Name Googling and Porfolio Structuring

When I Googled my name, I was somewhat disappointed (but not surprised) to find that my name was not in the top 20 results. Many of the results that came up were for different Jessica Flacks who performed scientific or psychological research. However, I tried typing in my name along with the town I grew up in (Jenison), and I was able to find a little more about me. The first result in this search was a link to the website for Camp Geneva where I worked as a counselor for 1st-3rd graders in the summer of 2007. Most of the other top ten results on this search simply listed me as an alumnus from Jenison High School. I think the first search result for Camp Geneva is a very good representation of who I am. This shows my love for children and my ability to have fun with them in the chaotic setting of a summer camp. I broke my collar bone the day before this picture was taken which I think gives it a little character. If a prospective employer knew that, they would be able to see my devotion to children and my job as their counselor.

The main goal I have for my portfolio is to show future employers, students, and their parents who I am. I will do this by telling them about my personal history, sharing my teaching philosophy, and showcasing the teaching projects I have done over the last two years. So far, I have the homepage and "About Me" page finished on my portfolio, and I think they tell a lot about who I am. On the main page, I said a little about myself and why I created the webpage. I also included a link to my blog and a few quotes that show my my views of teaching and life in general. In my autobiographical section, I wrote three paragraphs about myself and my teaching experiences. I also posted three pictures which show my family, my travelling experiences, and me reading to kids at Camp Geneva. These three topics are all covered in my writing and provide a good summary of what is important to me. At the bottom of the page I included a Google map showing the places I have travelled to. This emphasizes even more my love for travelling and exploring new places.

I chose the layout and background, because it is not dull, but still looks professional. I wanted to make sure the background on my webpage did not take away from what I was trying to accomplish with it, and I think the theme I chose serves that purpose. I also like that this template shows the page links at the top of the page instead of down the side. I think this sticks out more and makes for easy navigation between pages. In setting up each page, I paid great attention to detail in how I set up the headings. I want to make sure every page follows the same format to show my detail-oriented thinking. Organization is a very important thing for teachers to have and I want to make sure this shines through in my portfolio.