This week we had a lot of discussion about Digital Identity and Digital Dualism. I had never heard of these terms, although I had a pretty good idea of what they meant. For those who may not know, let me assist you..
Digital Identity is who you are online. What you post, the terms you search, the sites you visit, all of these things make up your digital identity.
Digital Dualism is the conflicting identities of who you are online and who you are in real life.
It wasn't until I was finished my first degree and into my Bachelor of Education that I realized how significant one's Digital Identity can be. It can truly make or break one's career. I had never given it much thought, that is, what I posted online. (Let me take this opportunity to say that I do not suddenly regret my past online contributions!) I have always been quite cautious about the security and privacy of all of my online services. However, this seems to be irrelevant with the advances and loop-holes in today's technology. It's a scary thought that if someone really wants to get information about you, or anything you've put online, it's pretty easy.
As EVERY Education student has done in the past year or two, I scanned through all of my social media profiles. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. I made sure there was nothing that could potentially be manipulated to have any negative effect on me, if the situation were to arise. It was calming to know that I didn't really delete much, it was more or less a sweep of photos I didn't want online anymore (ex-friends, ex-boyfriends, all that fun stuff..). As much as I felt confident clicking the mouse and watching the posts and photos disappear from the screen, it's quickly replaced by a feeling of unease knowing that you have no control of where those pictures ended up online. Although deleted, they could be in the hands of motivated strangers.
As teachers, we all understand that our personal lives are soon to be gone and we will forever be known by the public as teachers. Students, parents, grandparents, etc. will all know us as teachers. The perfect, smart, talented and creative citizens that are in control of the education of the future... No pressure though! As much as we know that our trips to Walmart will soon include many "Hi Ms. Korman"s, it's a tough reality we are going to face. We cannot screw up, all eyes are on our every move. Kids are so tech-savvy today that they virtually have access to everything.
After giving my fellow teachers an anxiety attack, I will turn to the positives of the situation! Our profession could not put us in a better situation to be great role models for students. We can teach students how to use onlines services in a safe and effective manner. We can teach them the dangers of the online world. We can show them what is appropriate and inappropriate to post online. We can embrace technology and our digital identity, turning it into a fantastic learning opportunity for students.
My hopes are to show students that online isn't everything. Yes, it is a huge part of our life BUT it does not need to be our entire life. We do not need to vent about a fight with our best friend on Facebook for everyone to see. We do not need to post mean or rude comments about another person to make us feel better. We can use technology as a tool, not as a crutch.
Good thoughts Drew. It is intimidating how powerful technology can be and how open you are when you are online. I like your views on turning Digital Identity into a learning experience. It i such a simple conversation that can save so much trouble whether it be cyber-bullying or the do's and don'ts of what to post online.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend I decided to go on my Facebook account and actually took a look at my friends list. You know when you are sixteen and everyone you meet immediately gets added to Facebook? That must have been what happened because I no longer knew at least half of my so called friends! Therefore, I came up with a fool proof plan to clean up my friends list. Anyone remaining had to meet two sets of criteria. First: I had to have talked to them, or to someone in their family about them in the last year. Second: It had to be someone who would recognize me and say hi if they saw me on the street. I have decided that Facebook will be used purely to keep in contact with friends from now on.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I loved the way you worded the comment about deleting photos that "could potentially be manipulated to have any negative effect on me". That's such a great way of putting it, because even though it may be an innocent photo, someone can take it and change it to create their own spin on it! Something we need to remember!
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, I was at Walmart this morning and ran into a "teacher situation"! Super funny that you just wrote about that. Just another friendly reminder that we need to always have our teacher act on, and be cautious of our lifestyle because you never know who is watching!
Great post, Drew!
Drew you really got me thinking. I think it is kind of 'sad' that it takes us so long to go through our Facebook to see if there is anything on there that could be negatively manipulated. We need to get more teachers telling their students to regularly go through their face books account. A large majority of employers google potential staff to see what may come up. If we want to allow our students to be successful, maybe this is something we should starting telling are students.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this - It's a breath of fresh air to finally hear someone preach something other than a "just don't get caught" approach to being a teacher. There are too many prospective teachers who think it's not fair that they be judged for what they do on their own time. If that's the case then pick a different job. Like it or not as a teacher you are a role model. I think that we need more teachers who are focused on teaching their students to be good citizens.
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