Overall Goals and Purpose for Cultivating my Digital Presence
My overall goals for cultivating my digital presence and identity include “connecting with [my] public voice and beginning to act with others in mind” (Rheingold, 2010). I also aim to “participate in a way that’s valuable to others as well as to [myself]” (Rheingold, 2010). To these ends, it is my intent to increase my online exposure and actively participate in social and professional networks in ways that complement my digital presence.
What is my purpose and why now? The same reason why I enrolled in the MALAT program: to assist with my desired career transition. I have taught English for over 16 years and want to transition to corporate or teacher training. As I work toward a career change, it is imperative to have a positive digital presence and identity which relates to my chosen field and helps to promote me as an optimal candidate for future employment. According to a national survey conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder by Harris Poll, “70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates…. 57 percent [of employers] are less likely to interview a candidate they can’t find online… (“Number of Employers,” 2010). Employers may be looking to ensure that candidates know how to use technology appropriately and that their digital presence is appropriate and supports their qualifications. This is especially pertinent in my chosen field of learning and technology.
Approach for Achieving this Goal
To achieve my goals, I plan to create and maintain an eportfolio with blog posts related to my profession. I will use my MALAT student blog to showcase my learning as I progress through the program. In addition, I will work to be more effective in my personal learning network to learn from my peers and experts in my field and to share my experience and knowledge with others. I will also join and participate in online spaces that will give me opportunities to learn, develop new skills and cultivate my profile.
Strategies and Approaches to Address the Identified Gaps
Despite being a private person, I resolve to be genuine and promote openness as I cultivate and manage my digital identity. As an educator, I believe I must move more firmly into the ‘Resident’ end of the Visitor-Resident map (White & Cornu, 2011) and contribute valuable content to the Web – not only to improve my digital presence for my own benefit, but to demonstrate a positive digital identity for my future students.
Measures of Success
To measure my success, it is my goal to be “Googled well, under [my] full name, on graduation day” (Richardson, 2012). It will also be a measure of my success to graduate from the MALAT program on schedule while having obtained a job relevant to my new career goals.
In conclusion, “our digital identity, just as our own personality, is always in progress, and it is mirrored in the environments we co-exist online” (Costa & Torres, 2011). By the end of this program, it is my intention to have successfully cultivated my digital presence and identity, but it is also my full intention to continue that cultivation throughout my career.
References:
Costa, C., & Torres, R. (2011). To be or not to be, the importance of Digital Identity in the networked society. Educação, Formação & Tecnologias-ISSN 1646-933X, 47-53. Retrieved from http://www.eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/view/216
Rheingold, H. (2010). Attention, and other 21st-century social media literacies. Educause Review, 45(5), 14.
Richardson, W. (2012, October 25). Guest Post: Three Starting Points for Thinking Differently About Learning. The Learning Network. Retrieved from https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/guest-post-three-starting-points-for-thinking-differently-about-learning/
Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates at All-Time High, Finds Latest CareerBuilder Study. (2017, June 15). Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/number-of-employers-using-social-media-to-screen-candidates-at-all-time-high-finds-latest-careerbuilder-study-300474228.html
White, D. S., & Cornu, A. L. (2011). Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i9.3171
Hi Sherry! I love both your attitude and integrity! I also think it’s amazing that you have such clear goals for after the MALAT program. I look forward to working with you.
Hi Susan,
Thank you for your comment and kind words. I look forward to working with you as well and hearing more about your experiences in China and your world travel!
Hi Sherry,
I liked your goal of developing an online presence that is helpful to others as well as yourself. I set some similar goals for myself. I also liked your idea about measuring your success of reaching your goal by being someone that ‘Googles well’ by the end of the program. What will indicate to you that you Google well?
Thanks for sharing.
Tracey
Hi Tracey,
That’s a really good question! I feel I will “Google well” if a potential employer can Google my name and easily find multiple sources to confirm my skills and abilities as they apply to the job for which I’m being considered. That will be a challenge as there is a well-known author by the name of Sherry Ruth Anderson! At the moment, only my LinkedIn profile and my Twitter photo appears. I am not active on Twitter, so there is definitely room for improvement.