Presentation: Explaining How a Digital Footprint Lasts

Slide 1 of 7 · Settling starter · IT · Year 9

4 minutes

Why does the internet never forget?

A Year 7 tutor group has asked Year 9 to explain why “the internet never forgets”. Today you read 3 case files, work out how each person’s footprint was made and who saw it, then write the explanation.

While the register is called: write your name, class and date on your worksheet, then read Case A (Rhian) on the stimulus sheet.

Starter question: Rhian deleted her post years ago. How did the café manager still find it?

DCF: Citizenship → Identity, image and reputation No computers needed · nobody searches for anyone online today

Slide 2 of 7 · Today’s brief and key words · IT · Year 9

2 minutes

Your brief: explain it to Year 7 with clear, linked sentences

You will analyse the 3 case files, practise joining sentences with connectives, then write an explanation of 150 to 200 words called Why the internet never forgets, and what you can do about it.

Active footprint

What you choose to share: posts, photos, comments, likes, reviews.

Passive footprint

Collected without you posting anything: search history, location data, cookies, the pages you visit.

Connective

A word that links two ideas, such as because, although, unless or whereas.

Comma splice

Two full sentences joined only by a comma. It is an error, and you will fix one today.

LNF: Literacy → Writing → Connectives and syntax Your explanation is marked on its connectives and sentence structures

Slide 3 of 7 · Steps 1 and 2: active or passive, then the case files · IT · Year 9

15 minutes

Step 1 & Step 2: sort the footprint, then analyse the 3 cases

Step 1 (5 min): write A (active: you chose to share it) or P (passive: collected about you) next to each of the 10 items.

Step 2 (10 min): fill in the table for Rhian, Dylan and Ffion. The first row is on the board as a model.

Case	What was in the footprint?	Who saw it, and how?	Effect	Next step
A: Rhian	A public post from age 13 about skipping lessons and insulting teachers	A café manager, by searching her name; the screenshot was on a public page	Embarrassing interview; made her look unreliable	Ask the page owner to remove it, search her name regularly, build positive posts that appear higher

Steps 1 and 2 on your worksheet · 15 minutes Trace each case from what was shared to who found it and how

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “5 minutes for Step 1: A or P next to each of the 10 items. A like or a username counts as active, because you chose it. Then 10 minutes for Step 2. Rhian’s row is on the board. Fill in Dylan and Ffion the same way, from what was shared to who saw it and how.”

Quick check, Step 1: active 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10; passive 2, 4, 7, 9.

Quick check, Step 2: Dylan: school uniform, school gates, location tag, one username on two accounts; seen by a stranger from a game who linked the username to the public account; a safety risk, the stranger knows his name, school and town; make the account private, remove the tag and photo, change his gaming username, tell a trusted adult. Ffion: a blog about Duke of Edinburgh’s Award walks and volunteering with no private details; seen by a college tutor who read the public blog; positive, it showed her interests and commitment; keep checking settings and keep friends’ photos off it unless they agree.

Slide 4 of 7 · Step 3: building better sentences · IT · Year 9

10 minutes

Step 3: join each pair into 1 sentence, then fix the comma splice

Use the connective given in brackets. You may change or remove a few words, and you must punctuate correctly. For (e), rewrite the comma splice correctly in 2 different ways.

Job	Connectives from the bank
Cause and effect	because, since, as a result, therefore, so, which means that, this leads to
Contrast	although, even though, however, whereas, but, on the other hand

Model (a): Although Rhian deleted the post, a classmate had already screenshotted it.

When the subordinate clause comes first, it is followed by a comma.

Step 3 on your worksheet · 10 minutes The full connective bank is on your worksheet

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “10 minutes for Step 3. Sentence (a) is done on the board: the connective although starts the sentence, and there is a comma after the first clause. Do (b), (c) and (d) the same way with the connective in brackets. For (e), the sentence about Dylan is a comma splice. Rewrite it correctly in 2 different ways.”

Quick check: (b) A stranger linked Dylan’s accounts together because he used the same username on both. (c) Unless you check your privacy settings, strangers can see more than you think. (d) Ffion’s blog shows her skills, whereas Rhian’s old post showed a poor attitude. (e) Dylan’s account was public. Anyone could see the photo of his school. and Because Dylan’s account was public, anyone could see the photo of his school. Accept any correct fix: a full stop, a semicolon, or a connective.

Slide 5 of 7 · Step 4: write the explanation · IT · Year 9

20 minutes

Step 4: Why the internet never forgets, and what you can do about it

Write 150 to 200 words for Year 7, alone and in silence. Use all 3 case files. You must:

explain the difference between an active and a passive footprint;
explain why deleting a post does not delete it everywhere;
give at least 3 pieces of advice, including how to build a positive footprint;
use at least 6 different connectives from at least 3 rows of the bank, and underline them;
start at least 2 sentences with a subordinate clause, such as “Although ..., ...” or “If ..., ...”;
mix short sentences for impact with longer, linked sentences.

Model opening: “Your digital footprint is everything about you online. Some of it is active, such as posts and likes, whereas the passive part, like your search history, is collected without you noticing.”

Step 4 on your worksheet · 20 minutes, in silence Underline every connective as you write it

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Step 4 is 20 minutes, alone and in silence. Write 150 to 200 words under the title on your worksheet. Use Rhian, Dylan and Ffion. Underline every connective you use. A model opening is on the board; do not copy it, write your own.”

Walk the room: look for at least 6 different underlined connectives from at least 3 rows of the bank, and at least 2 sentences beginning with a subordinate clause. The model explanation in the worked example is 164 words with 10 connectives (such as, whereas, although, but, so, however, which means that, if, before, also). Good advice includes: search your name before anyone else does, set accounts to private, use different usernames, think about how a post will look in 5 years, and build a positive footprint like Ffion’s blog.

Slide 6 of 7 · Step 5: self and partner check · IT · Year 9

2 minutes

Step 5: count, check and improve 1 sentence

Count your underlined connectives, the rows of the bank you used, and your sentences starting with a subordinate clause. Then copy your weakest sentence and rewrite it so it links 2 ideas more clearly.

I can tell the difference between an active and a passive digital footprint.
I can explain why online content lasts after it is deleted and how accounts can be linked.
I can give practical advice for protecting and building a positive online reputation.
I can use a range of connectives to show cause, contrast, condition and sequence.
I can vary my sentence structures, including starting with a subordinate clause, and avoid comma splices.

Step 5 on your worksheet · 2 minutes Finished early? Do the tasks under “If you finish early”

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Fill in the 3 counts at the top of Step 5. You need at least 6 connectives, 3 rows and 2 subordinate openings. Tick the success criteria you have met, then copy your weakest sentence and improve it. For example, the model pupil changed ‘Dylan put his school on the internet and a stranger saw it’ to ‘Because Dylan tagged his school and used the same username for gaming, a stranger he had never met could work out where he lived.’”

Extension answers: Checklist for Rhian, 3 questions such as: Would I be happy for a teacher or an employer to see this in 5 years? Is there anything here that shows where I live or go to school? Would the people in it be happy for it to be shared? Advice for Dylan: If you play online, use a username that has nothing to do with your real name or school. If a player asks where you live or go to school, do not answer, and tell a trusted adult.

Slide 7 of 7 · Plenary review · IT · Year 9

2 minutes

Quick-check answers before handing in

Check your main answers before your worksheets are collected.

Question	Correct answer
Which 4 items in Step 1 are passive?	2, 4, 7 and 9: location, search history, a cookie, and an app recording what you watch.
Why did deleting her post not protect Rhian?	Deleting removes only your copy. A classmate’s screenshot was reshared on a public page.
How did a stranger work out Dylan’s school and town?	He used the same username on 2 accounts, and his public account showed his uniform, the school gates and a location tag.

Check your name and class are on your worksheet Leave stimulus sheets neat on the desk