Education Galaxy

What is Education Galaxy?

Education Galaxy is an online website and app that students, parents, and teachers can use. An additional bonus to this program is that it is offered in both English and Spanish. When you log onto the website you can select a state and see what standard the different games are meeting. This is a helpful tool for teachers to plan out their lessons and find an interactive and engaging way to teach these standards, but also a good way for parents to reinforce learning objectives at home too.

This tool is used as both an assessment and a game. The child that is using this resource will be asked multiple-choice questions and then there is a chance for the student to play one of the galaxy games for a short time right after they answer the question. This allows the student to practice what they are learning but then also have a reward of playing a game too.

This program is also highly individualized for the student. Not only do you get to select the state that you are from and the standards that you need to practice but you can also find a full report of the individual student with their goals and achievements. This piece allows parents and teachers to link the child to their account so that they can also keep track of student learning.

This part of the website will point out areas that the student is achieving highly in and also the places that the child should be spending more time practicing. This information can help the student, parent, and teacher to plan another way to study those areas and also reward the student for the achievements through this program.

Not only are there games and assessments for the student to take part in to practice these skills but there are also tutorials and videos linked to helping the student further understand the skill. This feature is considered "Alien Explanation" and these videos are shown when a student is struggling and they need a little more help with finding out the answer. There are over 10,000 Alien Explanation videos available to the students to watch and learn from providing all the help the child might need while learning.

How Do You Use Education Galaxy?
The first step in using Education Galaxy is to make an account. If this account for the student is being used in school the teacher can give the students a class code so the teacher is then linked to the accounts of all the students in the class. If the account for the student is being used at home the parents can ask the child for their code and then link to the student's account. There is a cost for the parents to create an account however the teacher account is free. These steps can be done on both the website and app version of Education Galaxy. After creating the account and signing into the account all users can view various topics and select the grade level that the student is in. After selecting the grade level you will also select the state so the games match the standard for the state. After the student sets up the account they are able to go off and practice their knowledge. They will be asked a multiple-choice question followed by a game and continue through the round until all the questions are answered.

Research on Education Galaxy in the Classroom

Using this app and website can be an easy addition to any classroom. This can be used as an assessment to check understanding of the topic learned that day, but then also reinforce topics covered in previous days. For my lessons, I will focus on the use of the North Carolina Essential Standards. If you did not know what standard you wanted to use, as the teacher planning the lesson, this website has a whole list of all the topics and matches the standard for you. There has been a link found between students who use Education Galaxy and performing better on both Math and Reading levels improving through this individual and engaging learning practice. However, to have this occur again as it did in the research conducted it needs to be implemented in a similar way and used strategically both at home and in school.

My Personal Experience
I have not used this app or website for my own learning but I was able to play around with both when I was researching. I like the idea that parents, students, and teachers are all linked through this program. I also like the idea of being able to use this both at home and in the classroom so parents can see what the child is learning but then also reinforce what they have already learned. I also like the idea of having a program that is individualized for the student but then also allows the student to have all the resources within the program available at all times.

References
Online State Test Preparation: Online Practice Tests: Education Galaxy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://educationgalaxy.com/.

McRel International. The Impact of the Education Galaxy Online Assessment, Practice, and Instruction Programs on Fourth Grade Mathematics and Reading Achievement. (August 17, 2019). 

Tynker Coding for Students

What is Tynker? 
Tynker is a hands-on website where children can learn how to code through the use of an interactive curriculum. This is considered the number one coding platform for kids and has sixty million kids worldwide participating and using the website. This website offers a curriculum for both at home and in school. Students can create their own games, website, apps, toys, and Minecraft all on this website. When students click on the control toys block of the website it pulls up a separate webpage where you can see all of the award-winning coding projects and it is also filled into different interests. This website also has areas for children to explore vocabulary related to coding as well as gain background information needed to understand how coding works. Students are also able to explore games that others have created and explored STEM concentration ideals.

This program can be used both at home and in the classroom and has lesson plans for each of them. There is a full curriculum for how this works within the classroom. Both in school and at home curriculums work with the website as well as the mobile app.

Teachers are given resources such as lesson plans, assessments, access to other schools using this website, and classroom management tips and tricks. There is a mixture of lesson plans for various grades as well as some that are free and others that you need to pay for. The programs are broken up into elementary school, middle school, and then a full curriculum that can be beneficial for kindergarten through eighth grade. 

Then for the parents, they are also given resources to try and help their students learn and engage in the curriculum at home. There is a webpage for parents that explains all about coding and shares information about how coding can be used by any child with varying interests. They can track their child's progress through this learning and can see how this learning can relate to the classroom. This curriculum can be used strictly outside of the classroom as well and still help the students learn math, organization, writing, and critical thinking skills. 

How do you use Tynker?

This company has broken its programs into three levels based on proficiency levels of coding and age. The students can go through the levels and gain the needed skills related to their level of coding. This curriculum for both in school as well as at home use costs money and can be purchased in either form.  The student will then have access to the online webpage with a majority of the instructional tools as well as the extra needed materials that will be given in the program package after purchase.

The first level is for ages four through seven where they are going to learn to code through voice instruction. Here they are going to work through problem-solving skills and create simple apps of their own. They will also begin to master the introductory stages of coding and the uses of various areas of this website and curriculum. 

The second stage is for ages seven through thirteen. This stage would be considered a drag and drop coding instruction. The students in this age group and stage would be more independent but also have the guidance of the curriculum and website to help them. Here the student will be working on building their own apps and games and also explore STEM subjects in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. Not only will they be working with coding online and building apps but they will also be able to take their learning outside of the website and control robots and drones through the use of coding. Lastly, this stage also includes the idea of Minecraft models and activities. 

The last stage is for thirteen years old and older. Here the students are even more independent in their learning and they are experiencing real-world coding. They will learn new platforms such as JavaScript and Python. They will also expand their knowledge on web development and learn new data structures that they can use in the real world and in their new projects and games. This is also an introductory curriculum for those who would like to continue and take an upper-level Computer Science course as they continue their education. 

Research on Tynker
Learning these skills at a younger age, students can excel within these skills later and even progress into an upper-level school which has a STEM program. Tynker is looking to be further developed and more accessible to students within the next few years. Tynker is looking to expand their interests for the lessons and adding other topics such as Barbies, Hot Wheels, and Monster High to intrigue more children to want to learn about coding. Tynker is also joining with other companies such as Mattel to help expand other 21st century skills to offer to students. Tynker is also linking with Mattel for their Mattel Code-A-Thon to help encourage students to get involved in programming. Tynker is also merging with Teacher Outreach which is another company that will help with this expansion of encouraging students to get involved in programming and provide teachers with resources that they need to provide students with these opportunities. Through the use of these meaningful play experiences, students of all ages are able to gain these skills that are both beneficial inside and outside of the classroom.

My Personal Experience
I have been able to explore the basics of this website as well as see a student work with this type of technology. I have seen our own versions of coding happening during our Lego Education Days as well as the Lego Education Showcase where we have students both in elementary and middle school working with STEM ideas and technology related to it. We allow students to work with Legos as well as basic coding systems and robots. Here the students are in charge of their learning and fulling engaging in what they want to make. They are given the basic tools and from there can run free through their imagination and creativity. I have recently been very interested in STEM and plan on continuing my education in a STEM Concentration to further my knowledge and abilities to teach my students.

References 
Alessi, K. (2017, October). Tynker Review for Teachers. Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/tynker.

Coding for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.tynker.com/?t=reset.


Mattel Expands with Tynker. (2018, April 6).Retrieved from https://www.licenseglobal.com/industry-news/mattel-expands-tynker.

Screencastify

What is Screencastify?

Screencastify is a free Google Chrome extension for screen recording. When using Screencastify you can simply record everything that you are doing on your screen and share it with other sources.  These sources include social media, Youtube, your personal webpage, and whoever else you want to share it with! This website allows its users to record videos up to ten minutes long and up to fifty videos per month! If that is not enough then there is an additional plan, which includes an additional price, where you can go for longer than ten minutes and record more than fifty videos a month!

Screencastify allows you to save the video online, on your computer, or to your GoogleDrive. Not only does Screencastify work when you are online and connected to the internet but it also works when you are offline too. This means when you are not on connected to the internet you can still record, save, and edit your screen recording. This feature makes created a different lesson much easier! Screencastify can be used for personal, school, or work-related activities which broadens the users and resources that you can find through this website.

This screen recording can capture your whole screen, a tab, or just a window on your computer. This means you can share what you want to share rather than everything that is visible to you. If you are sharing a project and you do not want all of your other tabs to be visible then sharing just your one tab that you are working on would be the best option for you. However, if you are creating providing various resources and documents within your screen recording then using a whole screen recording will work best for this scenario. Not only does Screencastify show your screen but it also allows you to record your voice too!

This screen recording process also adds additional features such as a mouse spotlight to really capture your viewer's attention on something important that you are showing them. You can also use the mouse to draw on your screen recording while you are recording. Another additional tool that Screencastify offers is a click highlighting tool to show where you are clicking to for those who are following along or using your recording as a tutorial on how to do something.

How do you use Screencastify?

To start using screencastify you create an account and decide what type of screencasting youu would like to use. From here the casting will begin. After you start your casting you then can decide what types of tools you would like to use, highlighting tool, webcam, mouse spotlight, and drawing tool, to help your lessons run smoother. From here all you have to do is show what you want! You can use this to show a lesson, a discussion, or even a webpage. This can be recorded prior to showing it or you can record your screen to show those who are not in class what you did today.

Another common use of screencasting is to use it for sub lesson plans. Many teachers have reported using this program to help them when they are absent from class but still, want the class to run as if they are there. In order for this to work, the teacher uses screencastify to share their whole screen, audio, and webcam if they feel comfortable. From there they can decide what they want to show and how they want to show it. This allows the class to be taught the lesson rather than doing "busy work" and falling behind on the content. The only thing that the substitute has to do from this point is press play to start the recording and the class will go on.

Research on Screencastify in the Classroom
Over the past couple of years, there has been more research and use of what we call a "flipped classroom." This is when the instructional content is given to the students outside of the classroom typically through the use of the internet and videos. Then when the students come into class, after learning outside of the classroom, they work on activities and projects that would have typically been done for homework. Teachers are able to record lectures on Screencastify and then share it with their students to perform this flipped classroom model. Screencastify allows teachers to record the whole lecture, part of a lecture, assignments, problems and solutions, and feedback to the students.

Screencastify also helps teachers keep track of their busy lives by recording and sharing what they are doing in class. If they are not using this flipped classroom model, teachers are still able to record what they did in class that day and share it as a resource for students and parents to go back to when working outside of the classroom. In the classroom, teachers might also share other teacher's screens that they have found online through the website. There is also a page within the website that shares webinars for both teachers and students to view.

This resource can easily be used by students as well. You can have them perform presentations using this website and have them publish it for their peers to see. You can also have them hand this in as a project. Another use for Screencastify would be to check the understanding of a certain skill. This could be how to find information, a math problem, or anything else that you are teaching in class. They can do this project either in the classroom or outside the classroom and hand it in as an assessment to check their understanding.

My Personal Experience 
I have not had much personal experience with this application until I came to college. I have now seen my professors using this application to host classes outside of class when there is inclement weather or they are unable to make it to class. This use of the program keeps me and my peers on track to learn all of our needed lessons and also have a resource to go back to at any time considering it is usually posted online somewhere. Not only is it convenient but it also makes the class more interesting. Having the class done like this or in a flipped classroom style allows students to go at their own pace. Sometimes when sitting in class there are times that students may doze off or stop paying attention as the class goes on and having the class prereocrded you can go at your own pace. However, it does get complicated when you have a question in the middle of the lesson and have no one to ask as you are not in a room with the teacher or professor.

References 
Curtis, E. (2017, January 13). 7 Super Screencasting Activities for School. Retrieved from https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/01/screencasting-activities.html.

Screencastify. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.screencastify.com/.

Screencastify. (2017, May 25). Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ieATZ5fwk.

Skype Skills

Getting to Know Skype

Skype is an online video chatting tool that can be used for various reasons. These reasons may include personal use, business use, or even educational use. Skype can also be used for messaging and international calling which makes the available connections almost endless. This program can be used on phones, tablets, computers, and even smartwatches and some video game consoles. Therefore, you can either download skype on your computer or it doubles as an app for various tablets and phones. Majority of how this program work is the same on both types of uses. On the app, it is a little more condensed but you still get all the same features and abilities that you would have on the computer. This is an example of what the screen would look like both on the computer and on a phone. They have the chatting feature as well as the ability to create groups to start a video chat call. An additional bonus to using Skype is that it is free! However, if you decide to add international calling on a mobile device it is an additional cost, but you do get a month free trial! Skype gives you the option to chat with one or multiple people in all forms of communication- chatting, video chatting, or calling.

On top of the personal use of Skype, businesses can use it as a way to check in with one another or use it for conference meetings. Skype also allows the user to share their screen which can be beneficial for both educational use and business use. Skype is also pairing with the Microsoft Teams program which adds to the abilities of Microsoft Office 365 and the benefits that businesses get from using it. This Microsoft piece allows users to share files from their accounts through Skype to others who need to view or work on them. Working on projects in both of these fields is now becoming easier and easier when technology is being used. On top of having Skype help the overall functionality of connecting with people from other places, Skype can also give you the option to record your screen and share it later or subtitle the conversation so that everyone can both see and hear what you are saying. 

Skype in the Classroom

Using Skype in the classroom you can take the student onto virtual field trips as well as explore with other schools what they are learning. On the Virtual Filed trip page, you can explore different options based on subject, age group, and location. These trips allow you to take your students to museums, parks, zoos, and other places that you may encounter through reading a textbook or a place that comes up in classroom discussion. For example, they can create projects based around a museum in another country and create a presentation on it. On this website, there are also step by step instructions on how to use Virtual Field Trips and how to set up your Skype to allow you to access all of it correctly. If all that information still is not enough Skype offers a course on how to use this piece. Then you can share your experience with on your trip to other educators and people around the world.

As for exploring other schools, you can connect via video chat with other countries and classrooms via the Educational Skype program. You can also use this as a way for students to explore places that are not in direct reach, but now they can explore it on their own virtually. As an educator, you can connect with others across the world. There is an option to also connect with already finished collaborative works from different locations, subjects, and age levels. Here you and your students can gain more understanding of various cultures and gain skills such as empathy and compassion for others. You may also work collaboratively on a project with another group of students or several groups of students. Then when you complete this project with your class you will also be able to share it with Skype to pass along to even more people.

In addition to these features, Skype in the Classroom has guest speakers broadcasted on the website for additional learning. On this part of the website, there is also a step by step instruction page on how to use Guest Speakers both in your classroom and the general knowledge of how to set up on your own. Again, if all that information still is not enough Skype offers a course on how to use these Guest Speakers correctly and efficiently! There is also an added bonus to this area of Skype in the Classroom, this addition is that you can apply to become a guest speaker if you are an expert in one area or another. Through this page, you can find a speaker that knows about the topic you are sharing and teaching your class and you can watch videos that they have already posted or use this as a resource to start your research on that particular person or topic. Then from here, you can invite the speaker to collaborate with your classroom. You can invite the person to talk to your class and give them advice and inspiration for their own work and learning.

Students are also able to work collaboratively with others both in their own classroom and in other classrooms maybe even in other countries. Students can create connections and resources through this website and also learn about different topics through the Skype Lessons page. Again on this page, you can search through all the lessons available on the page and sort through them by age, subject, and location. These lessons are often related to some of the guest speakers that have already launched their videos in that section of the website, but this page offers other topics and another resource to start a lesson. Educational Skype also works hand in hand with Microsoft which also brings other pieces of technology to the classroom where students can use them to create projects and have another learning tool.

One last area that Skype in the Classroom offers is the Mystery Skype option. This is a fun game that classrooms can play to try and guess where the other class is from. You can sign up as a class to be a mystery classroom and then be paired with other classes that are also playing the game. There are additional resources like worksheets and notebooks to help take notes and look for clues that might help you solve the mystery. There is also a song that you and your class can learn in a way to get your class engaged and have more fun with it! Through all of these areas on this page and the opportunities that Skype offers your students are gaining more out of their learning. They are gaining communication skills, problem-solving skills, and overall life skills by adding more technology in the classroom. Here your students can develop a well- rounded mind and become globally indulged in their learning by exploring other countries. This exploration happens both by video chatting and these virtual field trips and other lessons offered online. Your students can also gain skills and open their minds to other topics and ideas by watching other students model concepts different from the way that they are used to seeing it be done. 

My Experience with Skype

In my personal experience with Skype, I have used it for both my personal use as well as in my classes. I have been using Skype for years now to video chat with both friends and family. I used to use it more when I did not have access to Facetime. I remember in the freshman year of high school we actually took the time and used Skype in the classroom. At this time I was taking a Spanish class and my teacher wanted to connect with one of his contacts from a high school back in Columbia. While we were on here we connected with a class that had students around the same age as we did. We both showed each other a little bit of our classroom while we displayed their screen up on our SmartBoard. Then we tried to have a little bit of a conversation in both Spanish and English. Just being able to see the difference in cultures at both the school level and other areas such as dress and structure of life opened us up to learn more about each other. Having the conversation in Spanish made it real to my class. We were learning this new language but only practicing it with each other and on assessments. Now we were able to have another connection, a connection that was not right next to us but rather one that was hours away.  Both my teacher and the teacher in Columbia were able to plan this into their lesson and create a lesson plan together. They were collaboratively working on getting this connection and planning future times to work on projects together and connect other classes too. This was an important piece for a language class and I believe it can be important for other classes as well.

Having this global mindset pushed into our classes makes it feel more real. It is one thing to learn from a textbook and see how different other places are but then seeing it and hearing it from others that are in that place make it real. Now knowing how much more is out there for the uses of Skype and the resources that the company is producing I do plan on using it in my classroom. We can connect with other schools, reach out to experts in a field we are studying, and take virtual field trips to places that we come across in our learning. My students can also use this as a way to connect with each other. They can use this as a chatting resource or a place to share their screens when working on a project. These skills that they can learn through Skype will be able to be carried over into their personal and work lives later on.

References

Communication tool for free calls and chat. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.skype.com/en/.

Heick, T. (2019, January 16). 50 Ideas For Using Skype In Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/50-ideas-for-using-skype-in-your-classroom/.

Skype in the Classroom - Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview.

 

All Access to Animoto

All About Animoto

Animoto is both an app and a website that is open for anyone to use. It can be used by both professionals and students. There are several different types of accounts that you can have as well. These plans include a free trial and then also several paid subscriptions that each allow the user to have more features throughout the program along with more features within their work. When signing up for an account it will also ask you what type of account you will be making videos for. The choices in this are either education, personal use, business, pro- photography, or other. They also offer the ability to use it for family, business, photography, education, and real estate plans. This program allows the user to make videos to create a more engaging way to facilitate information.

Animoto can be used in two different creations which they call these "memories" or "marketing" videoes which helps the user create the right environment for their topic. Inside both of these video pieces, the program allows you to attach music, sounds, and text to the project. The project base can either be pictures, videos, or both. Within the system, these videos can be used for social media, promotions, educational clips, businesses, celebrations, and community projects. These projects can be made either by hand or with the help of some of the templates that are offered within the program. The editing side of this program is fairly easy to use and is often changed by clicking a button or dragging part of the video to another place. There are several tabs on the side of the screen that makes navigating through editing easy.

These tabs are labeled with which function you are working on and then walks you through the steps. There is a full music library that you can use when picking background sounds. There are also libraries of pictures and videos. In addition to the ones listed on the website, you may also upload your own and make it more of your own piece. Other functions that you can use to make your video better suited for you are changing the pace and also the song trim. In addition to changing the pace of the whole video, you can have certain slides, text or pictures, stay longer than others. There is not a limit on how many videos you can make or how many can be stored in your account. In fact, when you are done Animoto even makes it easy to share your videos to various social media platforms and downloading it to your computer. Animoto has been able to partner with other companies such as Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram which makes it easy to share with other platforms, but Animoto is also compatible with other companies such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

Animoto Everywhere
Animoto can be used in various places, but my main focus for using it will be in both the classroom and a professional setting. On the first day of school, I can use it as a recap of my past summer and for me to use it to introduce myself. As the days go on, I can then use it for a hook into my lesson to get my students engaged or to open them up into a new topic. By doing this they will gather questions and get excited about a new lesson. I can also use this as a recap from the lessons that I have taught. I can use this as a "send the message home" type of resource. I can pull the main topics out of my lessons and then either use it as an opener for the topic or I can use it as a summary for my students. These videos can be anywhere from thirty seconds to a couple of minutes so with that ability to pick my timeframe I can decide how much information goes into it and how long I want my students to be engaged.

I can also have my students use this resource to do activities of their own. I can have a project where they have to make an engaging lesson to teach the class or a way to share the information they learned. I can either share this resource with them as an option or make it mandatory that they use it. I can also have them create a virtual field trip of a place they either traveled or a place they want to travel. bringing this form of technology into the classroom will allow my students to be more involved in their projects as well as in their learning. Other projects may include a vocabulary word assignment or a book review or trailer. These projects using Animoto do not all have to be linked to English or Reading, in fact, they can be used for all subjects within the classroom.

I can also use this to present information to fellow professionals and colleagues that I will be working with. I can present current research that I will be doing or even use it once again as a way to introduce myself. I can also use it to share current data within my classroom and share the resources that I am using or the activities and projects that I will be doing. I can also have this professional feel in my classroom when I have events with parents such as "Back to School Night." These events are the type that I want to show my professional side as well as have an engaging way to show myself to others. Having a basic presentation of yourself will not leave an impression on someone else and will not keep people listening to what you have to say or show.

Animoto Put to the Test
Research focuses on the idea that new technology needs to be taught in the classroom in efficient ways. In one research article I read they talked about how "If we teach today's students as wee taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow" (Wickline). This can go for all forms of technology in the classroom and especially for programs such as Animoto where students can express themselves and show their learning in other ways other than taking an exam, test, or quiz. This idea of teaching technology has brought up the idea of a "practice consists of teaching “reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and designing in print and nonprint media using pop culture and digital technologies” (Wickline). Using technology students can collaborate, show their understanding, and communicate through technology. Using technology such as this program may also help increase motivation and engagement in assignments. This is important especially for inside the classroom since educators are always looking for ways to increase these two things within instructional time. When educators use forms of technology in the classroom students will be more willing to participate in projects and become more willing to engage in these activities.

My Personal Experience 
I have not had a lot of practice with this app until I started this project. However, since I have been working on this project I intend to use it for other classes and parts of my life. I am going to use this for my tutoring when I am working with my first and fourth graders to see if this helps engage them in the lessons that we are going over. I can easily use this application for lessons such as sight words or writing activities when we practice writing an "About the Author" section. I can use these as a way to demonstrate topics both in and outside the classroom. I also plan to use this in my own classroom when I have an opening to a lesson or to a new book that we will be reading. This app can also be an easy way to have an engaging and different entrance to a "Do Now" or "Question of the Day."

References
Ha, Anthony. (2016, October 6). Animoto gives businesses an easy way to create social videos.
Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/06/animoto-marketing-videos/

Kievlan, Patricia Monticello. (2016, November). (Online Image). Animoto Review for Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/animoto

West, Moria. (2016, May 5). 10 Ways to Use Video in Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://animoto.com/blog/education/ways-use-video-in-classroom/

Wickline, K. (n.d.). Bringing Lessons to Life with Animoto - ReadWriteThink. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/bringing-lessons-life-with-30885.html

Using Twitter and TweetDeck in the Classroom

Technology in the classroom is becoming a more popular debate when it comes to how a teacher will use it and whether it is beneficial for the students. Some side with the idea that technology is more distracting than helpful, where others favor the idea that technology can add to the classroom. Therefore, finding new ways to incorporate the ever-changing use of technology in the classroom can sometimes be harder than one might think. Two apps that work hand-in-hand with helping educators find helpful resources to add technology to the classroom in a beneficial way are Twitter and TweetDeck.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is an online social media platform that houses various forms of information. Yes, this app can be used for personal use, but after digging into it and exploring all that Twitter has to offer you can find recommendations for anything and everything. Not only are you finding recommendations, but you are also keeping up to date with the changes happening all over. Twitter has users in all different realms of life. You can find information from politicians to the weather to sports all in one place. Twitter allows for one person to start a conversation or what they call a "tweet" and then others can comment on the original post. This comment then begins a chain of tweets related to the same topic. You can also input websites, links, articles, videos, and pictures into these comments and tweets. Users can also search for topics, people, keywords, and hashtags. This app allows for connections all over the world to get connected over similar topics, ideas, and opinions.

What is TweetDeck?

TweetDeck is directly linked to Twitter. In fact, you use your Twitter account to log in to TweetDeck. Here you are able to see your Twitter from a different point of view, a more organized and focused view. On TweetDeck, you are able to tweet, reply to other tweets, and organize. You are able to organize the view of your TweetDeck into various columns. These columns may include messages, notifications, tweets, and you can also add columns that are related to a certain topic and you can name this topic. From here you are able to have another column that has certain accounts and topics in one column. This view of Twitter allows an individual to focus on what is most important to that person and not the rest of the tweets that are seen on twitter. This feature will also allow people to separate their personal content from the content related to other topics such as educational resources, sports, or entertainment. TweetDeck allows your Twitter timeline to be put into separate timelines that run at the same time, but in a way that the person would not miss anything of importance to them.

How Do They Work Together?

These two apps work hand in hand with each other. They allow for important information to be put in the right places for the person using Twitter to see. There are sections for personal use and for the importance of information. TweetDeck does not have to be used for only serious information. You can still see the sports events taking place and you can also still use it to message through Twitter. TweetDeck just makes the overall exploration of Twitter easier to sort by topics. Twitter has it all there in one place happening at the same time and exploring all parts of information chronologically. Twitter is like a binder it has all of your information inside it- important or personal- and TweetDeck is like the folders or dividers inside the binder that have the topic written on them and divide the subjects into sections. 

How Can I Use This in the Classroom?

As a future educator, I will be able to use both Twitter and Tweetdeck in my classroom. I will be able to keep track of the Tweets most important to topics that I am focusing on. I can also have my older students be able to connect with their interests, ideas, and opinions with others from around the world. My students will be able to have one platform to start their exploration of these topics. I can also have my students create fake Twitter profiles as a project. They can either use this platform or they can even use the template and recreate a Twitter for a particular person of study. Twitter, in particular, can also be used for teachers and administrators to be in contact with each other both in the same school as well as internationally. This may also be used for the teachers to be in contact with families as well. On top of talking through Twitter, it may also be used to share your classroom and the work your students are doing. On top of this, the educator is able to gather the new trends and techniques that other educators are using in their classrooms. Twitter may also be used by the students in a way for them to no have typical homework and instead of writing a response to something they read or research about they can use Twitter to spread their findings. Twitter may also help students learn the important skill of summarizing since a single tweet can only be 140 characters. This skill will be needed as they continue through their schooling and using Twitter can be a fun way to practice that.

My Personal Experience

I have been using Twitter for a couple years now mainly for personal use and keeping up with friends as well as celebrities and sports. I actually used Twitter for a project in high school where we needed to be a particular person in history and respond as they would to events happening during that time. My view of Twitter has changed over the years and I am now currently more involved in using it for the TweetDeck feature where I can see what I am most interested in and also use it to help me improve my techniques used as I am student teaching and observing in classrooms. I also plan on using the resources and references found on Twitter and TweetDeck to help me pull ideas for when I am writing lesson plans.

References
Lynch, Matthew. (2017, October 23). 10 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom. The Edvocate. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/30/teachers-turn-to-twitter-for-solutions-connection.html

Brenneman, R. (2015, September 25). Teachers Turn to Twitter for Solutions, Connection. Retrieved from https://www.theedadvocate.org/10-ways-use-twitter-classroom/

Techboomers. (2017, July 25). How to Use Twitter. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=5jWNpLvdocU