Tracking

"Kids are spending more and more of their time in digital spaces that they don't have even a basic understanding of what they are, where they tilted, what are they for. The problem, as I see it, is what are companies doing to our kids through technology, and how can they and we be made more aware?" - Douglas Rushkoff from Generation Like

While the advancement of technology allows for new opportunities for teaching & learning, connecting and sharing; the reality is we haven't quite spent enough time discussing the potential repercussions of posting and sharing without thinking.

The old adage of think before you speak circles through my head but with slightly different wording: think before you click.

Certainly, many of our students require greater knowledge and awareness of how their unfiltered online activity can be used against them. While internet safety is a broad topic, today I will answering the following question:

What steps can you take to make sure you have control of your online information? Why is it important to lock privacy settings and set strong passwords?

• Avoid creating usernames/avatars that make it easy to track you down.

• Be mindful about posting photos that may reveal more information than intended (e.g. your city, place of residence, school, or current location)

• Ensure your privacy settings are only set to let your friends see what you share.

• Create passwords that are unique and do not share them with anybody. Set passwords that contain a combination of numbers, letters and symbols.

• Change your passwords periodically.

• When picking security questions, make sure you are the only one who knows the answers.

Here are some more great suggestions from the Harvard Gazette

Question

In the past, I have used Generation Like with my students to teach them about Big Data and how their online activity inadvertently changes the way they view and interact with the digital world at their fingertips. While I have had great success with this PBS documentary, I am wondering how you have approached teaching online safety without sounding preachy. How do you teach your students online safety?

Works Cited

Imagine Easy Solutions, director. What Are Tracking Cookies? YouTube, Imagine Easy Solutions, 7 Aug. 2014, What Are Tracking Cookies?

Koughan, Frank and Douglas Rushkoff. “Generation Like.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 2014, www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/generation-like/.

Mineo, Liz. “When It Comes to Internet Privacy, Be Very Afraid, Analyst Suggests.” Harvard Gazette, Harvard Gazette, 21 Mar. 2019,

news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/08/when-it-comes-to-internet-privacy-be- very-afraid-analyst-suggests/.

Slutsky, Mark. Buller, Daniel & Tucker, Chris. Social Smarts: Privacy, the Internet and You. Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 2017.