Good morning! Today, we’re diving into a lesson called “College Bound,” which is perfect for our class. Over the past four years, we’ve been gearing up for college. I’m Linda Bort, your AVID 12 elective teacher at Kuma High School. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, and it’s all about preparing students like you for college.
Let’s brainstorm some of the things you’ve done to get ready for college. Have you been prepping for the SAT? Taking AP classes? Participating in sports? You’ve covered most of the bases, but there’s one thing we haven’t mentioned yet: managing your digital footprint. Did that cross your mind?
Many students today feel invincible online, thinking their social media posts are fleeting. However, it’s crucial to consider the long-term effects of your online presence. So, what exactly is a digital footprint? It’s all the information about you that can be found online, anything associated with your name.
Take a moment to imagine what you want your digital footprint to look like. If someone googled your name, what would you want them to see? Who would like to share their vision for the future?
For example, Oscar shared, “Oscar Foresta, park ranger for any national park and Michigan State Alumni wrestler.” This highlights colleges, careers, and contributions to society—exactly what you’d want people to see in your future headlines.
Now, let’s switch roles. Imagine you’re college admissions officers evaluating two high school seniors, Marcus and Tommy. Their grades and achievements are similar, so it’s up to you to decide who gets accepted based on their profiles.
After reviewing their profiles, our group chose Marcus because he seemed more passionate and vocal about his interests. Meanwhile, Alexis’s group picked Tommy for starting a nonprofit and showing entrepreneurial spirit from a young age.
Is there a right or wrong choice? Not really. This exercise shows how your online presence can influence college admissions. What you post online can have lasting effects, even if you delete it. It offers a glimpse into your personality beyond academics.
The most intriguing part of this lesson was realizing how social media can impact college admissions. While grades and SAT scores are important, your online presence also plays a role. This made me reflect on my own digital footprint. I plan to be more mindful and positive in my online posts moving forward.
Are we ready to tackle college together? Absolutely! Let’s make sure our digital footprints reflect the best versions of ourselves as we embark on this exciting journey.
Conduct a personal digital footprint audit. Search your name online and take note of what information is publicly available. Reflect on whether this aligns with the image you want to present to college admissions officers. Write a short paragraph about your findings and any changes you plan to make.
In groups, role-play as college admissions officers. Review fictional profiles of students, focusing on their digital footprints. Discuss and decide which student to admit based on their online presence. Present your decision and reasoning to the class.
Design a mock-up of an ideal online profile that you would want college admissions officers to see. Include elements like achievements, interests, and positive contributions. Share your profile with the class and explain your choices.
Reflect on your current social media use. Write a journal entry about how your posts might be perceived by college admissions officers. Consider how you can adjust your online behavior to better reflect your goals and values.
Participate in a workshop where you learn strategies to manage and improve your digital footprint. Discuss topics like privacy settings, content curation, and professional networking. Share one new strategy you plan to implement.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
[Music]
Good morning! Today’s lesson is called “College Bound,” which is perfect for our class because, as an AVID 12 elective class, that’s what we’ve been doing for the last four years: preparing you for college. My name is Linda Bort, and I’m an AVID 12 elective teacher at Kuma High School. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It’s a class of students that are college-bound, focusing on ensuring that they are college-ready.
Let’s start by brainstorming some of the things you’ve done over the last four years to get ready for college. What are some of the things you guys have done?
– SAT prep?
– Perfect!
– Taking AP classes?
– Sports?
You’ve mentioned most of the things I have listed here, but I noticed that nobody mentioned that we’ve spent time managing our digital footprint. Did that even cross your mind?
The challenges that this generation of students seems to face are that they often think they’re invincible. They believe that the things they put on the internet or on their social media sites are just contained to that moment in time. I think they haven’t quite considered the long-term consequences or effects of their online presence.
First of all, what is a digital footprint? It is all the information about a person that can be found online. It’s anything that is online that has your name associated with you.
What I want you to do right now is to create two results of what you would want your digital footprint to look like. If we googled your name, what would you want it to say? Who would like to share who they want to be now or in five years?
– Oscar: “Oscar Foresta, park ranger for any national park and Michigan State Alumni wrestler.”
I heard colleges, careers, and contributions to society. Those are the things we would want people to see in our headlines down the road in five years.
Now, for our activity, you are going to be college admissions officers. There are two high school seniors, Marcus and Tommy, who have applied. Their grades and accolades are similar, so as admissions officers, it’s your job to read about them and decide who will be accepted.
I feel like this article focuses more on Tommy than this one. This one catches your eye; anyone can see Tommy, but only Marcus’s friends can see his.
Make sure you’re ready to discuss in the Socratic seminar, which we will move to now. Just a reminder that in this seminar, we listen to everybody. We don’t interrupt, and you do not cut somebody off. You’ll have an opportunity to respond, but we let them finish their statement first.
Our group, after much discussion, decided to let Marcus in because we thought he was more passionate about what he does and lets his voice be heard.
– Alexis: “My group chose Tommy because he started his own nonprofit organization. What really got us was that when he was little, he was selling lemonade with fruit chunks at the neighborhood art fair. I feel like he was thinking about others.”
Is there a wrong answer or right answer? No.
So how does that apply to you applying to college and your online information? Whatever you say sometimes can’t be taken back. You can delete it, but it will still be out there, and people can still see it. It matters what we have on the internet; it shows a deeper perspective of our personality outside of school.
I think the most interesting part of the lesson was choosing who would go to college. We spend a lot of time trying to get those grades right and the SAT scores, but we never really think about how one thing on your social media can affect your chances of getting into the place you want to go.
I found it interesting because both people in our situation weren’t bad people, but they didn’t necessarily have standout qualities. It made me think that while I don’t have anything bad out there, I also don’t have anything that stands out. After today’s lesson, I’m going to try to be a more positive poster and find things to post about.
Are we a team? Are we going to college? Every single one of us? That’s right!
[Music]
Critical – Involving careful judgment or evaluation, especially in the context of analyzing complex issues or arguments. – In social studies, developing a critical perspective allows students to evaluate historical events from multiple viewpoints.
Thinking – The process of using one’s mind to consider or reason about something, often involving problem-solving and decision-making. – Effective thinking skills are essential for students to analyze social issues and propose viable solutions.
Social – Relating to society or its organization, often involving interactions between individuals or groups. – Understanding social dynamics is crucial for students studying the impact of cultural changes on communities.
Media – The various means of communication, such as television, radio, newspapers, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely. – Analyzing media sources critically helps students discern bias and understand different perspectives on social issues.
Digital – Involving or relating to the use of computer technology, especially the internet, for communication and information sharing. – Digital literacy is an important skill for students to navigate and evaluate online information effectively.
Footprint – The impact or impression left by a person or entity, often used in the context of one’s online presence or environmental impact. – Students should be aware of their digital footprint and how it can affect their future opportunities.
College – An institution of higher education offering undergraduate programs, often a critical step in a student’s educational journey. – Preparing for college involves not only academic readiness but also understanding the social and cultural aspects of campus life.
Admissions – The process of applying and being accepted into an educational institution, often involving evaluation of academic and personal achievements. – College admissions committees look for students who demonstrate critical thinking and a commitment to social responsibility.
Presence – The state or fact of existing or being present in a place or situation, often referring to one’s influence or impact in a particular context. – A strong online presence can enhance a student’s opportunities for networking and career advancement.
Students – Individuals who are enrolled in an educational institution for the purpose of learning and acquiring knowledge. – High school students are encouraged to engage in critical thinking to better understand social studies topics and prepare for future challenges.
