This week, we took a look at how to present ourselves in the online world. In a face-to-face class, we make deliberate choices about wardrobe, hairstyle, tone of voice and so much more. At first glance, the online world would be much easier to navigate that way: thanks to photo editing and other software, it seems as if we can, at least visually, be anyone we want to be. And yet, so much in our course design, word choice, and set up determines what our students think of us. I had never really thought of course design online that way. I was worried about "losing" my personality strengths in the cold and black and white online world. Turns out, it doesn't have to be that way! Being deliberate about images and sound, including videos accenting my personality and setting materials up deliberately to make students feel known go a long way in allowing my students not just to learn the content, but to people watch at the same time.
That makes me excited. Creativity and diversity are some of God's gifts I love the most, and this week showed to me that the online world of teaching does not have to be void of them.
Well said, Rikki--the ability to be personal and real online was something I thought a lot about this week, too.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of “presence” is not a new one in media. For instance, authors have long felt a keen balancing act between writing the story and writing for recognition. Herman Melville is a good example of this challenge, with his Moby Dick in 1851 and Pierre in 1853 hurting not only his writing reputation but also his personal one. In today’s world, presence is felt even more strongly, with what we say and do having immediate and long-lasting effects on our lives. So, like you said, presence is not unique to online media, but presence online takes unique steps to be effective.
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