Podcost Project Proposal

Final Project Proposal

The purpose of this podcast is to keep parents and students up to date about what activities and learning targets are going on in the classroom. It’s like an “educational forecast” of what will be happening the following week.

My intended audience is my second grade students and their families.
The podcast will broadcast weekly, on Fridays and will be hosted by me, the second grade teacher.The show will be 5-10 minutes long, which will be just enough time to give a quick preview of the following week.

The format of the podcast will be like a video newsletter. It will take the place of the typical classroom newsletter that often goes home once a week.

In my podcast, I will start by discussing what we will be learning in each subject area of the following week. This will just be a general idea of what the target is, such as “identifying rocks and minerals” in science. This will help the parents reinforce at home what we are learning in the classroom and get the students motivated for the following week’s lessons. After that, I will discuss any important events going on that week, such as spring pictures, state tests, field day, etc. I will conclude by announcing the student of the week so they can enjoy some recognition.

Energy Animoto

This week I had the opportunity to create a video using Animoto. I had a little difficulty getting started because I never heard back from my application, so I ended up having to use the free trial, which limited my video to 30 seconds. I would have liked it to be about 2 minutes in length so then my pictures wouldn't go by so fast. Other than that small glitch, I really enjoyed using this program and look forward to being able to use it in my classroom. I could see myself using it when I introduce new material to my students because I think it can really get them motivated and excited about the topic we will be covering. I teach 2nd grade, so anything I can do to keep them engaged definitely helps! I think they would love the music that goes along with the videos.
Picnik was also fun to use. I edited two photos using it. The first one was the very first picture, which I used the "boost" option to make the color brighter. I think as the first slide it helps to make it really pop! The second one I edited was the picture of the CD player. I added music notes using the stamp option. I can see Picnik being useful when it comes to creating the yearbook. Pictures can be edited right at school and might not even have to be sent away to get made. I look forward to sharing these two new programs with my coworkers at school tomorrow!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Article Review

Hi there!

My name is Amber Jaczo and I am a second grade teacher in Naples, Florida. I am originally from a tiny, rural town in Northeast Ohio and have lived in Naples for about 2 1/2 years. I graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio with my Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education in 2005.

Technology is a huge part of my everyday life, both at home and school. I use PCs at both and am not familiar with Macs at all. Technology is integrated into almost every lesson I do. We have interactive whiteboards, called mimio, in my school, which basically turns the whiteboard into an interactive computer screen. I use this during math and reading centers every day, which allows my students to play educational games together all at once. I also use powerpoint on a daily basis, as well as a document camera and audio enhancement microphone. I currently use Office 2007 and love it...although it did take some getting used to at first! My daily classroom life is pretty much centered around technology and I am so grateful that my school district has provided us with so many great resources.

I decided to pursue my Master's degree because my school district has a tuition reimbursement program, so I figured it was now or never! I had been out of school for 4 years, so I didn't want to wait too much longer to get started. I knew right away that I wanted to seek my degree through an online program because I do not have the time to be driving back and forth to college after teaching all day. After researching many schools, I chose Peru State College due to it's affordability and high accredidation. Once I graduate with my Master's of Curriculum and Instruction, I plan to continue teaching and use my newly gained knowledge to ehance my teaching abilities.