10 Steps to Keeping a Professional Digital Footprint

Digital footprints are real, and as professionals we must know how to maintain a professional yet authentic footprint online. Every post, picture and Tweet we create is available for the world to see. If we abide by the following ten tips, digital footprints will no longer be something feared but a positive and professional mark on history.

1. Display professional pictures online (Koekemoer, 2012). 
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram profile pictures should represent a professional presence. Photographs taken in a professional setting or an appropriate picture from the shoulders up is preferred. Make sure your profile picture looks authentic and other users are able to identify you based on your profile picture.

2. Get a Twitter account and use a professional account name (Taub, 2012). 
First and last names make it easier for networking purposes. If that account name is already being used, first initial and last name works as well. Do not use nicknames, suggestive names, or letters with multiple numbers. It is seen as unprofessional.

3. Don't spam on Twitter (Young, 2012). 
Followers are less likely to continue following a user that posts spam Tweets. Post professional Tweets to continue engaging active followers. In order to keep a strong following on Twitter, users want to see positive retweets or shares.

4. Follow people and subjects relevant to your line of work (Taub, 2012). 
Followers can see who you follow. Make sure the people you are following are professionals and you are able to grow as a professional by following them. Using social media as a professional has the advantage of professional development. Following the appropriate people is important not only to your digital footprint, but also to your professional growth.

5. Use appropriate language in all social media postings (Digital Media in the Classroom, n.d.). 
Even if you have a personal page on Facebook or Twitter, your name is still attached to these accounts. Make sure the language you use is appropriate for all users to read. Employers tend to shy away from people who use suggestive language or profanity in their posts. There is a time and place for everything, social media is one to be cautious of.

6. Be authentic, but professional (Koekemoer, 2012). 
The information, opinions and ideas you put online are yours to own. Make sure before you post anything is it authentic to who you are as a person and a professional. While being authentic, ensure that you're also being professional. While many followers may agree with your political or religious views, some may not. Again, there is a time and place for everything. Social media is not always the best place to express your opinions.

7. Share information (Tweets, Facebook, etc) that casts you as a positive professional (Riley, 2013). 
Retweets and Facebook shares are visible to your followers. Whatever you post will be a reflection of who you are as a professional. Make sure it paints a positive and professional picture.

8. Keep personal and private information private (Digital Media in the Classroom, n.d.). 
Posting your personal address, phone number or photos of your home should be kept private. While followers are interested in you, they are more interested in what you bring to the table as a professional than what your home may look like.

9. Build a professional website with a specific domain name (Lowenthal & Dunlap, 2012). 
This allows people to see your professional history, drives traffic to a professional location and is always there even if your professional position changes.

10. Regularly update your website (Lowenthal & Dunlap, 2012). 
This coincides with strategy #9 and making sure that all information is relevant. If your professional duties and responsibilities change, it is up to you to ensure your website is updated. If employers are researching you for a possible job opportunity, you want to make sure all of your information is up to date.

Resources

Digital Media in the Classroom. 10 Things your Students Should Know About Their Digital Footprint. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/10-things-your-students-should-know-about-their-digital-footprints.

Koekemoer, Anton. (2012). Your digital footprint in a social media world [SlideShare]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/AntonRSA/your-digital-footprint-in-a-social-media-world?ref=http://edtech.mrooms.org/mod/page/view.php?id=92503.

Lowenthal, P & Dunlap, J. (2012). International Web Presence: 10 SEO Strategies Every Academic Needs to Know. Retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2012/6/intentional-web-presence-10-seo-strategies-every-academic-needs-to-know.

Riley, L. (2013, December 26). How to Clean Up Your Digital Footprint and Your Online Identity. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/cleaning-your-digital-footprint/.

Taub, A. (2012, June 7). 5 Key Things Needed to Improve Your Digital Identity. Forbes, Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/alextaub/2012/06/07/5-key-things-needed-to-improve-your-digital-identity/#1cabc3f614ef.

Young, C. (2012, August 30). 19 Twitter Tips for Newbies (or Helpful Reminders for Not-So-Newbies). MOMeo Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.momeomagazine.com/19-twitter-tips-for-newbies-or-helpful-reminders-for-not-so-newbies/.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/colmjude/8764251098

Your Digital Footprint

Digital footprints are now our mark on time. And whether we like how we look at that point in history it's there and it's not going anywhere. Digital footprints can be a positive trail with inspiring pictures, networking opportunities and a way for others to contact you for personal reasons. However, digital footprints also record the negatives. Pictures from a party years ago that you would rather your boss not see, message board posts that contain profanity and inappropriate emojis or Facebook tags from an old significant other that is not happy with how things ended. It's important that everyone know and understand what their digital footprint looks like and how to control what others can see.

When interviewing for a job, many employers will look you up on the Internet and essentially analyze your digital footprint. They will see Facebook profiles, LinkedIn profiles, Twitter and Instagram handles, along with pictures available on the Internet for everyone to see. Not all employers expect to see a crystal clean representation of you on the Internet, but if they don't like what they see, don't expect to get a 2nd interview. Employers want someone they can trust and rely on. Usually an employee doing shots on a bar in Mexico is not who they want on their team. When putting things on social media like Facebook or Instagram it's important to think about the whole world seeing it at one point or another. If you're not comfortable with that, then leave it off the Internet!

I began to actively search my digital footprint and noticed something interesting. I married my husband in October of 2015 so my new name of Courtney Calhoun hasn't quite hit the mainstream Internet yet. My Facebook profiles are active to view (privately since my settings are pretty tight) but there are no Google images of myself or my family. When I searched my madien name Courtney LaRue I found a ton of hits. My Twitter page, a wedding page, Instagram page, multiple Google Images taken from my Facebook profile and my LinkedIn profile. As I wandered through my digital footprint, I was pleased to see that my image is positive and I feel pretty comfortable with what's out there. I don't love that my stepdaughters photographs are on Google Images because of my Facebook page, but I use Facebook so their grandparents can keep up with their activities. So for now it will work, maybe using a different setting will tighten up that sharing.

All in all, I think digital footprints are what you put into your name. If you choose to showcase yourself in a positive light with appropriate images and postings you'll have nothing to worry about. If you need to clean up your social media and think twice about posting that picture, now's the time to start!

Twitter and Hashtags

I am new to Twitter, and to be honest I have not fallen in love... yet! During Module 3 we were to find at least 5 hashtags to follow and add to our TweetDeck. I chose: #targetteachers #edtech #parents #edchat and #stem. I have followed @targetteachers on Instagram for about a year now and I LOVE the ideas they post with stuff you can purchase at Target and use in the classroom. I decided to follow #edtech because with my Master's degree in Educational Technology, I thought this would be a good relevant trend to follow. When searching through some example hashtags I came across #parents and thought it would be a good idea as a step-parent and an educator to follow this trend for ideas relating to parents my two step-daughters and the connection between parents and educators. #Edchat came across my Twitter feed a while ago and I've found great articles posted with this trend. And last but not least I began following #stem because I am loving the creativity students and my kids at home are able to foster using STEM activities.

• #targetteachers posted a great idea in using $15 cushions from Target in their classroom as flexible seating! 
• This post on Instagram using #targetteachers gave me the idea to use Legos when talking about fractions. https://www.instagram.com/p/BET-3juN47K/ LOVE!
• This idea from #targetteachers would be perfect for field trips next Spring! https://twitter.com/target_teachers/status/716661882925424641/photo/1
• This is a great visual to start thinking about the summer as we teachers reflect on last year, and get ready for next year. https://twitter.com/Alex_Corbitt/status/742140610799403008/photo/1 #edtech
• Great post by David Geurin. http://www.davidgeurin.com/2016/06/7-ways-technology-can-transform.html #edtech
• Great way to save some extra cash at the end of the school year! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1st7G6BTLaIuoI4yiliHpRK9HmHqSdAnV2J-KMNHxHVA/edit#slide=id.g14e9bbad65_0_0 #edtech
• I'm always on the lookout for articles encouraging kids to eat healthy. http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/healthy-eating/help-kids-cope-with-food-peer-pressure?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Leadify #parents
• Important article for parents and teachers to consider with children and stress. http://www.pbs.org/parents/expert-tips-advice/2015/11/sharpen-your-childs-stress-relieving-skills/#.V17dBI9Vrw8.twitter #parents
• All about those incentives, as a parent and a teacher! http://www.babble.com/parenting/kids-lives-game-discipline-better-behaved/ #parents
• Minecraft.. all kids love it, most adults don't know how to play it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcmAAvbskAk #edchat
• As a fellow introvert I loved this article! https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/02/19/strategies-to-ensure-introverted-students-feel-valued-at-school/ #edchat
• I teach at a Title One school and this is SO important! https://twitter.com/WeAreTeachers/status/740992621284233216/photo/1 #edchat
• This gives me the idea of contacting BUGS here in Idaho to come and talk about growing gardens. https://twitter.com/AstellasFDN/status/742458692126265344/photo/1 #stem
• Great ideas of using children's literature to teach harder concepts. http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/06/04/474715791/green-eggs-ham-and-metaphysics-teaching-hard-ideas-with-childrens-books?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social #stem
• So excited to get my hands on a GoldieBlox! http://www.niecyisms.com/2016/06/build-it-break-it-make-it-stem-it-with.html #stem

Using Twitter is becoming easier for me and I am starting to see the opportunities arise in each post. I can find quick examples of projects, or great ideas to use in my classroom. I think using Twitter as professional development could be helpful as long as the users bought into the idea. I think young and open minded teachers would be very excited to have their professional development at their finger tips 24/7. Others like the separation of work and home. I would be excited to use Twitter and other social media outlets as professional development. 

My Creative Expression

I decided to create a Google Slide presentation to showcase my understanding of CoP, Connectivism and PLN. When I was reading through the resources provided, along with the resources shared on Diigo I began to think of these three relating to each other within a school. The Communities of Practice is like a school faculty working toward the same goals, but being able to support each other and lend ideas. The faculty is working towards the goal of overall student achievement. I then related connectivism to students working together during a science experiment. They are communicating, they are testing different theories, they are connecting their knowledge with each others to conduct an experiment. The last piece is the Personal Learning Networks, and I saw this as students working together in a small group throughout the day. Some students lurk and listen, others are active participants and leaders within the group. They all have something to bring to the group, but they also have the freedom of listening and learning.

Resources

Meador, D. (2015, October 21). Building a Personal Learning Network Will Make You a Better Teacher. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://teaching.about.com/od/L-O/g/Personal-Learning-Network.htm.

Moss, P. (2013, November 26). Why Learning Through Social Networks Is the Future. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/learning-through-networks-is-the-future/

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Go Top. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01.html

Smith, M.K. (2013). Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger and communities of practice. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm

Week 1!

What are you initial reactions about joining these social networks for use in this course?
I am excited, because I use Facebook daily for personal use. I'm familiar with blogging and completed the EdTech537 Blogging in the Classroom course last summer. I've used Twitter before and feel pretty comfortable using it. The only social network I'm not as familiar with is Diigo. I have it installed but haven't taken the time to experiment. I'm feeling pretty comfortable with learning new things, but being able to navigate myself with the networks I've used in the past. 

What is your experience in using social media for your own professional development?
I use Facebook and blogging the most for following educators and using some of their products or ideas. I've found many helpful videos via Facebook that allow me to show students how to make an art project, or how to use a specific website on the Chromebooks. Blogging allows me to find educators I have something in common with, and look through their past posts for ideas regarding my students or projects we create. 

What is your experience in using social media as an instructional strategy in your learning environment?
To be honest, I don't have any experience in using social media as an instructional strategy. I've used Facebook as a means to show videos of art work, but not as an instructional strategy. I look forward to learning how!

What are your expectations of this course?
I expect to:
1. Learn to use different platforms of social media to enrich my student's lives personally and academically.
2. Use different platforms of social media to further my professional development.
3. Network with other educators and learn from their experiences.