Update Your Digital Footprint

digi citizenshipGoal 19: Update Your Digital Footprint of The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators
This year’s 30 Goals Challenge theme is, “This is MY Moment.” Each goal focuses on getting educators to believe their plans of action now will lead to positive changes and transformation in their teaching and learning environments. Join our our 30 Goals Facebook community to vote on goals and receive support. This is the updated version of update your online profiles from 2010. The community chose this goal.
My Reflection
When you get on social media and begin sharing your work, a by product is you often get asked to present either online or face-to-face. Even if you do not plan on this blooming into a career, it is still important to make sure your digital footprint highlights you in a positive way. This will increase your ability to keep sharing with others, which is an incredible experience. As one of the 30 Goals participants, Fabiana Casella, recently posted, “It seems I am starting to live something new in my career as an educator: share my expertise and knowledge! Once you go global and international, there is nothing that can stop you! I am going for it! I am a presenter for the second time in my life!”
In my experience, this also motivates you to travel. Four years ago, I had visited 2 countries- Mexico and Germany. I had moved to Germany to teach English. However, I didn’t really start traveling till I was connected. One of my first journeys was a 7 hour road trip to Paris, France because I desperately wanted to meet my online buddy from Istanbul, Burcu Akyol, who was presenting for TESOL France. I met many others and had a blast. This rewarding experience drove me to meet others in my PLN and share my work and experience. Now, I’ve been to 26 countries. I’ve had incredible adventures, seen sunsets and sunrises on various beaches with friends, enjoyed fabulous meals, trekked through the Holy Land, danced on a boat on the Bosphorus, shared wine at the Eiffel Tower, experienced Carnavale Brazil style, visited pubs and climbed trees in Oxford, met fabulous families and have become a part of them, and so much more. I often pinch myself because it feels like I’m living in a favorite book or movie. It’s hard to believe sometimes this is my life. It’s a result from sharing.

Short-Term Goal- Update Your Profile

To complete this task, update at least 1 of your profiles on any site, such as on a Ning, Google profile, LinkedIn, or Twitter! If you do not have any online profiles, then I suggest creating one. You can start small by creating a Twitter profile, About Me, Flavors, or Vizify. These take less than 30 minutes to create a really fantastic profile. Here are a few guidelines for maintaining your online profile:

  • Remember nearly every social website you sign-up for requires a profile!
    • The obvious ones are LinkedIn and Facebook. Keep track of the other social sites you signed up for such as Youtube, Vimeo, Twitter, Google Profile, Delicious, Flickr, SlideShare, and so forth. On most of these accounts you may have no profile listed. My long-term goal is to get suitable profiles on most of social networking sites or get rid of them.
    • Note: Try clicking on your avatar when you make a comment on different blogs to see what comes up.
  • Include an image, bio, and link to at least one portfolio item!
    • If possible the portfolio item should be a video, slide presentation with audio, wiki, or blog. If you really want to draw attention, then offer a lesson, hand-out, presentation, or other product you created for free.
    • If you can add a reference letter to the website or a recommendation, then ask your friends if they will write one for you and post that.
  • It’s okay to use the same items for each profile!
    • I now keep a Google Doc with pictures, a long bio, short bio, etc. then copy and past this info everywhere I go. I have also included the html code for sites that won’t immediately format correctly.
  • Get also a QR  code to link to your profile to use in presentations. Here is mine- https://hx7.c5f.myftpupload.com/about/

Long-Term Goal

If you haven’t already created an online portfolio, resume, or CV then this should definitely be one of your long-term goals. I have created mine on Livebinders and I really like all it has to offer. It took me hours to set-up but it’s very easy and low maintenance now. See my LiveBinders ePortfolio here, Bit.ly/ShellTerrell. The links below will help you accomplish this:

Challenge:

Update a profile.

Please leave a comment that you accomplished this goal by either posting your own video reflection on Youtube, using the hashtag #30GoalsEdu, posting on the 30 Goals Facebook group, or adding a comment below! All goals are organized in this 30 Goals Livebinder.

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*Image above adapted. Sick Superheroes by Brian Dewey, CC, Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdewey/5725260482/in/faves-shellyterrell/

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