Considering Digital Footprints
This has been a busy week in English IV. Throughout the week, students have been reading and reflecting on Stephanie Buck‘s article “12 Things Students Should Never do on Social Media.” Here were some of their thoughts on the importance of your digital footprint and how this information can be used to improve their use of social networking tools…
Chelsea says, “Based on the blog post “12 Things Students Should Never Do On Social Media” I can improve my digital footprint by using actual & realiable information, citing where I found my information, being professional, and not trash talking anyone or using inappropriate language. I can promote my blog thruough Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, etc, but it must be up to date, professional, and realiable. Post pictures, videos, etc to make it more appealing.”
Timmy says, In the article, “12 Things Students Should Never Do On Social Media” by author Stephanie Buck, I’ve learned about the safety of posting on the internet and social networks. I’ve found that you should never post anything that’s unethical to your blog, such as, bullying, profanity, plagiarizing, or anything that’s inappropiate. I also found that I should cite my sources like the videos I have posted so that I may give the credit that’s due to the publisher of the video. This can help my blog by showing that I am responsible by citing my sources and being mature in what I post.”
Anthony says, “Based on the article I can improve my digital fooprint by thinking of everything I do as public. Whatever I put on the internet can follow me anywhere. I need to be responsible with what I post on my blog. There are many ways to show responsibility and not post innapropriate material.”
Tia says, “I can improve my digital footprint by being more cautious of what I put on the internet. If I post inappropriate things on the internet, then that can follow me for the rest of my life. If I am responsible with what I post, then I won’t have any problems when it comes to my blog.”
Miya says, “Based on the article, I can improve my digital footprint by making sure that everything I post online isn’t harmful to myself , my reputation, or others around me. Whenever I’m posting on my blog, I need to be cautious of how it will look. I need to be a responsible person when posting anything online.”
Based on these and other responses, my students understand the importance of what they post on their blogs, and hopefully, these skills will begin to take effect in their personal social networking endeavors as well.
Interview Appointments
In addition to thinking about digital footprints and the reputation we build online, students had to set up interviews with experts in their service learning areas this week. While some students are interviewing the experts who are overseeing their community service, others are broadening their research perspective and interviewing other experts in the field. Students have made contact with the City of North Myrtle Beach concerning trash pickup and recycling, Anderson Oaks regarding the elderly, the Horry County Solid Waste Authority in respect to recycling, a local psychologist and teacher to determine the impact of mentoring on children, and one student hopes to interview a local newscaster who has done research on homelessness in our area. Their final interviews must be completed by next Friday and be added to their service learning blogs. These interviews will be included as one of their sources in their upcoming problem solution paper.
To continue following their work with service learning, Check out student blogs at “Warning: Websites Under Construction.”
Renaissance Monarch Project
As part of our study of British Literature, students spent the week learning more about the monarchs of the Renaissance Period and reading primary sources like Elizabeth I’s Speech to Her Troops. We also compared the Queen’s speech to William Wallace’s speech in Braveheart and practiced deep reading with text dependent questions and the SOAPSTone strategy. To continue practicing research and presentation skills, students worked in small groups to collect research about the monarchs of the period and had creative control over the presentation process. While some students used standard PowerPoints to communicate the information they learned to their classmates, others used the free version of the PuppetPals app and Prezi. Here are a couple of examples:
Tecia and Tyler’s Prezi on James I
Ayeshah and Isabelle’s Wix website
Mrs. Atkinson English Teacher 