Vidcasts

What? In class we learned about vidcasts and the various visual tools we can use to help our students stay informed in our future classrooms. I also learned that vidcasts were actually visual productions that our students will watch, instead just listen to as in the podcasts. We talked about four tools available for us to use to make these types of vidcasts. Flip video recorders, PPT (power point ), photo story, and jing.



So What? My group decided we liked working with the photo story tool best. It was very efficient and easy to use and great quality. Together we looked at UEN and decided upon a standard and objective for our 2nd grade lesson. We decided to work on the life cycle of a butterfly. With the photo story program we uploaded various pictures and information toward our subject and started our vidcast. We then planned on the way we would present and a script to use as we prepare our lesson. I enjoyed working with the photo story tool because it was free, which is great in itself, and it is also simple to understand and use.



Then What? I loved working with vidcasts and I think it is fun to create interesting and fun lessons for my future students. I continue to feel it is so important for my students to have many options in staying informed about class, projects, and also in subjects covered in class (in case they were absent or didn't understand the subject the first time it was presented). In college algebra classes, I loved the video recordings and CD's provided in addition to our texts, because I am a visual learner, and by seeing it once in person, then watching it again, and having the option to rewind and watch until I understood was such a great option. I feel that by giving our students these same options their chances of understanding and having success in learning will be increased by using vidcasts. I would like to have a google site created for my classroom which I can fill with all sorts of media to help my students. Vidcasts, podcasts, and related lessons and activities which enrich my daily lessons. As a parent I love knowing what is going on in my child's class, and I like the ability to go to my children's teachers website and have them explain assignments and give more instructions in case my child forgot, or I don't understand what I am suppose to help them with. Vidcasts are a great tool, I look forward to empowering my future students with this tool to help them achieve success.