Week 4 Reflections: Jesse Miller

WOW. Today’s class was definitely a wake up call when it comes to Internet safety, privacy and how not private it actually is.

I grew up with technology and generally consider myself to be fairly well-versed in terms of Internet safety and how to conduct yourself safely on the Internet but the full extent of what can be found about a person was definitely brought to my attention today.

Jesse really encouraged us to consider whether or not everyone we know (or have met briefly) really needs to be a friend on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or Twitter. How do we decide to keep our personal and professional lives separate?

He also talked about the three critical audiences that will exist specifically for us as we become educators: parents, staff and students. We have to conduct ourselves in ways that meet the expectations of each of those audiences and in a way that feels authentic to who we are.

The ways in which a seemingly private photo can be shared and spread was eye opening to me and has really made me think critically about the ways that I will need to start being more and more careful with what I choose to share as I get closer to being a teacher.

One of the things that scares me the most is that I will be held to a higher standard than others, so how do you balance maintaining that professional standard while still being able to live your life?