W2: Twitter Blog Post (ETEC 527)

    This week I had the pleasure of creating a Twitter account for my ETEC 527 course. I was to create an account and hashtag #etec527. Even though I have a private Twitter, I rarely post anything. I will go on to see what daily trends are occurring.

    In the last week, I have learned much about how to use Twitter and the applications contained within.

I learned how to bookmark pages and hashtag's purpose; I also made a Twitter circle and created a Librarian list. The only thing I have inserted in my list thus far is the scholastic page, but I am sure I will make more in the future. 

    One thing that I know for sure about Twitter is that it is a powerful social platform. I have seen political posts, posts from other countries, advertising posts, and activist posts. All of which have had an impact on the global community. The uses of Twitter are limitless and not just for social use. 

    Twitter can be used in the classroom to extend learning beyond the classroom. The article below mentions ten ways Twitter can support classroom learning and communication. There are several great ideas contained in the article. Feel free to click on the link and browse. My takeaway from the article is that Twitter is an excellent addition to classroom resources and keeps students up with current events and trends.

Twitter is a social hub that reaches millions of people daily and using it for educational purposes has its positives. As I explored Twitter, I realized Twitter would be a beneficial tool for classroom engagement, parent communication, student feedback, and peer collaboration. Students can use their devices to share articles and videos supporting their learning.

I found a how-to teach and learn with a Twitter guide. The resource below was produced by Twitter in collaboration with UNESCO. It walks you through the setup and explains all the aspects of Twitter and topics like controlling digital footprints, demonstrating digital etiquette, and dealing with cyberbullying. 

    As someone who has only used Twitter to keep up with trending information, this week was filled with eye-opening experiences. I am now more familiar with a tool that I was reluctant to use due to a lack of user experience on my behalf. I can use Twitter with my students for classroom discussions and feedback, conduct classroom surveys, and have students share what they are researching individually and in groups. I can inform parents and send reminders in a large private group or separately. I feel more comfortable using Twitter, and with the additional resources I have found online, I feel more confident in my skills. 

W1 Vanity Search (Web 2.0 Technologies for Instruction ETEC-527-01W)

    As I nervously typed my name in the google search field, I wondered what my digital footprint would look like. I thought any traces of my digital footprint would be minimal. I usually have all of my account setting set to private and felt confident that I would not find much; I was wrong.

    I searched my name on Google, "Vivian Cantu," and found information on various sites. Some I knew could be listed in public domains, but others I had not thought of. What I found was very interesting. 

    The first site that came up with my name was LinkedIn. My undergrad professors urged me to create an account to network. It was part of a grade for one of my courses; I have not updated anything since 2021. I only have my education and Honors and Awards posted. I was surprised but not shocked to find my account. To see my complete profile, one would have to join LinkedIn. However, I found more than what I wanted to be public.

The second thing I found through my search was my Google Classroom Link on my campus district homepage. The hyperlinks are empty. Our Librarian is supposed to update our information but has yet to be able to. The reality of finding myself at my school campus website was unsettling.

I usually opt not to post my donation information publicly, but this one came up. It was made public when I let the organizer know I had donated. I was even more surprised to see the amount that I had donated also posted. I never knew that if you donated through GoFundMe, it would be made public to everyone.

The search brought unexpected findings; I belong to a Fantasy Football League and have been a member for over twenty years. I had no idea that my standings would be made public. Luckily My team had an appropriate name. 

As I further searched, I was able to find information on Spokeo. It was scary to see that the people I was not related to were listed as possibly related, along with my spouse and children. My maiden name was also listed as part of my alias. 

This one, I  have to admit, I didn't even think about being public.  I will have to change my privacy settings. I may have a lot of pins on Pinterest, but I do not follow anyone. I rarely log on to my account now at days, but the mere thought of it being out there is, as mentioned before, unsettling.

Since my maiden name came up as an alias, I decided to conduct a vanity search on google for that. Other than possible contact information, a post I made on my high school teacher's obituary came up. I was saddened to read what I had posted and surprised that after fourteen years, the post was still accessible online.

As I mentioned earlier, I thought I was doing a pretty good job setting my account privacy settings to private. As I continued to conduct my vanity search for any additional photos, images, or videos that contained me,  I was not able to find any pictures or videos of myself. I searched using Safari and Bing as well. I noticed several searches that came up with possible matches for several of my family members and my sibling's ex-spouses. There were also old phone numbers and my current address listed and available for sale. I found that both disturbing and disgusting. 

    It was interesting to see that the information I posted was available to the public even if a significant amount of time had passed. If there was one thing I learned, I definitely have a digital footprint. There is no such thing as complete privacy. It is essential to be careful of the things that you post online. There will definitely be personal information available to anyone for sale online. 

This opportunity to conduct a vanity search was eye-opening. It will be essential to have my students perform a vanity search, and I will also read the book The Technology Tail: A Digital Footprint Story by Julia Cook. to them. The way we conduct ourselves online will definitely follow us for many years.