Hello everyone!
My name is Nicole McCracken. I currently live in Ogema, SK, which is known for having Solo Italia – an Italian pizza place, Bud’s BBQ – a wonderfully tasty restaurant, and the Southern Prairie Railway – a southern Saskatchewan summer train riding experience. I live with my husband Tristan, and our two cats, Katara and Zuko. Alongside working towards finishing my education degree, I work as a secretary for our church and a bookkeeper assistant for Tristan’s family grain-cleaning business, MGS. Together, Tristan and I lead our local youth group.
A few facts about me are that I originally come from a farm outside of a small town (app. 250 people) in Alberta, I love playing the piano and singing, I have been to 7 countries, I love shows and movies that have blooper reels, and I love spending time and laughing with friends and family.
I feel like its hard to identify where my level of experience is with educational technology. In most of the social circles that I am a part of, I am often considered one of the “techie” people who knows how to figure things out technologically. I usually attribute that to being able to take the time to explore new technology, as well as knowing how to “google” things. However, I like to think that I have somewhat of a knack for being able to learn how to use different technological apps, websites, or programs. I enjoy learning new programs or using new apps, especially if they help in making my life simpler or more creative. Although I may not know all of the new and innovative programs that exist particularly within the education field, I am usually fairly open to learning about it and taking a stab at using it.
When I think about the thoughts that I have surrounding blogging, the initial thought I have regarding it is that it seems to be very overwhelming. It feels vulnerable and too open to potential judgement. Blogs are a place to share personal thoughts, perspectives, or learnings around different areas and topics. With how public blogs are, this openness with having outside people seeing what I share sparks a little bit of fear. I hope that as I practice creating blog posts and grow more comfortable with sharing my personal thoughts, I will learn to enjoy blogging.