For years I have been operating under the assumption that social media is bad for you. As an educator, I have been plagued with warnings to watch about watching what I say and do on the internet. Remember, parents can find you online and they will complain. Make sure your accounts are squeaky clean, or better yet avoid having them. I took all of this to heart.
Then one day I decided that I wanted to pursue a degree in instructional design and learning technologies. Even then, I did not consider social media as a tool that I would be required to use. After all, I had a good old fashioned paper resume that I kept updated. I had a dusty abandoned Linkedin account that I hadn't logged into for years. To my dismay my learning technology program required me to *gasp* use technology. They weren't talking about creating cute powerpoints or posting assignments on canvas. They wanted me to do stuff, on the internet (How dare they?)
I am coming to the realization that an online presence is a necessity in today's society. Avoiding the internet and all its moving parts is not an option for anyone who wants to move forward in a professional environment. This week's reading on creating an intentional web presence asserts that the lack of an online presence is viewed as detrimental by potential employers. Instead of avoiding the internet, I have to learn to cultivate a positive online presence. Potential employers want to see that I are interacting with my peers and colleagues. They want to see examples of my work. They want to be able to determine if they should give me a chance. My way of thinking has shifted. I am now embracing the idea of using the internet to enhance my craft. It is my hope that I can pass this newfound knowledge on to my students.
Isn't it crazy! I used to make sure all my account were private and even then I always watched what I posted. I was this way since starting my social media accounts. In college I was in a sorority and you had to make sure you had clean social medias. Even being of legal drinking age, I made sure to never have a picture with a drink in my hand. As I graduated and started the workforce I felt I had to make sure my Instagram was private and to never have any students follow my accounts. Now I'm on twitter for my program, I see so many personal accounts tweeting about school related happenings. Yes, you do want to have an online presence and interact with peers and colleagues, which I am still finding so odd!
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy. I am toying with the idea of starting a social media venue specifically for my students next year. I talked to our tech guy today to see if I was breaking any rules and he said no, but be careful. It just goes to show how difficult it is to change the attitudes of some people. I do wonder how parents will react to the idea, I know I will make it optional and I feel like it will be a success. I was thinking of starting with Twitter or Tiktok. What do you think?
DeleteAlso do you remember being scared that parents would see you buying alcohol in public?
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