LAUSR

ABSTRACT Visual media and virtual reality are now a common features of distance education environments. This has boosted research into questions surrounding visual media and technologies for educators’ professional development and teaching practice. This research explored educators’ views on identity and teaching presence in visual media in distance education. We interviewed 18 experienced educators and categorized their views on identity and visual media. The findings suggest that digital identity can be seen through the lens of networks with others, and that transmedia identity management, which we define as the ability to create and manage multiple identities across different technology platforms, is a key competence for online educators as a means of building trust within online learning communities. As a result, we modified the theory of tele-proximity (Themelis, 2013, 2014; Themeli & Bougia, 2016) by refining its concept of tele-teacher presence to include transmedia identity management. The implications for practice are that the professional development of online educators should include knowledge and competence in tele-teacher presence and especially transmedia identity management.