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Online Identity Analysis

Online Identity Analysis

Unity Watkins

EDU520: Digitally Mediated Teaching and Learning

Dr. Herrera
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Online Identity Analysis

Online Identity Proposal

Online identity is often expressed through customization, so when creating your

own online identity it is helpful to asses the online presence of others (Baym, 2010).

Doing so will help you understand the do’s and don’ts of how you want yourself

represented online as well as how others represent you online through articles and

stories written on you. The purpose of this paper is to propose two people with a strong,

positive online presence; one who qualifies as a senior member of the education field

and one peer, then study and analyze their use of social media and other electronic

tools used to shape their professional personas.

Data Collection

The data collected in this paper will reflect each individual’s use of social media

and how it shapes their online persona which will consist of a screenshot of the

posts/articles, the content of the screenshot, how it impact it had on their online persona

and whether or not it is related to their personal brand. This information will serve as a

reference as to how what the individual posts, or what is posted about them affects their

online identity. The websites will also be reviewed for the general presentation and how

well it aligns with their professional identity.

The Online Presence of Jada Lewis

Jada Lewis has been in the education field for over 10 years during which time

she has served as Assistant Dean for Louisiana State University College of
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Online Identity Analysis

Engineering, an elected member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary

Education, and Principal Consultant and owner of AdaptED Consulting. Lewis is

currently the Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Baton Rouge where

she leads the site through providing tutors and mentors to underprivileged students in

Baton Rouge. Lewis’s online presence is extremely diverse and can be readily found

online through her online handles such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, organization

websites she’s associated with, or the numerous articles that have been written about

her and her work in the Baton Rouge community.

LinkedIn:

(https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadalewis/)
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Online Identity Analysis

Lewis uses her LinkedIn page as an online resume where she highlights her

experience, accomplishments, publications, honors, certifications, organizations,

volunteer work as well as links to her other social media accounts. Lewis has over 500

connections and 1,726 followers and has and up to date career experience,

accompanied by a professional headshot.

(https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadalewis/)

Lewis also uses her LinkedIn profile to share relevant educational post with her

following as well as highlight achievements of City Year where she serves as the

President and Executive Director. The overall layout of her LinkedIn profile is formal

while also being very informative of her background and allows for someone to get a
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Online Identity Analysis

better understanding of who she is. Her LinkedIn profile also serves as a great resource

to find out more on her work as she lists her publications and links.

Twitter

(Lewis, n.d.)

Lewis has been a member of Twitter since 2009 and has over 200 followers.

Again, Lewis uses this social media platform as an online resume but in a more

informative way. In her heading Lewis lists her job titles along with links to them directly,

a link to her LinkedIn page and sates, “Opinions & Tweets are my own.” Since Lewis

has many professional affiliations that she is associated with, this is an important

disclosure to add.
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Online Identity Analysis

(Lewis, n.d.)

While in the past Lewis has not had many tweets, as of recently she has began

tweeting and reposting more frequently. Most of Lewis’s more recent tweets focus on

achievements of City Year, events going on in her community, and education. Through

Twitter, she also shares links to virtual events she will be hosted in. Lewis uses her

Twitter account to reach many different audiences on a more personal level and

collaborates with others in her field. Lewis’s Twitter account is a great example of how

to maintain a positive online persona while making it personal and professional.

Outside Recourses
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Online Identity Analysis

Zwilling (2015) comments that one should, “Live the reputation you want to see

online.” Not only does Lewis do a great job personally upholding a positive online

identity, but there have been numerous articles written about her and her work both in

education and in the community. All of these articles shed a positive light on Lewis and

directly align with her line of work in education and community outreach.

The Online Presence of Casey (O’Higgins) Smith

Casey (O’Higgins) Smith is a former Elementary Teacher and Program

Coordinator at Gettysburg College. In his most recent endeavors, Smith works as a

intern for the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education and Library Assistant while

he pursues an Education Law and Policy degree at Washburn University School of Law.

Smith uses his social media to post content relevant to his profession and awareness of

education inequality and its relation to the educational system all while maintaining his

social identity as an advocate for education and education professional.

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Online Identity Analysis

LinkedIn

(https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyohiggins/)

Smith’s LinkedIn serves as his online resume highlighting his work experience,

education, and volunteer experience. Smith also has an “About” section that he uses to

give a glimpse of himself and aspirations stating, “My passions are in exploring the

inequalities of education and attempting to create a better tomorrow for those in need. I

am currently a law student at Washburn University.” This was a great addition to add to

his profile because at a quick glance, Smith’s profession may be unclear but this along

with his position at the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education and Teacher

experience makes his profession in Education clear.

Facebook
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Online Identity Analysis

(https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100036423846679&ref=content_filter )

This post is just one example of how Smith uses his Facebook account to stay up

to date with the most recent news in equalities in education. Many of Smith’s post are

just like this one, shedding light on injustices in the education field which directly aligns

with line of work in education.

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Online Identity Analysis

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100036423846679&ref=content_filter

These are also posts found on Smith’s Facebook page. As previously mentioned,

Zwilling (2015) states that one should, “Live the reputation you want to see online.” As a

teacher, it is important to fight for equal rights for all students inside and outside the

classroom. These posts clearly demonstrate his commitment to inequalities in education

as an educator and future lawyer.

Outside Resources

Below is an excerpt from an article from New Schools Baton Rouge Written on

(O’Higgins) Smith: (https://www.newschoolsbr.org/blog/educator-profile-casey-ohiggins)

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Online Identity Analysis

“Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Mr. O’Higgins knew he wanted to be a

teacher. He enjoys interacting with children and helping them understand real-
time concepts that are applicable to their daily life. As a proud alumnus of Teach
for America, Mr. O’Higgins was relocated to Baton Rouge where Lanier
Elementary School chose him to lead the kindergarten class during the
rebranding of the school. He has been at Lanier Elementary for three years and
currently teaches 2nd grade. His priority is to create a space of thoughtful and
defined collaboration where every point of view is valued. He wants to make sure
that his students know that they are receiving the best education possible,
regardless of their background. As a teacher, he values others based on their
compassion-- he truly cares about his students and no matter what it is, he said,
“I’ve always got their back, even on their worst days. “One of his favorite
memories at Lanier is when he was able to help students understand the value of
giving others their personal space and to treat everyone with respect. He
believes that if we continue to nurture every student to respect one another and
repeat, each student will understand and will follow.”

Below is an article written on Smith from Gettysburg’s student blog “Surge:”

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Online Identity Analysis

(https://surgegettysburg.wordpress.com/about/)

Smith’s online presence and identity are strengthened by his contributions to

education in his community. “Becoming involved in your community and being noticed

will get your name mentioned by local newspapers and organizations … making you

look active, engaged, and more enjoyable online (Scot, n.d.).” https://young.scot/get-

informed/national/creating-a-positive-online-presence Smith excels in this area and has

done a great job not only claiming his online identity but amplified it by getting

recognized by several organizations.

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Online Identity Analysis

Conclusion

In today’s world where not having an online presence does more harm than

actually having one, taking control of your online identity is crucial. Jada Lewis and

Casey (O’Higgins) Smith are both exceptional examples of education professionals who

have used social media and other online resources to shape their professional

personalities and positively build their online identity. Zwilling (2015) states that three

proactive ways to expand a positive online presence: claiming your identity before

someone else does, actively contribute to common business and personal profile sites,

and living the reputation you want to see online. Lewis and Smith are not only easily

accessible on multiple social media platforms and affiliation websites but also use their

platforms to promote education on a daily basis. After analyzing both Lewis’s and

Smith’s social media, I will be implementing many of their strategies into my own PLE.

Zwilling (2015) also mentions that, “Blogging is an ideal way to express your positive

values, show your expertise and establish yourself as an influences.” I would like to

utilize the blog feature on my website write about educational injustices, something that

I have dealt with first hand while teaching in Louisiana. Smith has shared some very

informative posts on this topic which will be a great foundation to get me started. Lewis

and Smith also did a great job highlighting their volunteer experiences on their LinkedIn.

I will also add my volunteer work to my PLE because it is plentiful and I think will be a

great example of living the reputation I want to see online. I will also post more regularly

because now I only make about one post a year. According to Zwilling (2015),

occasional engagement and visbility establishes positive content. In summary, your

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Online Identity Analysis

digital presence and identity paints a picture of who you are and managing it is essential

in creating a professional personality.

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Online Identity Analysis

References

Baym, N.K. (2010) Personal Connections in the Digital Age. Malden, MA: Polity.