can also happen in places like nursing homes, senior centers and other older adult communities. The AARP reports that between 10 and 20 percent of older adults living in senior living communities are mistreated by their peers, and often the behavior goes unreported. Use these great resources to learn about the signs of bullying in senior communities and how you can prevent and report the issue.

Without a doubt, bullying is a big public health issue. As you go through the resource list and categories, you may see that bullying can happen anywhere, anytime and at any age. In order to change that reality, everyone has a role and can make an impact because it's a community responsibility to prevent and address bullying. You can start fostering a safe, bully-free environment in your community using our Guide to Bullying Prevention In The Classroom, to be published this November.

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According to the American Psychological Association, "Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions."

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Is Someone bothering you?

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Step-by-step~How to Stop it!

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Parents, school staff, and other adults can help prevent bullying.

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Suspect bullying? Determine the facts to decide how to proceed.

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Game Based Learning that's Fun!

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Digital Passport by Common Sense Media | Digital Passport

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The interactive, fun, and effective way to teach and test the basics of digital citizenship to 3rd-5th grade

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Do you know a school that needs Take Action Reporting?

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All kids involved in bullying-whether they are bullied, bully others, or see bullying-can be affected. It is important to support all kids involved to make sure the bullying doesn't continue and effects can be minimized.

Support Kids Who are Bullied

Listen and focus on the child. Learn what's been going on and show you want to help.
Assure the child that bullying is not their fault.
Know that kids who are bullied may struggle with talking about it. Consider referring them to a school counselor, psychologist, or other mental health service.

Give advice about what to do. This may involve role-playing and thinking through how the child might react if the bullying occurs again.

Work together to resolve the situation and protect the bullied child. The child, parents, and school or organization may all have valuable input. It may help to:

Ask the child being bullied what can be done to make him or her feel safe. Remember that changes to routine should be minimized. He or she is not at fault and should not be singled out. For example, consider rearranging classroom or bus seating plans for everyone. If bigger moves are necessary, such as switching classrooms or bus routes, the child who is bullied should not be forced to change.

Develop a game plan. Maintain open communication between schools, organizations, and parents. Discuss the steps that are taken and the limitations around what can be done based on policies and laws. Remember, the law does not allow school personnel to discuss discipline, consequences, or services given to other children.

Be persistent. Bullying may not end overnight. Commit to making it stop and consistently support the bullied child.
Avoid these mistakes:

Never tell the child to ignore the bullying.

Do not blame the child for being bullied. Even if he or she provoked the bullying, no one deserves to be bullied.

Do not tell the child to physically fight back against the kid who is bullying. It could get the child hurt, suspended, or expelled.

Parents should resist the urge to contact the other parents involved. It may make matters worse. School or other officials can act as mediators between parents.

Follow-up. Show a commitment to making bullying stop. Because bullying is behavior that repeats or has the potential to be repeated, it takes consistent effort to ensure that it stops.

Address Bullying Behavior

Parents, school staff, and organizations all have a role to play.

Make sure the child knows what the problem behavior is. Young people who bully must learn their behavior is wrong and harms others.

Show kids that bullying is taken seriously. Calmly tell the child that bullying will not be tolerated. Model respectful behavior when addressing the problem.

Work with the child to understand some of the reasons he or she bullied. For example:

Sometimes children bully to fit in. These kids can benefit from participating in positive activities. Involvement in sports and clubs can enable them to take leadership roles and make friends without feeling the need to bully.

Other times kids act out because something else-issues at home, abuse, stress-is going on in their lives. They also may have been bullied. These kids may be in need of additional support, such as mental health services .

Use consequences to teach. Consequences that involve learning or building empathy can help prevent future bullying. School staff should remember to follow the guidelines in their student code of conduct and other policies in developing consequences and assigning discipline. For example, the child who bullied can:

Lead a class discussion about how to be a good friend.

Write a story about the effects of bullying or benefits of teamwork.

Role-play a scenario or make a presentation about the importance of respecting others, the negative effects of gossip, or how to cooperate.

Do a project about civil rights and bullying.

Read a book about bullying.

Make posters for the school about cyberbullying and being smart online.

Involve the kid who bullied in making amends or repairing the situation. The goal is to help them see how their actions affect others. For example, the child can:

Write a letter apologizing to the student who was bullied.

Do a good deed for the person who was bullied or for others in your community.

Clean up, repair, or pay for any property they damaged.

Avoid strategies that don't work or have negative consequences.

Zero tolerance or "three strikes, you're out" strategies don't work. Suspending or expelling students who bully does not reduce bullying behavior. Students and teachers may be less likely to report and address bullying if suspension or expulsion is the consequence.

Conflict resolution and peer mediation don't work for bullying. Bullying is not a conflict between people of equal power who share equal blame. Facing those who have bullied may further upset kids who have been bullied.

Group treatment for students who bully doesn't work. Group members tend to reinforce bullying behavior in each other.

Follow-up. After the bullying issue is resolved, continue finding ways to help the child who bullied to understand how what they do affects other people. For example, praise acts of kindness or talk about what it means to be a good friend.

Support Bystanders Who Witness Bullying

Even if kids are not bullied or bullying others they can be affected by bullying. Many times, when they see bullying, they may not know what to do to stop it. They may not feel safe stepping in in the moment, but there are many other steps they can take.

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All kids involved in bullying-whether they are bullied, bully others, or see bullying-can be affected. It is important to support all kids involved to make sure the bullying doesn't continue and effects can be minimized. Listen and focus on the child. Learn what's been going on and show you want to help.

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Simple steps to stop bullying on the spot and help keep kids safe.

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What can I do?

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Simple steps to stop bullying on the spot and help keep kids safe.

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Fun, educational website

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Click on the poster to open videos

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TOUCH this image to discover its story. Image tagging powered by ThingLink

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Using technology safely

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The new media landscape is changing very quickly. Both the number of new tools and the ways digital technologies are becoming part our lives are growing at an incredible pace. Many of us feel like we can't keep up.

Thinking of our children exploring on their own in this complex digital world certainly gives us adults our share of anxiety.

And anxieties about things like online predators, cyberbullying, corporate marketing or sexting are not unfounded. But we also know we can't prevent our kids from taking part-unless we want to put them at a severe disadvantage going forward.

So how can we arm our kids with the tools and ethical base to navigate this new world? How can we foster good digital citizens?

Instead of a fear-based approach, research by scholars such as Howard Gardner and others offer a broader lens with which to see the opportunities, and the risks, of digital life now and in the future.

Gardner, a professor of psychology and education at Harvard University, and his colleagues at the GoodPlay project, part of Project Zero, are studying the ethical decisions young people make online. They find kids, but teens in particular, don't always think before they act. When interacting online, young people think most often of the immediate, individual effects of their actions and much less often about the larger community.

The role of adult mentors, Gardner says, is therefore to help teens reflect on the ethical implications of their online activities, to ask questions like "how do you present yourself online, and what are the ramifications of that action?" Adults, in other words, should help teens examine questions of privacy, ownership, credibility, and community.

A report by the federal Online Safety and Technology Working Group ( pdf), released last year, came to a similar conclusion. Authors of this report say the best thing educators and parents can do to keep kids safe online is to shift from a fear-based approach and focus on building media literacy and promoting digital citizenship.

"[W]e need to go beyond worrying about predators and pornography," task force member Larry Magid, co-director of ConnectSafely.org, writes in a blog post, "and start thinking about young people as active participants - true citizens - in an increasingly interactive online environment where young people are just as likely to create content as they are to consume it."

Some educators are leading the way. Patrick Woessner, a middle school instructional technology coordinator in Saint Louis, has documented his adventures in teaching digital citizenship on his blog, "Technology in the Middle."

"It's important for adolescents to develop good habits early so they are accustomed to being cautious when interacting in wide open networks," Woessner writes.

As part of a 7th grade course on media literacy, Woessner's students practice creating an online profile in their school's protected social network, and they also practice effective search strategies, learn how to evaluate the information they find online, and explore the intricacies of copyright and fair use. Woessner also emphasizes that students do understand a lot about how to interact in a digital environment and work best when they are allowed to explore their own interests and passions.

And in Wilmington, North Carolina, school librarian Jennifer LaGarde says she's working with her students and staff to move beyond conversations about protecting students from the evils of social media and into conversations with about how to help kids "develop a safe and responsible online presence."

LaGarde says instead of restricting access, adults need to be asking the hard questions that will help get kids to begin to think critically on their own. She writes: "what happens when a teacher is not there to keep a child from visiting a 'bad' site?" Or "what happens when students are asked to submit personal information for an online profile, but they've never been taught how?"

But for many other educators (you know who you are), creating your own closed social network or even leading a discussion with students about how to find legitimate sources of information online can seem totally overwhelming.

So we're here to help.

At Common Sense Media, we've put those suggestions to work in a comprehensive and flexible resource for use in all kinds of classrooms. Based on the research from Gardner's GoodPlay project, our Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum is designed to help teachers empower their students to navigate the digital world as a good digital citizen. See for example this lesson on Taking Perspectives on Cyberbullying or this one on My Online Code. Resources are free and available for grades k-12. Begin looking here.

And do get in touch. You'll be hearing from us more regularly on this blog in the weeks to come and we love to hear from educators about what's working and what's not.
Photo by Rachel Wente-Chaney.

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The new media landscape is changing very quickly. Both the number of new tools and the ways digital technologies are becoming part our lives are growing at an incredible pace. Many of us feel like we can't keep up. Thinking of our children exploring on their own in this complex digital world certainly gives us adults our share of anxiety.

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Video for Elementary Students