As I begin my online profile, I can't help but stop and think. Who am I? Who do I want others to see me as? Will this page affect my current or future employment? How much do I want the world to know about me? I just couldn't help but have so many questions. Most of these I questions were ones I could answer for myself. I know that I want people to see my aspirations for education. I want people to see that I am a real person, with feelings, family, and a life in the real world. I want people to read my profile and think "She sounds like an interesting person," or "She is a regular person like me with ideals, skills, hopes, and dreams." I want people to see that I am a professional and that I have worked hard to figure out what I believe.
So here I go, I am writing my online profile. I choose to only put what state I live in and not include any other personal information. I do not want people I don't know to have this information because not only does it scare me (what they might do with it) but the information I give out does affects my whole family, not just me. I include my education information because this is my professional profile and my education is part of my profession. I want everyone to know about my accomplishments and qualifications in education. I add a little bit about what I like to teach, my favorite subjects, or subjects I am the most intrigued by. I also include a few of my favorite things to do/things I enjoy outside of school. I am a real person with real interests, and I want people to know it. I share my favorite food, because I love it so much and because it makes me a little easier to relate to. I am a real person, not just a profile page.
It is here that I think, where should I stop? How much information is too much for an online profile? I definitely do not want to give the world my life story. I decide to make my profile short and sweet. Who wants to read 10 paragraphs about some person they don't know and will probably never meet. I know everyone does not have all day to read about me. I want them to see my profile and not be overwhelmed. After I write all I want to write, I add a few of my favorite links. Teachers should always share information, and these links are some that I find quite helpful, especially for teaching.
My online identity is finally growing. I have completed my profile page. I hope I remember to update it as needed. I hope others find it helpful. The process was a little difficult, but well worth it. I can add to my profile page as I have new accomplishments, ideas, research, etc. Now my students and their parents can look me up and find out a little bit about me. My employers can do the same, and I can be proud of what they find. I am coming around to the idea of online identities. I like that a little bit of me is out there for the world to see and that little bit comes straight from the source, me.
Please feel free to find a little piece of me at my Google Profile.
**The photos used in this blog posting were taken by Laura Girard**
Which people do you want to perceive you as a "real person?" Those you know from your face-to-face life? Folks who come across your blog or profile on the internet with no other connection to you?
ReplyDeleteI would like everyone to perceive me as a real person, whether it be someone from the internet or someone I know in my face-to-face life. I think when people see information about a person, they may easily get an unrealistic idea in their head about what that person is like in real life, what their passions are, what they like to do for fun, etc. I certainly do not want everything to be on a personal level, but I think it is important for people to realize that we are not online robots. We are real people who have real families and live in the real world. I want people to see me as a person like them. I am learning and growing just like everyone else.
ReplyDelete