Reflection on Visitors and Residents Video

I found this video to be very interesting. Professor Brandenburg had briefly mentioned this video during class and about the concepts that Dr. White talks about so I was definitely eager to listen to what he had to say. I thought his views on web users were very well put. I can definitely see  where some people I know could fit in either category.

As for me, I think that I lie some where between a visitor and a resident, but I think that I am quickly approaching becoming a "true" resident, especially from an educational standpoint. Before this class, I went on the internet for different uses. I had a myspace when everyone still had one and I have a facebook which I log on everyday. I have it primarily to connect with friends that live far away and stay in touch with current friends. I upload pictures and comment on others' pictures as well. I also use the internet to frequently check email and read the newspaper. I sometimes watch TV, or go on youtube to look at random videos. I recently found a recipe website that I thought was pretty cool. It is allrecipes.com and there are many contributors that comment on recipes provided by other users, so in essence it is like a cooking class but with a lot of online interaction. Sometimes I just go on the internet to look up things that I am interested in such as running, photography, or anything else that may come to my mind.

So in this instance I think I can be considered a resident. I use the website for different uses and I am regularly online. However, what I feel is keeping from becoming a true resident is that I do not really have an identity online. The only website where I can log off and people can still look me up is facebook. If somebody where to search me on google, they probably would not find very much information, and even less from me contributing to something.

However, I think this is quickly changing especially from an educational standpoint. With a new twitter account, and following professional educations such as NASPE, I think I will be able to have more of a presence online as long as I keep contributing. Also, having this blog will leave a mark when I log off. People can look up what I am doing in my classes. I also plan on having my TPE portfolio on livebinders.com, which will show evidence to the whole internet world of my teaching. When I have my own class, I plan on having a website or blog where students and parents can view what is going in class and incorporating more technology and web resources for students to use.

So right now I see myself between being a visitor and resident. As I get more comfortable using web resources from an educational standpoint, I see myself becoming a resident where I will still have an identity even after logging off.