Protect Yourself from Internet Fraud: Security Measures

At the Digital Citizenship Summit held at the University of Saint Joseph October 4, 2015, Sarah Thomas, a technology integrationist from the Washington DC area, did a session on tips for protecting oneself in age of online fraud and hacks. Several people have asked about her session, and I had the opportunity, with her permission, to video the presentation with the Periscope app and then uploaded it to YouTube. Given the video was done while livestreaming, it will show the presentation as it unfolded without editing.


Happy to share with others. The video is of nearly the whole session, so it is long, but you can fast forward and rewind as you like.

Any comments about Sarah's presentation are welcomed.

Digital Citizenship Resources Offered in a ThingLink

In a previous post, I addressed the ways in which ThingLink can be used as a teaching tool.

A Versatile Tool to Use in the Classroom: ThingLink


Recently, I came across a ThingLink with professional resources about teaching digital citizenship. The ThingLink is based on resources provided by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)via the work of Mark Ribble.

The ThingLink was created by the sponsors of the Coaching Digital Leadership MOOC offered by

The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation 

 North Carolina State University . 

To use the resources accessible from the Thinglink, hover with your cursor (mouse) to find the hotspots in each category, and click. Some hotspots will be text boxes and some will offer links to online resources. 


Was the ThingLink useful to you? Did you discover new resources that you might use, or discover ones you are already using?

With Digital Citizenship coming up this week, October 19-25, also though it a good idea to share a resource from Common Sense Media: Digital Citizenship Week.

The Power of Social Media and When to Back Off

Social media is a both a godsend and a distraction. The other day, I read on Mashable about the photo that went viral when someone took a picture of the plane that crashed into the Hudson River shortly after leaving from a NY airport. Perhaps you remember that day, and if you do, it is probably attributable to the media and perhaps this iconic photo, which I feel free to post given it has already been all over the Internet and is merely a screen capture from the Mashable article. I also offer a screen capture of the tweet from the person who took the photo. But most of all, direct you to the story on Mashable which touts Twitter and social media, but also concludes by urging us to also sometimes get off of social media and talk to one another face-to-face. The post also reminds us to protect ourselves online and that anything we post online is public.

Read the article here: "I Took the Iconic 'Miracle of the Hudson' Photo."

http://on.mash.to/1dzuOis

http://on.mash.to/1dzuOis

If you took the time to read the Mashable article on social media, I would love to hear what you have to say. Post a reply. 

Your Digital Footprint Walks with You

This video, Digital Dossier, has circulated for a while, and I often show it in class, encouraging the teachers in my graduate classes to use it with students, if appropriate, and to consider their own digital footprint.



What's your reaction to the video? Would you share it with students? Does the video make you reconsider what you share online?

Powerful Video on the Effects of Bullying

Not only is this an ingenius digital story, but it also carries a powerful message.

A colleague, Susan Spellman Cann, who is a school counselor and registered psychologist, recommends that all teachers and school counselors should view this video and share it.

The creator, poet Shane Koyczan, garners 4,400 YouTube subscribers, and his video has 350,000 hits. (Maybe, you've seen it already.)



Do you think teachers should view and discuss this story? What's your reaction?

Our Digital Dossier: The World We Live In

• What does it mean to grow up today in a world where much of one's life is captured digitally? 
• Watch this video of a hypothetical person, Andy, from embryo onwards. 
• What thoughts does the video leave you with?