Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) · 1st Year

Active learning ideas

My Digital Footprint

As 1st year students increase their online activity, understanding their digital footprint becomes essential. Every post, like, and search contributes to a permanent record that can influence their future reputation and opportunities. This topic, aligned with the 'Responsible' indicator, encourages students to think critically about what they share and who can see it.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA SPHE Specification Strand 2: Making Healthy Choices (2.4)
• Junior Cycle Wellbeing Indicator: Responsible

• 15–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Digital Detective

Groups are given a 'profile' of a fictional character based on their social media posts. They must 'hire' or 'reject' them for a dream job based on the digital footprint, explaining their reasoning to the class.

What information makes up my digital footprint?

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Privacy Setting Scavenger Hunt

Screenshots of various app privacy settings are posted around the room. Students move in pairs to find specific settings, like 'who can see my story' or 'location sharing,' and discuss why they are important.

How can my online posts affect my future?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The 10-Year Test

Students look at a series of potential posts. In pairs, they discuss: 'Would I be happy for my future boss or my granny to see this in 10 years?' This helps them internalize the long-term impact of their actions.

How can I protect my privacy online?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• If I delete a post or a photo, it's gone forever.

  Students often rely on 'delete' or disappearing message features. Through the 'Digital Detective' activity, they learn about screenshots and server backups, realizing that once something is online, you lose control of it.

• My privacy settings mean only my friends can see my stuff.

  Many students don't account for friends sharing their content. Peer discussions help them realize that their footprint is also shaped by what *others* post about them.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share