Digital Thumbprint

Lockdown incursion: Digital Thumbprint for VCAL students

Dom Phelan from the Digital Thumbprint program has been a visitor to our school for a few years.  He presents and engages our students in workshops that teach them to be safe, responsible and positive online. This year’s workshop was very different. Dom’s presentation was via a video conferencing platform, something that was new for all of us! Nevertheless, the program was just as relevant. The presentation was divided into four parts:

• How secure is your password
• The influence of your digital profile on future employment
• The importance of finding balance between offline and online activity
• How to discern what content is appropriate to share online

The first part of the workshop focused on passwords. Passwords are a way of life for most of us in the digital world.  Dom outlined the rules for creating a strong password:

• Use an unusual combination that you can remember ( e.g. dialogue from your favourite movie)
• The longer the password the better
• Use a mixture of symbols, numbers, upper and lower case letters
• Test the strength of your password on the website: https://howsecureismypassword.net/

The afternoon sessions focused on online identity. Students were encouraged to always think before posting or sharing personal information online. Nowadays everyone can google, including employers, checking social media channels to screen potential new employees and their suitability for a job. We learnt employers will check for information that supports qualifications, information other people are posting about the candidate, and for reasons not to hire the potential employee. 

The key reasons that turn potential employers off are:

• Provocative photos
• Discriminating photos
• Subjective comedy
• Unprofessional screen names
• Bad-mouthing their previous company/or fellow employees

Students were also encouraged to refrain from having “rants” on social media. They were reminded that digital history “catches up to you”. Don finished the presentation by encouraging us to create a life of balance.

Our school has proudly joined the Digital Thumbprint program in its commitment to ensure our students are savvy, responsible and proactive members of Australia’s online community.  Overall, the program proved to be a highly beneficial experience for students and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. 

Ms Vicki Handris

VCAL Co ordinator