Task 2: Responsible use of the web

Thinking about how you present yourself,
about what you put online, and controlling your online presence

Issues may include: Online presence, use of language (no flaming), trust, credibility, etc.
Technology Toolbox for Educators >> Webs

Online presence

When you interact in a digital environment you leave behind a data trail of interactions referred to as a digital footprint. In social media a digital footprint can refer to the size of a person's "online presence" measured by the number of individuals with whom they interact (Wikipedia, 2013).

Google yourself challenge - What information is already out there on the web about you?

 

I discovered there are a lot of Jenni Parker's out there on the web as my search found 5,390,000 results! I decided to refine my search to my onscreen username: jennip98, this reduced the results to 24,000. I glanced through the first few pages and recognised most of my online footprints. However, there were a few I didn't recognise. One was a student blog post that mentioned me in regards to a lecture I gave and another was a blog post that had included one of the photos from my Flickr photoset. I was pleased that the author had credited my photo and included a link back to the original source.

Image: BYOD 2013 by jennip98 CC-BY-2.0


Netiquette

There are many examples of rules of netiquette available on the Internet, however, it is important to ensure the rules are appropriate for the intended age group. Murdoch university's Tips for teaching online include the following netiquette rules which would also be suitable for secondary school students:

 

Please follow rules of "netiquette" – what is appropriate to say publicly online:

  • be polite
  • do not use CAPITALS – this is considered to be shouting
  • write briefly and to the point
  • if you want to continue discussion of a topic ensure you reply to a message in the thread instead of starting a new thread
  • remember that all postings can be read by all students and staff with access to this online unit.

They also recommend teachers include the following link: Core Rules of Netiquette - http://www.albion.com/netiquette/

Non-dicriminative language

The language you use helps express your personality and build your online presence. However, it can also have an effect on other people. When writing on the web you should use open and inclusive language.

Flaming

Flaming is the "act of posting deliberately hostile messages on the Internet(Wikipedia, 2013). Stop and think before you post anything in anger - you may regret it later!