Identity Crisis

[John Pallister]

As I clear out 32 years worth of visual aids and trim Terra Bytes off
my school file space, my crisis of identity deepens. 22nd July Mr
Pallister; a teacher, a Leader of Learning at Wolsingham School and
Community College; 23rd of July, John Pallister, Who?

I reflected again on Helen Barrett’s concept of a legacy/rewirement
ePortfolio http://www.slideshare.net/eportfolios/eifel2009keynote and
on my attempts at promoting the idea that everyone should register
their own domain name and maintain a Web page that acts as their
personal ‘home page’. The public facing ‘home page’ being the first
page that anyone would look at, the page that directs visitors to the
digital evidence or activity that the owner might want/ might be
prepared for, the public to access. A page that gives the owner some
element of control over their digital identity, or at least allows
them to signpost their positive activities and identity.

I decided that I had better take some time off from thinking about
Personalised Learning and sort out my digital identity. Attempt 1 Dot
5 - www.JohnPallister.net, all comments and suggestions welcome.

Then a senior moment, I drifted off to look again at something that I
had posted to my Mosep blog in February 2007, where I was beginning
to think that an ePortfolio might “provide the ‘home page’ that the
student uses to access all of their resources, their services and
their social networks, as well as recording achievements, reflections
etc. It will become their first point of access for any information,
communications etc, it will be their 'flight deck' for their digital
world?”

Have probably changed my mind? Need to think a bit more, is there any
relationship between a learner’s Personal Learning Environment and
their Digital Identity.

[MickLandmann]

A lot of issues here, John. But to your last question re relationship
between personal learning environment and digital identity my view is
that one of the changes the education system will undergo is the
removal of the four walls from learning. This is the simple
recognition that learning does not just happen between the hours of 9
and 3, between four walls, between 2 Septembers with breaks in
between. Life is learning, isn't it. Sounds simple, but true. There is
really no separation between learning and digital identity. This does
not, though, in my view, support your theory of a single web presence
for each individual. Many dangers in thatb I feel.

On Jul 9, 7:10 am, John Pallister <jpallis...@aol.com> wrote:
> As I clear out 32 years worth of visual aids and trim Terra Bytes off
> my school file space, my crisis of identity deepens. 22nd July Mr
> Pallister;  a teacher, a Leader of Learning at Wolsingham School and
> Community College; 23rd of July, John Pallister, Who?
>
> I reflected again on Helen Barrett’s concept of a legacy/rewirement

> ePortfoliohttp://www.slideshare.net/eportfolios/eifel2009keynote and

> on my attempts at promoting the idea that everyone should register
> their own domain name and maintain a Web page that acts as their
> personal ‘home page’. The public facing ‘home page’ being the first
> page that anyone would look at, the page that directs visitors to the
> digital evidence or activity that the owner might want/ might be
> prepared for, the public to access. A page that gives the owner some
> element of control over their digital identity, or at least allows
> them to signpost their positive activities and identity.
>
> I decided that I had better take some time off from thinking about
> Personalised Learning and sort out my digital identity.  Attempt 1 Dot

> 5  -www.JohnPallister.net, all comments and suggestions welcome.

[Ray Tolley]

RE 'Digital Identity'

I think that you are both partly right.

Serge Ravet of EIfEL writes much about 'Digital Identity' as being the
sum total of all of one's presence on the Internet, including every
single data entry, forum, artefact, job application and forgotten
slides on YouTube etc.

Dr Helen Barrett prefers the term 'Digital Self' which gets away from
the idea of 'data' and concentrates more on the decisions of a person
as to how they choose to represent themselves, but encouraging the
concept of 'cloud computing' with artefacts scattered all around the
universe.

I believe, particularly when working with children, that we can feel
more comfortable if our artefacts are managed from a central point, ie
the e-Portfolio. The e-Portfolio can be used to securely host the
more confidential artefacts and yet still manage links to more public
documents hosted on other repositories around the world. For me, this
seems the best of both worlds. A learner can control a wide range of
different audiences, concurently, with different permissions.

As a point of good practice, Mick, I would suggest that by having all
of one's artefacts in one management area allows selective
presentations whether to teachers, potential employers or mentors in
an easily accessible manner. Certainly potential employers will
expect a well laid out and simple to navigate presentation.

So, I suggest, not a single 'web presence' but a central organisation
of formal, informal and experiential learning and self representation
in all their different guises - ie an e-Portfolio!

Ray Tolley NAACE Fellow
ICT Education Consultant
Maximise ICT Ltd
P: http://raytolley.v2efolioworld.mnscu.edu/
B: http://www.efoliointheuk.blogspot.com/
W: http://www.maximise-ict.co.uk/eFolio-01.htm
Winner of the IMS 'Leadership Regional Award 2009'

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