"You have the opportunity to be found rather than hidden, so give people something great to find" (George Couros, 2013).
I have heard a lot of great opinions in the last couple of weeks about online communication and technology, but George Couros had some great ideas that looked at things from a different angle. He not only told us the value of technology, but also some tricks to being a successful teacher. Being an administrator, George told us the key to beating the other 399 resumes that land on his desk. Be precise, to the point, and be noticeable. How could you wind up in 1 out of 10 applicants left on his desk? Stand Out! George told us the first thing he would do is google us. What I liked about this is he explained that it's better to be found than hidden. Don't worry as much about keeping all your information private, but worry more about the good things that you DO want being found- blogs that might show personality, your best qualities; Profiles that show your professionalism, development, and growth. This is what will land you that interview, and most likely the job.
Now, you are the last one standing. Keys to being a great teacher? George said it's simple: Expect the same from yourself as you do your students. Always have growth in mind, and don't be afraid to struggle in front of your students. Focus on learning goals rather than performance goals. Be a passionate teacher. And the easiest tip George gave us? Take a second to think about whether or not YOU would want to sit in your classroom. If it wouldn't be engaging for you, chances are your students feel the same!
Finally, you don't have to be an expert on teaching, you just have to be an expert in learning!
It's definitely a switch to think of wanting to be found on the internet, but it makes sense since people WILL be looking for us. So, why not show people what makes us unique?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear such differing opinions within one week: Keep professional and personal separate vs. be found doing great things. Though it's difficult, I think if we maintain our professionalism in all aspects of our life, we'll never have to worry about whether or not people are googling/yahooing/asking/binging us.
When someone searches my name I want amazing things to appear but in reality that may not always be the case. As young adults we have probably posted pictures, tweets, and messages that were not always appropriate. When I was young I never realized that once it is on the internet it stays there. This can always be a great a life lesson or story to tell your students about what not to do. However, I can start to use my digital footprint in a positive way that will help me in career and not harm it.
ReplyDeleteJen Falk
"Teach long and prosper" Star Trek
I googled myself and it took forever before I found even one thing about me. It was my google account. After that I kept searching and couldn't find anything. Thats good, but also bad. I like that it is hard to find me, because I'm a semi private person. Its bad too though, because I would like people to see who I am. So torn between them.
ReplyDeleteI found this same thing when I searched just my name, but when I narrowed the search by location (Brandon, MB), a lot of the content just from I4Ed came to the top of the search!
DeleteThanks for your post and I would agree, the BEST thing to do is wonder if you would want to sit in your room. I watch too many teachers handing out worksheets that would absolutely HATE doing them. What would engage you? What would engage them? Ask them when you start teaching. Hopefully they are not so far into their schooling that they will remember how much fun learning can be!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks again :) Enjoyed reading what you wrote!
We appreciate all the great tips you gave us and will likely be better teachers because of them, so thank you!!
DeleteI googled my name and found a number of things. I am on the first couple of pages of a Google search, but most of the Lisa Langan hits weren't me. Apparently there is a talented artist with my name.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how most of the advice George gave us was student centred. He is definitely passionate about what best benefits students and how best to maximize student learning.
p.s. I think you did an awesome job summarizing George's chat.