Prior to my EDUC 552 course, I was somewhat familiar with twitter. I had been exposed to twitter through a couple other classes that required me to be on twitter and follow professionals.  For that reason I was already following quite a few professionals and developing my PLN. However, I did not step far out of my comfort zone and go beyond what my previous courses required me to do. I was actually nervous to tweet! I guess I am a little self conscious and I was worried about saying something that sounded silly even though I have zero issues saying whatever comes to mind on other social media such as Facebook.

This course required me to actually get involved with twitter and I am thankful for it. I had to tweet at least 20 times and I believe I went above and beyond and have well over 40 tweets! I love tweeting now! When I find something educational or inspiring, I am getting out my iPhone and taking pictures to tweet. I also am now on instagram and have used that I twitter as well. I know a lot of people with instagram, but I never saw the need for it until I learned what I can achieve with it. I love learning everyday from so many different people! The links they take us to give me great ideas for my classroom. I also never have been on a chat group of any kind in my life and I can now say that I have, twice :) I got so excited when people from class started responding to me and  I knew I was doing it right! It's the little things in life right!
The most useful thing I have really come across have to be the podcasts! Again, I had heard of them before, but never really knew how to become acquainted with them. I love the Ted Talks that I find on twitter and that is why I subscribed to the Ted Talks podcasts. I love that I had to subscribe to podcasts because I am always getting new podcasts now to listen to while I am on my way home from work or out running errands. It's hard to pick a favorite because I find them all useful. But I really like the English Grammar Help podcasts because there are so many that will be great resources
for my students.

I will definitely be staying active with twitter at least on a professional basis! I am hooked on twitter because now I truly know that I will continue to grow and develop, adding new ideas to my toolbox! I love getting notifications almost daily that someone new is following me. It make me feel like others are finding me valuable to their PLN as well. This class has been very valuable to me and therefore, to my students. Thank You!

Social CLass of The Great Gatsby

I spent a lot of time on this iMovie, but I ran into so many issues with the uploading and the sharing of it. It never uploaded correctly and a full minute of it is cut of because I kept getting a -50 error. I was, unfortunately unable to resolve the issue.

https://voicethread.com/new/share/6679410

I sound like a complete dork in the above voicethead link. It was my first voice thread as I'm sure you can tell! I do feel that it is a great tool to use in the classroom and will be very beneficial for both myself and my students. I am thankful for learning how to use yet another great source of technology to help engage my students!

How to Navigate our Classroom website

Hello, I had a little trouble getting started with this screencast on my mac pro. Once I actually got it, I didn't go back and perfect it because I was afraid I would lose it again! I will definitely play around with it more. I think this can be a great way to show my students how to do certain tasks, especially if they need to do it at home. This could work at school as well in certain situations. I think this is a great tool to have!

3Dme Digital Story Telling

I am so excited that I now know how to not only make iMovies that will be such a fun tool to use in the classroom, but I can now embed it properly on my blog! It's the little things in life :)

First Aid Booklets, Project Based Learning

Please view my new animoto video on First Aid Project Based Learning Project! I can use this as an alternative for writing assignments in my language arts classroom. This would serve a great tool for my students to show me what they have learned and it will give them additional choices. This will allow for creativity and will allow students to work within their learning style. With more choices, my students will be motivated! I must admit that the hardest part of this was figuring out how to embed it on my blog! I am learning though!!!

https://youtu.be/IXJAvd4ITko

Watch my iMovie on 3Dme Digital Story Telling on the above link!

I have been on twitter for a couple of years now, however it is still new to me. I previously took two classes that required me to have a twitter account and follow educators. I developed a PLN (Professional Learning Network) in both courses. Although I somewhat learned how to use twitter, I never really got a whole lot out of it. It took me out of my comfort zone. I was not required to "tweet" or anything else, so unfortunately, I did not bother to step out of my zone. I know a lot of people who love twitter and I hear all the time how great it is. Well, with my new course that I am currently enrolled in, there are many more requirements that are forcing my out of my comfort zone, so to speak! I am not complaining! As I am learning how to navigate through twitter, I am learning so more more about it and how beneficial it really can be, especially for educators! I am excited about twitter now :) So, I am now following many people, one of whom is Richard Byrne, as suggested by my instructor. One of the sites he listed that I found could be very beneficial to educators is http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/03/fivedrop-ways-students-can-share-videos.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=freetech4teachers#.VQRKTFappuY. This website talk about how great it is to teach students how to make video's and share their work so that it is viewed by many more people. The site addressees  the concern that many teachers face. A lot of schools block youtube on their internet access for students. This site shows teachers how they can help their students share their videos on Google Apps. It lists five different ways for students to share videos. Visit the site for more information!

Hello, my name is Tracey Younker. I am currently substitute teaching for the Omaha Public School district. I am looking forward to having a classroom of my own, but in the meantime I have found substitute teaching to be very rewarding. I teach at both middle and high school levels for students all over the Omaha area. I find it exciting to go into new classrooms teaching various subject matter. Each day I have to create a classroom environment that has high expectations so that my students know what is expected of them when I am present. Because I  do this in a new classroom almost daily, it has greatly increased my classroom management skills.
I attended Peru State College for my undergraduate course work as well. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education for English 7-12 in May of 2014. I decided to continue my education without a break because I felt it would be harder to start back up if I took any time off. After discussing my options with a very respected instructor of mine at Peru State College, I decided that getting a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction would suit me best. I was already quite familiar with online course work and I love the flexibility that online classes allot. I chose to pursue a masters degree in curriculum and instruction because I feel that it will enhance my skills, especially coming in as a new teacher at this stage in my life. I also am interested in teaching English courses at the college level someday perhaps at a community college and my masters degree will enable me to do so.
Growing up I did not have much experience with technology and I still feel I am somewhat behind in this area. However, my technology skills have come a long way. As I enter new classrooms, I have been able to use a variety of smart boards, iPads, and elmo devices. I have created a lot of new lessons with the use of technology that I am excited to use one day in my own classroom, hopefully soon! I am looking forward to increasing my skills so that I can better grasp my students attention with engaging activities that they will find fun and useful in their own lives.