Vidcast Reflection

Jamie Huston

Heather Allan

October 5, 2010

Butterfly Life Cycle Vidcast

In learning about producing a vidcast our team was able to look at the curriculum on our particular grade level and decide on a standard and objective lesson to base it from. At that point we went to google to collect various photographs and images to add to our presentation. Google docs was a wonderful resource for all of our pictures and we were very happy with the results of our searches. As we set our slideshow together on the photo story program we were able to put our images and slides together to create our end vidcast production.
We were also able to use the recording tools to add narration to our vidcast, this helped our vidcast by adding information and helped the slides take on more meaning for our students. Working with the photo story program was a great experience. It is a great tool and easy to use application. In creating our vidcast we were able to use the various photo story tools to enhance our production. These tools were the recording option, the photo crop and enhancement tools, and overall we felt that the photo story program was extremely easy to use and helped us create a very professional looking end product.2nd Grade - Content CoreStandard 3: Students will develop an understanding of their environment.
Objective 1: Investigate relationships between plants and animals and how living things change during their lives. We thought this would be a great lesson for second graders about a butterfly life cycle. The vidcast could be continued and compared to the life cycles of other insects or animals. We also talked about a continuation of this lesson into making your own back yard habitat for attracting butterflies.
This vidcast connects to the NETS Standards by helping support and model creative thinking. This vidcast will connect with students on multiple stages of learning. It would be used to promote the students creativity and it also personalizes learning activities using digital tools and resources. NETS that were modeled in this vidcast were 1 - a & d, 2 - a & c, 3 - a b & d, 4 - b & c, and 5 - c & d.
The INTASC Standards were used to enhance student learning by using age appropriate pedagogy and resources to help with the students learning. This vidcast reflects on a lesson about the life cycle of a butterfly. In the vidcast, professional demeanor was used as well as appropriate photographs. This type of vidcast would be great to reflect on things which have been or will be taught. Specifically, INTASC Standards 1 - E, 2 - B & F, 3 - D, and 5 - C & D were used.
Potential drawbacks for using this series in a future classroom may be the time involved in producing a project and having it include pertinent information. However, once the initial effort was made and the photo story was finished, there would be minimal adaptation for future uses. Limitations could also come from the lack of technology available in our classrooms.
We would like to use this vidcast and others to be created to teach the 2nd graders about different life cycles and also continuations of the changes that happen in an environment when life cycles are interrupted. By creating various vidcasts, we can address many different subjects and show how their life cycles are affected by the environment.