Digital Footprint & Identity
Overview
Every action students take online – whether posting on social media, sharing photos, or browsing websites – leaves a digital footprint. More than ever, in today’s connected world these digital trails have real consequences. Tech companies collect this data, and both people and algorithms analyze it. Added to this, a student’s online identity is now a key part of their overall identity, influencing how they are perceived by others, both online and offline.
Our Digital Footprint & Identity lessons help students navigate the complex relationship between who they are offline and how they present themselves online. Students learn how their digital identity is shaped by the content they share and how they interact in digital spaces. Through age-appropriate, engaging activities, students explore how to express themselves authentically, protect their privacy, and understand the long-term impact of their digital actions. These lessons build essential digital citizenship skills, helping students make smart, intentional choices about their digital footprints.
Our Instructional Approach
Identity Development, Self-Expression, and Digital Footprints
Our curriculum approaches digital footprint and identity through three interconnected areas:
- Identity Development: Students explore the relationship between their offline and online selves, looking at how they can promote healthy self-expression in digital spaces. These lessons help students recognize how identity forms in digital contexts, and how to be true to their authentic selves while navigating social pressures and online platforms.
- Self-Expression: Students learn to make thoughtful choices about how they express themselves online, considering both the opportunities and risks that come with presenting themselves online. These lessons account for the various ways that young people express themselves online – from avatars and profiles to posts and comments – while helping them develop key skills to express themselves in ways that align with their values.
- Digital Footprints: Students build an awareness about the lasting nature of online information and how their digital trails can affect their future. These lessons help students understand what aspects of their digital footprints they can control (and which ones they can't). They'll also learn to make responsible choices that respect both their own digital footprints as well as the digital footprints of others.
Building Digital Agency and Responsibility
Rather than focusing solely on risk prevention, our curriculum emphasizes student empowerment and agency. We help students develop the awareness and skills they need to make intentional choices about their digital identities while recognizing the broader social context in which those choices occur.
Our lessons prompt students to reflect on real-world scenarios, identify key decision points, and consider potential consequences for themselves and others. This approach acknowledges that healthy digital citizenship isn't just about protecting oneself – it's about developing a sense of responsibility toward the broader digital community.
Grade-by-Grade Progression
Each grade level addresses all three dimensions of digital footprint and identity through developmentally appropriate lessons:
- Grades K-2: Young learners begin exploring digital identity by engaging with our Digital Citizens characters, and particularly our "Feet" character, who helps them understand the tracks they leave online. Students learn basic concepts about digital footprints and develop foundational awareness of how their online actions leave traces that others can see.
- Grades 3-5: Older elementary students explore more complex concepts like the "Digital Identity Iceberg," which can help them distinguish between visible and hidden aspects of online identity. They learn about their "Rings of Responsibility" in digital spaces, develop strategies for managing what others can see about them online, and begin to critically examine online influences and stereotypes.
- Grades 6-8: Middle school students tackle more sophisticated topics like invisible audiences, digital identity protection, and the social dynamics of online self-presentation. They analyze how digital platforms influence identity expression, develop strategies for responding when the actions of others affect their digital footprint, and explore the relationship between authenticity and audience awareness online.
