The document presents a proposal for understanding online identity through the analysis of two educators, Kathy Schrock and Tom Whitby. It highlights their digital presence across various platforms, noting Schrock's extensive engagement and positive online image versus Whitby's more limited yet thoughtful contributions. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of their online identities for professional growth and networking in the education sector.

1. PROPOSAL 1
Online Identity Proposal
Ruth Salas-Ramos
EDU520: Digital Mediated Teaching and Learning
Dr. Linda Kaiser

2. PROPOSAL 2
Online Identity Proposal
Creating a good online identity proposal can open doors for many professionals. Every
company has an identity, an intangible quality that makes them who they are. Different aspects
must be taken into account before creating a digital presence. The best way to do it is to identify,
monitor and evaluate people with a digital footprint. This paper will help me to understand better
what it means to have an online identity.
Subjects and Platforms
The two individuals that will be observed are Kathy Schrock and Tom Whitby. Schrock
teaches online graduate courses as part of the Wilkes-Discovery Master program in
Pennsylvania. She has been involved with technology to support teaching and learning for over
27 years. Her passions are online tools to support classroom instructions for which she has
conducted professional development workshops, presentations, and keynotes both nationally and
internationally. Kathy uses many social network sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog, Pinterest,
YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr and her professional website. She has built a positive online presence
that showcases her skills, experiences, and interests. First, Kathy has a comprehensive profile;
she is as detailed as possible about her career and experience. The content in each platform is
clear, focused and interesting. The design is engaging and understandable. Each platform is a
great example of her professional use of social media.
Tom Whitby is an education blogger and a co-creator of Edchat. He worked for 34 years
as a secondary English teacher and six years as an adjunct professor at St. Joseph's College in
New York. He has served as a social media consultant for SmartBrief and a contributing editor
for SmartBlog. Whitby uses two platforms as digital presence, his Blog, and Twitter. Tom does

3. PROPOSAL 3
not have a strong presence in social media, except for Twitter with 79,939 followers. Tom’s blog
site is up to date with a rich content in the education area. It was also found Tom’s Youtube
channel which was opened in 2013 and where he has only posted one video with 201 views. Tom
Whitby is a very educated person with a history and experienced who deserves to be known
through more digital platforms.
Data Collection
Data collection will be collected based on the 6 Keys to a Positive Online Presence and
Reputation from Zwilling (2015). The elements that will be considered and monitored are
frequency on posts, content in each platform, impact as well as collaboration with others. The
data will be monitored daily and compiled into the following informative table.
Date Platform Update Content Impact Collaboration
10/29/2017 Twitter Arrived to Foxwoods, Ct
Picture of Steve Dembo
doing a conference about
web literacy and memes.
Positive None
11/1/2017 Twitter Web-ulous tools, part 2
An update of her favorite
online tools for students
to use.
Positive None
11/2/2017 Twitter Adobe Soark Post
Retweet - Favorite IPad/
Tablets apps for creating
memes
Positive Lisa Bohn
11/3/2017 Twitter UPS delivery real-time map
Excited about her coming
I phone X
Positive None
Nov. 7 - Nov. 10 Twitter Tecnology
Limit characters for Mac,
movil app in IOS, FETC
Conference.
Positive None
Oct. 30th – Nov 5 shorockguide.net
Upcoming Appearances:
Boston, MA (11/14/17-
11/15/17) and Manchester,
NH (11/28/17-11/30/17)
Technology conference
Blog Posts: First 03-05 –
Last 10-16-17 / 7.9k
followers
Appearances: Technology
conferences
Blog posts: Education &
Technology
Positive None
Oct 30 – Nov 5 Linkedin Last post Febreruary 2016 Education and tecnology Positive None
Date: Oct.30 –Nov 5 Pinterest
31 Pins support pages for
her presentations.
Everything related with
technology and education
Positive None
Kathy Shorock 4,572 Twitts / 59.2 K Followers

4. PROPOSAL 4
This data will conclude the effective use of each platform in each of the people monitored.
Analysis of Data
Let’s start with Schrock’s Twitter platform. She shows a good first impression on her
profile picture; her look is professional and friendly. The description of her professional
experience is brief and clear and includes her website and e-mail. The picture below reflects her
active participation in social media with a large number of Twits and followers (Schrock, n.d.).
The results of data collection and monitoring demonstrate her frequency posts, sometimes two
Twits in one day. The majority of Schrock’s posts are related to her current professional activity
(education and technology), as well as national and international trip conferences.
Date Platform Update Content Impact Collaboration
10/29/2017 Twitter Discussion Poll
3 topic choses for Edchat
discussion
Positive None
10/30/2017 Twitter
Reminder for the Discussion
Poll
No relevant None
10/31/2017 Twitter A thought for principals
Principals use technology
as a powerful learning
tool.
Positive None
11/3/2017 Twitter
What you’re doing as an
American educator
Why Finland has the best
education
Positive None
11/4/2017 Twitter 1 Twitt
A TV series that he really
enjoyed
Not relevant None
11/6/2017 Twitter 3 twitts
One is about an event in
Qatar. The other two are
reminders for the topic
selection discussion event.
Positive None
Nov. 7 - Nov. 10 Twitter 4 Retwitts
Edchat remiders. FETC
Conference. Comments
from followers about
Edchat Radio and
education tips.
Positive None
Oct. 30- Nov 8 Wordpress - Blog
First 01-15-10 – Last blog
5-5-17
Education Positive None
Oct. 30- Nov 12 Linkedin Last post October 30th Education Positive None
Tom Whitby – 73K twits/ 80.1 K Followers

5. PROPOSAL 5
Kathy Schrock’s website has neutral colors with a glimpse of red, which does not make it
too attractive for those who might visit it for the first time. However, it is very well organized
and easy to navigate. It includes the destination and date search form that most visitors come
looking for, right up front, guiding them to the logical next step. Schrock professional presence is
extremely effective in giving her credibility and trustworthiness. She has listed out all her
accomplishments without sounding like she is bragging. The Appearances tab is updated with
upcoming dates for technology and education conferences.

6. PROPOSAL 6
Another exciting tab in Schrock’s website is her blog, which looks flashy with bright
colors and visuals that have winning titles. Her blog has 7.9 K followers and might be a reason
because her writing transfers knowledge, ideas, and experience, like in the example below:
Pinterest is the fourth platform where Schrock has her stamp. By the number of followers
(6,791), I can see that she writes and share content that her audience likes. Kathy creates quality
visuals about education and technology, 31 pins that help to increase links back to her website,
which in turn, drives more traffic.

7. PROPOSAL 7
LinkedIn is the last social network that speaks about Kathy Schrock experienced. Even
though she does not show much activity on this platform in comparison with the other four, she
does a nice job by presenting a short but complete summary of her professional career and work.
Here is an example:
Educational technology presenter, author, and blogger with a passion for information
literacy, technology professional development for educators, Web 2.0, social media,
emerging technologies, and mobile learning. I began curating online resources for
educators in 1995 and continue to provide resources to support teaching and learning via
my websites, blogs, and social media channels.
Also, I teach online graduate education classes and run two technology-based businesses.
Specialties: Educational technology, teacher professional development, Website creation,
digital storytelling, educational Web resources, iPad/Android resources, information
literacy, mobile learning, virtual reality, visual notetaking.

8. PROPOSAL 8
Kathy Schrock is a good example of online professional identity. Each platform is
connected and provide a comprehensive and current content that reflect trust and credibility.
Tom Whitby uses three online platforms, Twitter, Wordpress with only one feature, his
Blog, and Linkedin. Whitby’s Twitter profile describes his professional status as an author,
blogger, and speaker as well as his years of experience in the education field. His profile picture
does not show his full face, but it reflects his thinking and analytical side. Whitby’s volume of
posts (typically three or four per day), and the 80.2 K followers shows a frequent use of social
media for educational purposes. Whitby posts primarily promote his radio podcast Edchat, which
he founded with two other collaborators and where any educator who wants to join the group can
learn about current teaching trends. It also reports education events, some of them are
conferences that he holds inside and outside the country.

9. PROPOSAL 9
Tom Whitby has a Blog called My Island View and also is a blogger in Edutopia. In his
blog, he provides comments and opinions of his thirty-four years of experience as a secondary
and higher educator. He writes different blogs in Edutopia, but are also relative to education.
They look a little longer than the ones on his Wordpress site. Whitby last blog in My Island
View was written in July 2017 this demonstrates that he is not regular in his posts. However, he
stays consistent with his writing format and topic which is about the education in the system,
social media, and current technology trends. Whitby tends to go deep on his topics of expertise
by making his audience think in a different perspective, like this example below where he is
talking about Education Reform and how this should be more focused on educators than
students.

10. PROPOSAL 10
Linkedin promotes Tom Whitby personal brand online describing him as an author,
blogger and sharing the different platforms that he uses. Through this site, Whitby communicates
his and other professionals’ ideas. He also uses it to informed about educational events. In this
particular site, he has 2,953 followers; this reflects his significant presence in this professional
network site. Whitby keeps active on Linkedin, as a proved, his last post was a week ago, sharing
an invitation to a free webinar on collaborative leadership and school climate.

11. PROPOSAL 11
Tom Whitby is another good example of how to maintain a professional online identity.
Conclusion
Schrock and Whitby are great examples of professionalism in the field of education. In
both are similarities, such as consistency in their writing formats and topics as well as not
incorporating their privates lives in social media. None of them are involved in public scandals
that could stain their professional career (Bhatt, 2012).The platform where Kathy and Tom show
more activity is Twitter and their Linkedin's sites are fully connected with other professionals
and organizations that promote innovation in education. According to The nine elements of
digital citizen, “digital communication provides users with instant access to others on an
unprecedented level.”(Ribble, 2011 page 23). When doing a literacy activity is necessary to ask
the following questions, “who is doing what, why, for whom, where and when?” (Bhatt, 2012).
Kathy and Tom have a clear definition of who they are, what is their goal and how It will benefit
others. Their online presence is a good example to create a Personal Learning Environment not

12. PROPOSAL 12
only for the quality of information and visuals they share in their networks but also for being up-
to-date with the more current trends in education and technology.

13. PROPOSAL 13
Reference
Bhatt, I. (2012). Digital literacy practices and their layered multiplicity. Educational media
international, 49(4), 289-301. Doi:10. 1080/09523987.2012.741199
Schrock, K. (n.d). Kathy Schrock Twitter account. Retrieved from:
https://twitter.com/kathyschrock
Schrock, K. (n.d). Kathy Schrock. Retrieved from http://www.schrockguide.net/
Schrock, K. (n.d). Kathy Schrock. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyschrock/
Schrock, K. (n.d). Kathy Schrock. Retrieved from
https://www.pinterest.com/kathyschrock/kathy-schrocks-support-pages/
Ribble, M. (2011). Digital Citizenship in Schools. Eugene, Or: International Society for
Technology in Education [ISTE].
Whitby, T (n.d). Tom Schrock. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/tomwhitby?lang=en
Whitby, T (n.d). Tom Schrock. Retrieved https://tomwhitby.com/
Whitby, T (n.d). Tom Schrock. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaswhitby/
Zwilling, M. (2015). 6 keys to a positive online presence and reputation. Entrepreneur. Retrieved
from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249053