As an educator, I believed that it is very important to maintain a good relationship with my students and parents. I find it easier to communicate through email rather than talking on the phone. I think that creating a web page is a great way to connect with parents and students, and allowing them more access to me both during and outside of the classroom. I had recently created a teacher web page for classroom. I feel that it is important to let my parents and students get to know me a little better. Also by creating the teacher web page, my students can access their homework and any other assigned projects.
This week’s activity in my EME5050 class I had to create an “About Me” page. During this week’s reading, I came across the YouTube Video- “you don’t get to write your own resume”. A light bulb went off in my head. I realized that you have to be careful of the information that you placed on the internet because you never know who is trying to steal your identity. While completing the assignment, I had to consider on what was important and how much information I need to include on my “About Me” page. Even though I don’t want my personal information available to just anyone, I can see the benefits of creating an online presence. After completing the “About Me” assignment, I realized that I can choose what I can post and it is a great tool to involve my students to utilize along with their parents. This assignment has given me great ideas on how to improve my teacher webpage. I plan on adding links to great math or reading websites. Creating this “About Me” page was easy because I had created a teacher webpage. It is not as fancy as my teacher page, but it is a start and I hope to add on to it.
I agree that a teacher web page is a great way to connect with parents and students. I also believe that what you have in that website certainly sets a tone, and it can one that invites communication, which is so important. It's great to have assignment, notices, and homework as sort of a "one-stop-shop". Knowing that students, once they reach middle and high school, have a group of teachers at one time, it is a good sense of security for both parents and students to know that they can visit your site to keep up with what is going on and expected.
ReplyDeleteI was also struck about the YouTube Video that we really do not control writing our own resume. That ties into what Daniel Solove wrote, specifically that our freedom is largely controlled by our reputation. As you said creating an online presence, even if it is quite limited, can also help parents and students get to know you a little as a person (as long as you control the extent that you disclose.
I absolutely agree about the benefits of a teacher web page. My school has recently started using the Google platform and it is very easy to create a professional looking webpage. I have one for both of the courses I teach and I include notes, activities, links to cool interactive learning websites, etc. I think after this week I will also include an “about me” page on the site. I’m not sure that my current students would want to read it (they have been with me for months now), but next year’s students may want to know something about me before starting school in the fall, and I’m sure their parents would like to know a little as well. Email is also my preferred method of communication and while I know that it can seem impersonal at times, it is by far more efficient than phone calls for me. Having an “about me” on my website with a picture and some background information might make online conversations a little more personal.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about you on your website; you travel quite a bit and I think your students will also find that interesting. My husband was born in Trinidad and has travelled to many places, but I have never been outside the U.S. I imagine many of your students, like me, have not travelled and would love to hear about your “adventures.” It would be cool if you could put up pictures of each of your destinations, and the students in your class could take a bit of time to search for some information about that locale. I have never taught that age group, and that might be too advanced for that grade, but I’m sure they would enjoy it.
I agree with your statement that you have to be careful about what you put on the internet about yourself because you never know who's trying to steal your identity.This assignment for me was a little complicated because while i was trying to complete the assignment i was trying to give just enough info to give insight but not enough. I know of students and parents who sometimes google teachers to find out any type of information they can about a person.So while it might be a benefit for parents and students to have a web page to access you as an educator. I just don't know. I guess you can call me a skeptic.
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