Learn it Yourself (LIY)

Online Presence with a Purpose

We’re always told not post personal stuff online, but what if what you posted was actually useful?

And what if it helped you to explore your career goals, get into school, or even help get you the job of your dreams?

Create an ePortfolio and shape your online identity for a purpose – to reflect your interests, passions, achievements, and career goals.

Google Yourself

If someone Googled your name what would you want them to know about you? An online identity can give you more control over what shows up in those Google results.

Twitter and about.me are super useful for creating an online identity, sharing interests, and connecting with people in your dream career industry.

Twitter

Twitter can be used for way more than telling the world what you had for breakfast. Learn the Twitter basics and then start tweeting about your interests!

What should you tweet about? Since this is an account to help with your “career,” keep your personal updates on your personal account.

• Follow people who are in the industries you’re interested in for a career
• Share links about your area of interest to show that you are exploring the field
• Ask questions and have conversations with experts in your area
• Join a Twitter chat to learn more about your interests or career and chat with experts

` External Link: Have more questions? Twitter Help can answer everything.

about.me

about.me lets you build a one-page website all about you. You can link to things like your social media profiles, your website, and your eportfolio. You can add a little bit of info or a lot. Your about.me page is really, really simple to set up.

What’s an ePortfolio?

With your ePortfolio, your Twitter account, and your about.me, you are on your way to making your digital footprint that helps your career and goals.

So what exactly is an ePortfolio?

It’s like a normal portfolio that usually comes in a binder and highlights the awesome things about you except an ePortfolio is all online in the form of a blog or a website.

` External Link: My eportfolio

Inside Your ePortfolio

An ePortfolio can include many things:

• The things you’re interested in
• Achievements or things you’ve been involved in
• Your social media accounts
• Links to websites, other people’s blogs, videos    
• Your résumé (without your address on it, of course!)

Organize Yourself

And the stuff on your ePortfolio can be shown in many ways

• Pictures
• Videos
• Blog posts
• Social media accounts    

You get to choose how you want to present yourself.

Using Your ePortfolio

You can use your ePortfolio to:

• Focus and explore your interests    
• Apply for awards and scholarships    
• Apply to schools    
• Get a job
• Work towards career goals   
• Show what you’re passionate about
• Show you have experience creating blogs

ePortfolios are like a more interesting résumé that’s actually fun to make.

` External Link: Create an ePortfolio to document your life.

- Question: What do Captain Kirk from Star Trek and Anne Frank have in common?

Online Privacy

What if I don’t want to be found online?

Hate to break it to you but you’ve already left a digital footprint. Google your name and you’ll see some results for yourself.

You’re not posting super sensitive stuff like your address or your password to your email, you’re posting the things that you WANT to be known about you.

Interests

What if I don’t have any interests? What if I don’t have a career goal or know what I want to do?

This is your chance to explore and SHARE what you learn.

Try the Raise the Grade LIY “Find Out What Your Dream Job Is and Get It,” to help you figure things out.

Introducing BuddyPress

As part of Raise the Grade, you’ll be creating your ePortfolio using the WordPress platform. By default your ePortfolio will be viewable by all other members of the Raise the Grade community as well as the general public (including Google).

If you’d like though, you can make posts or pages private so that they will be hidden from people that are not part of the Raise the Grade program. None of your posts or pages are made public until you hit the “Publish” button.

Build an ePortfolio in 6 Easy Steps

Step 1: Google yourself

This will show you what is publicly known about you. Can you see your social media profiles, like Facebook or Twitter? Is there an old blog of yours that you forgot existed?

Don’t forget to check the Google image section for pictures.

Step 2: Tighten privacy settings

Change the privacy settings on all of your social media and online stuff so that only people you give permission to can access it.

Remember that even if you make something private, it can become public if someone saves it or forwards it.

Check out the Raise the Grade Online Privacy module for more tips and info.

Step 3: Start posting

Explore the WordPress.org dashboard which is used to create and manage what you put on your ePortfolio.

Create the first post of your ePortfolio! You can get help about posting from WordPress.org. Your posts can include pictures or videos – learn how.

Everything you post will stay as a draft in your dashboard until you press the magic “publish” button. You can always edit what you publish or change it back to a draft.

Step 4: Customize

Personalize your ePortfolio to make it totally yours!

Questions about how to use BuddyPress? Since it’s powered by WordPress.org, you can find your answers using WordPress.org support forum.

Still can’t find the answer? Google it. WordPress authors like to help each other out. You can contribute to this community, too!

Step 5: Share with other BGCC members and the world

You can share your ePortfolio within the RTG BuddyPress community – comment, like, and connect with BGCC members nearby or on the other side of the country.

You can also send the link to your ePortfolio’s to anyone you want. You can share it many ways:

• Put it on your résumé
• Put it on your Facebook profile, Twitter bio, or other social media network
• Use it to add to job, school, award, or scholarship applications
• Add it to your email signature

Step 6: Repeat

Continue adding to and customizing your ePortfolio to make it represent you.

As your interests and career goals change and grow, your ePortfolio will too.

Next Steps – Online Identity

Make an ePortfolio – it’s an easy and smart way to create an online identity that truly reflects who you are.

Next module: Set Goals and Make Them Happen

Visit Raise the Grade’s other modules: Non-Obvious Online Safety and Find Out What Your Dream Job Is and Get It.

Congratulations!