Digital Footprint: Is it Relevant?

I believe the students that I get to teach are very privileged to grow up in the district I teach in. For instance, when the pandemic hit, our district offered any student that did not have a device to check out to use for the purpose of virtual school, offered hotspots and boosters to any family that may need it, and worked with internet providers to offer free Wi-Fi during the pandemic to assist with ensuring students had all means available to receive their education. After May, when the devices were to be returned and it was decided that we would offer a virtual option in the fall, our district replaced and bought additional devices to ensure we could provide our students with access to technology. However, I am very aware that is not the case in all countries, cities, or even districts. In the current time of living and trying to educate during a pandemic it is imperative that our students have access to a device that has the software to support all the applications and websites we use. Without this access, students would miss out on crucial lessons, resources, and information provided to promote their education. We would begin to see more gaps than we already do in all core areas. Some of the more serious threats about having access virtually any time is that our society is consumed by technology. If you go to a movie-people are on their phones, if you are at dinner-people are on their phones, even at weddings and events that are intimate- our world is consumed by technology, it is addictive. However, on the flip side, we also have access to information anytime, we can work from home, take conference calls or classes from anywhere, the freedom is one of the biggest positives that technology can offer. That is why it needs to be a top priority to educate our younger generation on the value and importance of digital citizenship and digital footprints.