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**
