Photo by dole777 on Unsplash

Through this reflection on Jesse’s presentation, I will be using the what, ‘so what’, and ‘now what’ approaches.

What did you take away from the session?

This session was very eye-opening on the rules and professional standards with social media. I feel like I’ve heard similar presentations before and always found them intriguing but it was different listening this time, as I was listening with the mindset of a future educator. I took away that our social media and our digital footprint can have a big impact on our future careers. I already had an experience relating to this. I had sent my resume to work at 2 dance studios here in Victoria, and before I even got a response back to the email both studios followed my Instagram. This moment truly showed me the impact our social media can have on our careers.

So what does this mean for your future career as an educator?

For my future career as an educator, it means that I have a certain level of professionalism that needs to be met with the use of my social media. This level is meant to not only benefit my personal life but also a required guideline that will be provided by my district. As an educator I will be cautious with my social media but more intensely cautious at the safety of my students. I will be sure to never store any student information in an unsafe place or take any pictures of students without student and parent consent.

Now what will you do based on the information provided?

After Jesse’s presentation, I have now made my main Instagram account private, for the safety of my personal life. Additionally, I had some questions that came up during my search for my digital footprint that also relate to my inquiry. I have an account for gym/exercise content. Through this account health, fitness and being strong is the main focus, I use the account to post my progress or workouts for others to try. The part I question is due to the idea of what my exercise wear is. At the gym, I would typically wear some shorts and a T-shirt or sports bra. I’m curious when I start teaching will the account be an issue? Although maybe I wouldn’t wear biker shorts and a sports bra to work, this is the outfit I’m wearing in the gym. If a parent were to come to the gym the outfits I have on my Instagram are what they would see me in. So I wonder if it would be a problem even though my account’s main focus is health and fitness and women being strong.