Blogging Challenges: From Private to Public

Lately I have been reading about the importance of using online tools to launch a professional platform to participate in the bigger community of connected educators. This has truly been a difficult concept for me to grasp since I grew up in an educational system where someone else is the repository of knowledge and the only skill I needed to develop well is that of understanding the lecturers' perspective and crafting my knowledge to match that of the lecturer's expectations. I used to work for an audience of one. I am now an educator that is witnessing an education reform with a strong focus on technology integration. Well, needless to say, I am learning in the process, facing challenges, and trying to overcome obstacles in order to help students transition to the 21st Century.

Considering that I have been an educator of 20 plus years, how do I integrate technology education reform from an ethical perspective? My first dilemma is becoming a public figure online. How do I keep my privacy and the safety of my identity when I have to talk to the world through a Blog to become a connected educator? I understand the importance of exposing my ideas to the public and inviting the community to collaborate and wrestle with cognitive endeavors. The ethical issue for me as an educator, a private person, and a concerned citizen is what to share, how to share it, and whom to share it with? What is it that others want to hear that they don't already know and what is it that I can share that will become a professional platform and not a record of wrong doings? 

At this time, I am thinking that my plan of action to become a participant of the virtual community is summarized through the following thought process:

1) When Blogging, find a meaningful connection between what I am learning and what I think is relevant to others with similar interests.

2) Carefully review every aspect of my online platform to find out which details are too private or too revealing.

3) Think from the perspective of my audience. If I am reading someone else’s blog, am I really interested in what they have to say or am I just venting out in public.

4) Write every post assuming that every single person in this planet earth will be reading it (I know that this is pretentious but better safe than sorry)

5) Exercise political correctness while striking a balance between being truthful and kind