Week 12: Creating a Professional Web Presence

This week in class we discussed the creation of our Professional Web Presence using Google sites, yet another FREE tool provided by Google. Having a Web Presence is a great way to let employers know more about you and why they should hire you. A Web Presence can include anything you think is beneficial for employers to see. In my personal web presence I included a personal page, a vita (resume) page, and a portfolio page. A portfolio page is vital to a successful web presence because it is where you can show what you've done and what you are capable of.

Although a professional web presence can be beneficial in any field, it is especially beneficial in the field of education, that I will be going into in a few short years. Principals are looking for teachers that will provide the most for their students. Using a web presence, I can display my past work -this blog, presentations, lesson plans, digital storytelling examples, and visual aids I have created. The web presence gives the employer a better understanding of me as a person and hopefully confidence in hiring me. This is a link to my web presence: Lauren McClain.

Another way to use Google sites is to create a classroom website. This would be great for keeping parents up to date with assignments, events, and teacher-parent communication. I'm excited for the day when I can share classroom stories and interact with parents.

This website gives 5 reasons to have a web presence. Although, the article discusses reasons why businesses should have a web presence, I believe this can apply to individuals as well. The five reasons it gives are: visibility, reach, credibility, competition and customer service. I believe competition especially relates to individuals having their own site. If someone is presenting themselves professionally, then this may give advantage when searching for a job.