The iconic image of a brand is something farmers identify with. My Facebook page has been blessedly free of political ads but overflowing with arguments of red versus green, and Dodge, Chevy and Ford. If a candidate could tell us which is better they should be President because the chaos surrounding these branding memes are both amusing and a little sad. I laugh at the Fix Or Repair Daily jokes. I get frustrated that red doesn't mean Massey Ferguson but rather International and green fans are a bit cocky for my taste. (I like John Deere but the fans can be unruly.)
The sad part is that this excitement is all reserved for bragging rights over a commercial product. We are arguing over an expensive item we have purchased. No one wants to feel like they have purchased an inferior product so they stand up for their decision. As you can see I have been adding my own twist to the argument.
We recently were awarded a grant for a 3D printer at school. I installed it in our library maker-space and began experimenting with it. It took me about three prints of some really boring stuff and one awesome Lightsaber model before I searched tractors. I found the above handy little print.
This is the older version of the Massey Ferguson logo and I spent many hours running my fingers over the steel version on Hicks Farms Massey Ferguson 1080. This logo is probably the first brand that I can remember as a child followed closely by John Deere and Ford. I have even bid on the cast metal version of this on eBay only to be beaten by someone who may have had a real need for it in a restoration project. My lawn mower doesn't need it but I feel compelled by a nostalgic history to find one off of an old steering column somewhere and put it on the shelf with the rest of my man toys.
This is why when I gather teachers for professional growth opportunities I ask them if they have begun the process of branding their corner of the world wide web. I am always amazed at the comments. "Why would I do that?" "How does that make me a better teacher?" " I don't need people to find me." "I keep my personal life personal and school life separate." "If the district wants me to have a social network page they will provide it." "I don't have the time."
Interestingly, most teachers have private pages where they have no fear of friending me. I don't always respond because this is their private page and I don't want to know their personal lives. I only want to know their professional interests so I can make sure they are receiving the support they need. This leads to the reason I try to get everyone to brand themselves. This isn't about promotion, this is about staking your claim and managing your information.
If you don't manage your public "brand" someone else is free to do so. Unethical individuals will start posting things about you, someone you upset will flame you publicly on the internet, or even worse you may be tagged by someone in a social situation and you are unaware. A potential employer or worse, a parent, will find all of these unfortunate and often unfair postings when they search. You will be caught unaware and that is not a good thing.
Instead I recommend to educators that they get involved with creating a brand. It could be as simple as a blog page with Facebook and Twitter to start with. They don't have to do much updating but I think they will find that they will expand their social brand as they hear of other ways to leverage social media for their educational goals.
Imagine someone finding one of my iTechNation mugs on eBay in twenty years and buying it because they remember Jake, Matt, Chad and Meredith having fun webcasting every week when they were new teachers or students in their schools. I don't expect a green vs red argument but I will say that I have a couple of pottery pieces from Mr. Wagoner. My high school art teacher is a perfect example of creating a brand and spending a lifetime building its reputation.
Just for the record. Massey, then Deere, and Ford trucks over anything else. I have spent so much time in them I couldn't be a fan of anything else.
The sad part is that this excitement is all reserved for bragging rights over a commercial product. We are arguing over an expensive item we have purchased. No one wants to feel like they have purchased an inferior product so they stand up for their decision. As you can see I have been adding my own twist to the argument.
We recently were awarded a grant for a 3D printer at school. I installed it in our library maker-space and began experimenting with it. It took me about three prints of some really boring stuff and one awesome Lightsaber model before I searched tractors. I found the above handy little print.
This is the older version of the Massey Ferguson logo and I spent many hours running my fingers over the steel version on Hicks Farms Massey Ferguson 1080. This logo is probably the first brand that I can remember as a child followed closely by John Deere and Ford. I have even bid on the cast metal version of this on eBay only to be beaten by someone who may have had a real need for it in a restoration project. My lawn mower doesn't need it but I feel compelled by a nostalgic history to find one off of an old steering column somewhere and put it on the shelf with the rest of my man toys.
This is why when I gather teachers for professional growth opportunities I ask them if they have begun the process of branding their corner of the world wide web. I am always amazed at the comments. "Why would I do that?" "How does that make me a better teacher?" " I don't need people to find me." "I keep my personal life personal and school life separate." "If the district wants me to have a social network page they will provide it." "I don't have the time."
Interestingly, most teachers have private pages where they have no fear of friending me. I don't always respond because this is their private page and I don't want to know their personal lives. I only want to know their professional interests so I can make sure they are receiving the support they need. This leads to the reason I try to get everyone to brand themselves. This isn't about promotion, this is about staking your claim and managing your information.
If you don't manage your public "brand" someone else is free to do so. Unethical individuals will start posting things about you, someone you upset will flame you publicly on the internet, or even worse you may be tagged by someone in a social situation and you are unaware. A potential employer or worse, a parent, will find all of these unfortunate and often unfair postings when they search. You will be caught unaware and that is not a good thing.
Instead I recommend to educators that they get involved with creating a brand. It could be as simple as a blog page with Facebook and Twitter to start with. They don't have to do much updating but I think they will find that they will expand their social brand as they hear of other ways to leverage social media for their educational goals.
Imagine someone finding one of my iTechNation mugs on eBay in twenty years and buying it because they remember Jake, Matt, Chad and Meredith having fun webcasting every week when they were new teachers or students in their schools. I don't expect a green vs red argument but I will say that I have a couple of pottery pieces from Mr. Wagoner. My high school art teacher is a perfect example of creating a brand and spending a lifetime building its reputation.
Just for the record. Massey, then Deere, and Ford trucks over anything else. I have spent so much time in them I couldn't be a fan of anything else.