Many people think of Twitter as a place where we update each other on the latest thing we have had for breakfast or getting the latest on what Kim Kardashian is up to. Twitter is much more than this. It is place where we can follow some very influential people and improve ourselves. I am an avid user of Twitter and social media. I blog regularly and tweet about educational issues, books, and our school. I use Twitter specifically for developing myself as a professional, and connecting with other educators.

Another reason why I use social media is to model the appropriate use of platforms like Facebook and Twitter to young people. Many of us and our children are leaving digital footprints online that may never go away. Teaching digital citizenship to our children is very important. So why not teach our children how to leave a positive footprint behind that doesn’t come back to bite them in the future. In the future our resume will be our digital footprint.

Things to think about:

Google yourself. What does your current digital footprint look like?

Reflect on what you post on Facebook. Are you modeling appropriate use to your children?

Do you monitor your child’s use of social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)?

Are you friends on Facebook or do you follow your child on Twitter?

You can follow me on Twitter @mdmcneff and my blog at www.mikemcneff.blogspot.com.

(Submitted by Mike McNeff, superintendent of Rugby Public Schools)