Using My Online Identity to Support My Offline Teacher Identity
ORMS Module 5
This module of the Online Research and Media Skills course has gotten me to think more deeply about my online identity. The reasons for curating this identity, and the steps and tools to do so (presented in the slide show) were very helpful. I appreciate the practical ideas, such as having a central portal for my online identity on a site that is independent of my school. In the past, I have had a class web page that I shared with the teachers on my team. Now I will consider creating my own website that I can link to my blog, class page, grade-level sites and more. Another idea that resonated with me was that teachers should develop an online identity that is consistent with the identity students and colleagues see in school. I have resisted participating in social networking sites such as Facebook because I never felt the need to share personal information online and had concerns about privacy. When I view these sites for the purpose of developing the identity that my students see in school, I can see how they can be valuable. I also am looking forward to putting more and more of my teaching content online as I get more practice with screencasting.
Pernille Tranberg’s Tedx talk was an eye-opener for me. I agree with her that the way in which people share personal information online today is much like the way pollution was ignored in the 1950s since few understood the damage it could do. It seems obvious now that every employer will investigate a candidate’s digital footprint, yet schools seem to be ignoring the need to teach students how to create a positive footprint. How can we prepare students for college and career readiness without helping them curate their online brand? Raising my awareness on how to curate my online identity will help me to model this process for my students.
cc image by thearling.com