24 February - Digital Stories Part 1

What?

This week we were introduced to Digital Stories - what they are, what they're used for, and the different components that make up a Digital Story.

So What?

Digital Stories are a great, new way to present information.  Unlike an boring lecture or a dull PowerPoint, digital stories really draw students in.  A digital story is almost like a short film or a trailer.  Teachers and educators can use digital stories to tell all kinds of stories from all kinds of perspectives.  They incorporate many different sorts of media, mix it all together, and produce a fun, engaging, useful combination of images, music, sounds, and narration.  

Now What?

Digital Stories are very practical in the classroom. Teachers can present a digital story to their students to introduce/teach a new unit, or much like for this class, students can be assigned to make their own digital story to teach a subject.  This was of storytelling is especially useful for visual learners.  It tells them a story without requiring the students to have their nose in a textbook.  I'm excited to learn more about digital stories and look forward to mixing them into my own classroom.

Vidcast Key Assignment

Andrea Katter

EDEL 3250 – 02

Vidcast – Key Assignment

1.       “Awesome Classroom Workout with Andrea, Laura, Jessica, and Alisha”

2.      Health Education - Grade 2, Standard 1 –.Students will develop a sense of self, Objective 2 - Develop and apply skills in fine and gross motor movement

3.      My team and I decided that physical health and fitness would make for a great Vidcast.  With child obesity being a major problem in the United States, we felt that promoting movement and exercise in the classroom would not only be extremely beneficial to students’ health, but it would be fun and engaging as well.  Instilling a positive view on exercise and stressing healthy living habits to children as they are young, the more likely they are to maintain those habits in their futures.  Doing quick exercises in the classroom can demonstrate to kids that exercise can be fun, and establish that exercise and taking care of our bodies is vital to living healthy lives.

4.      One drawback that might be involved with this particular Vidcast is that it might be easy to lose control of students.  They might get wrapped up in the comical aspect of it and see it as an excuse to goof off.  Incorporating comedy into the classroom isn’t a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t overshadow the point or moral of the lesson or activity.

5.      One advantage of this Vidcast is that it is very flexible, so to speak.  You could easily adjust the material or exercises to properly fit the age or grade level of the children viewing it.  For younger grades, or even kindergarteners, you could do simpler exercises or stretches.  For the higher grades, you could incorporate more complex moves.  Another advantage is that exercise and healthy living is universal and timeless.  You could show a Vidcast, similar to this one, to any grade, at any school, at any time.

3 February - Podcasts

What?
Last class, we learned about Podcasts. Yet ANOTHER thing I had no idea about.  We learned what they are, what their purpose is, and we even made our own podcasts.

So What?
Podcasts are incredibly beneficial - for teachers AND students.  Teachers can create fun assignments, like the one we did this week.  My partner Laura and I had so much fun making our own podcasts, and I'm sure many other groups enjoyed our assignment.  Students benefit from podcasts because if they miss and class and their instructor records the lesson on a podcast, they can listen to that podcast and still be on track with the rest of the class. Also, students can use other peoples' podcasts for research or further reference.

Now What?
Podcasts are another example of how technology is changing education.  They change communication between teacher and student completely.  Given, with podcasts, there is less face-to-face interaction, which is always important, but podcasts are still a fantastic way for students to learn and for teachers to teach.  In my opinion, podcasts might be more useful for college or higher level courses than they would be for elementary classes, as far as missing classes.  However, I think that podcasts can be extremely beneficial and fun in the classroom.  Now that I know what they are, I can see myself incorporating podcasts into my future lessons or activities.