Smart Footprint

Cybersmart learners create a positive digital footprint and think about how they advertise themselves online

Being cybersmart empowers our young people to become confident decision makers when they share and interact online and helps create a positive digital footprint.

Whenever and wherever we share online it's personal, visible and amplified. 

It is personal because we are sharing information about ourselves.  Creating a positive digital footprint means learning to make smart decisions about what personal information we share and what personal information we keep private.  If we are not sure we check with a trusted adult or keep it private.

Smart Footprint and Blogging

Blogging enables our young people to connect with an authentic audience and provides a rich and engaging platform to learn to create a positive digital footprint.  Making connections and sharing via a blog enables learners to begin engaging with creating a Smart Footprint, whether they are blogging individually or currently sharing via their class blog.

The recommendations and resources are intended to support teachers to identify and design cybersmart learning that:

Start by identifying opportunities for learners to explore blogs. These can be class or individual blogs. Consider the  recommendations and teacher notes to prepare and support learning conversations. 

The following links include teacher notes and suggested follow up activities that you are welcome to copy and repurpose in response to your learners.  

2. Explore Blog Profiles and the content bloggers are sharing

Next steps will be determined by whether your learners are new to Chromebooks, new to edublogs or learners with 1+ years of blogging.  

Take some time to explore Cybersmart Blogging, a helpful overview of blogging to help gauge where to start with your learners.

Learners preparing to share on their blog for the first time create their blog profile so they have content ready to share for their First Post.

This option is useful if you have a range of writing abilities in your class. It enables you to create and share an updated profile in one session. 

Please contact our facilitator if you would like support with this process. 

Learners posting to their blog for the first time. We recommend learners with new blogs create a blog profile and have it ready to share along with a profile picture prior to publishing their first post.

Then regularly share DLOs they have created and saved in their Google Drive, to practise and familiarise themselves with creating a blog post.

Learners who have been blogging for 1+ years and are preparing to update their blog profile.

Learners who have been blogging for 1+ years. Review and update their profile for the new year

New Bloggers: Guides and screencasts to create a blog post. Includes identifying the elements of a quality blog post.

Step It Up: Activities revisiting the elements of a quality blog post and exploring  recommendations to boost your blog posts. 


3. Connecting learners with further opportunities to explore their digital footprint. Designed to be repurposed in response to your learners. Consider how you might make connections within existing programmes of learning.

For learners new to blogging and sharing publicly.

How big is my Digital Footprint?   Learners record where they have been online in the past 24 hours. 

Can be repurposed for learners at any stage 

When others view the content we are sharing online they make inferences or an informed guess about us based on the content we are sharing.

For learners who have a 1:1 device and are sharing regularly on their blog. 

This lesson is designed to build on previous lessons that have connected learners with Smart Footprint and how we share online contributes to creating a smart footprint.  

Can be repurposed for learners at any stage 

Learners use WeVideo or screencast a Google Slide deck to create a record of their Digital Life.

Learning Intention: develop an understanding of internet permeance

Can be repurposed for learners at any stage. Includes examples for Year 5-6 and Year 7-8.

What kind of personal information do you want linked to your name in ten or even twenty years time?

Google has partnered with the educators at Pear Deck to create custom, interactive presentations and vocabulary flashcards to accompany the Be Internet Awesome curriculum.

We recommend previewing lessons and considering how best to use with your learners. Because lessons are created using Google Slides they can be copied and repurposed in response to your learners. Copies can also be used independently of the Pear Deck app.