Our kids are growing up in public. They create lasting records of their lives whenever they post something online. In a world where anything can be copied, pasted, altered and distributed in the blink of an eye to a vast invisible audience, kids must understand that they hold the key to what kind of reputation they create for themselves.
As teachers we can help students understand the consequences of their actions and prepare them for the fact that what they post now can be pulled up at their first job interview. We have to help them think long term about posting pictures that will inevitably come back haunt then. Here are a few “rules of the road” that will help our kids as they grow up in public:
1. Guard your privacy. You control what people know about you.
2. Protect your reputation. What you post today may affect your future
3. Nothing is private online. Anything you say or do can be copied, pasted, and sent to people all over the world without your permission.
4. Assume everyone is watching. Posting online gives you a huge, vast audience.
5. Apply the Golden Rule. If you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to someone else.
6. Don’t let the computer world take over your real world. Monitor the amount of time you spend infront of the computer.
7. Choose wisely. Not all content is appropriate.
8. Be an hones, trustworthy, and responsible human being online and off.
9. Think about what you see. Just because it’s online doesn’t make it true.
10. Be smart, be safe. Not everyone is who they say they are.
Helpful videos and links to share with students: