Tool Factory and Olympus Announce the Winners of the 2008 Podcasting Grant Contests

Sunderland, VT, May 27, 2008– Tool Factory has just announced the winners in the Tool Factory/Olympus Podcasting grant contest for 2008.  Tool Factory and Olympus teamed up to provide Tool Factory Podcasting software, Olympus digital voice recorders and microphones, Tool Factory’s Simple Guide to Podcasting as well as an annual subscription to Clip Art Station, Worksheet Station and Web Page Station!  A total prize package of $2,860, for each of 7 lucky winners!

Educators were challenged to submit a creative and compelling lesson plan incorporating all aspects of Podcasting.  The best lesson plans had a high degree of student involvement.  Over 200 educators entered the Podcasting Grant with deadlines of December 2007 and April 2008. 

The December 2007 winners are:

• Frances Lamb, New Paltz Middle School, New Paltz, NY
• Lesson Title: Digital Duck Radio ALC
• Joyce Pushpak, St. Michael School, Independence, OH
• Lesson Title: A Nation Divided
• Jennifer Smith, Monticello Middle School, Monticello, IL
• Lesson Title: Super Science Sleuths Explain It All: Circumnavigating the Circulatory System
• Jane Smith, A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary, Stittsville, ON Canada
• Lesson Title: The Omnibus Vodcast

The April 2008 winners are:

• Abby Hooper, East Side Elementary, Brownsville, TN
• Lesson Title: From East to West Across the US
• Monika Kordowski, Lake Garda Elementary School, Burlington, CT
• Lesson Title: Las Noticias En Español
• Mary Pella-Donnelly, Chico Junior High, Chico, CA 95926
• Lesson Title: Chico Junior High's Healthy Character Broadcast Program

Winning lesson plans included using podcasting to improve spoken foreign languages, using podcasts in class discussions as well as scientific lesson reviews, interviews, dramas and songs to enhance learning.  Other winning ideas included using podcasting to chronicle historic events in history, and even visiting historic sites and interviewing the students while in the presence of history! 

Read The Winning December 2007 Lesson Plans Here

Read The Winning April 2008 Lesson Plans Here

3 Runner Up Prize winners from each grant deadline will receive Tool Factory’s Simple Guide to Podcasting Book/CD set. 

ABOUT TOOL FACTORY

Tool Factory is a woman-owned, Vermont-based business with the goal to make a difference in US education by providing superior educational software. The catalog offers over 150 titles, including a suite of digital imaging products designed to maximize the use of digital imaging in the classroom. Teachers, students, and parents join the Tool Factory staff in testing products to ensure that they are easy to navigate, fun to use, and beneficial to the learning process.

Media Contact: Jennifer Sweeney
Tool Factory Inc., 3336 Sunderland Hill Road, Sunderland, VT 05250
Telephone: (802) 375-6549 Ext. 201 Fax: (802) 375-6860
E-mail Address: Jennifer@toolfactory.com
Orders: orders@toolfactory.com
Website: http://www.toolfactory.com

ABOUT OLYMPUS IMAGING AMERICA INC.

Olympus Imaging America Inc. is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering award-winning products for consumer and professional markets.

Olympus is committed to enhancing education by bringing the benefits of digital technology to all subject areas at all grade levels.  Olympus provides complete digital solutions for the classroom including digital cameras for visual learning and digital voice recorders for podcasting.  Visit Olympus at: http://www.olympusamerica.com