Power of the Podcast

"Can we record a podcast today?" 

"Are we doing anything fun toda-- oh yes! The podcast!"

"We figured out how to use WeVideo on our own so we would be ready to record today!"

Engagement is always at the forefront of my mind as a teacher.  I put pressure on myself to constantly revise and design lessons and units that excite my students.  I remember days in school when I just stared at the clock waiting for the class to be over, and then I remember going to the next class and being so engaged that it felt like the class time was cut in half.  As a parent now, I have developed a new perspective with a hope that my own kids will generally feel excited to go to school.  That the pressures placed on educators don't diminish the "why" of why many teachers chose their profession.  I, too, struggle with the balance of the "have to dos" and the "want to dos" within a given day.  It has become my personal goal that I turn as many "have to dos" into "want to dos" at every chance I get.  I'd be lying to say that there are times when my grand ideas fall flat when turned from theory into practice.  Except for one idea.  The podcast.

About four years ago, I was approached by one of our instructional coaches (@PavkovAnna) to experiment together with student podcasting.  We collaborated together to turn our "Article of the Month" writings into podcast episodes where we aligned our learning goals with a (hopefully) more engaging platform to show understanding of chosen standards.  Thus was the inception of "Our Take" podcast. Since the birth of "Our Take", we have continued to make sure students were at the forefront of this project.  The podcast was to be student run.  Students would be choosing the content, as well as navigating the logistical functions of the recording process.  Time and time again, I am blown away by what happens when I step back and let the students take charge.  Of course there was some nagging hesitancy when I realized I was allowing adolescents to have free reign on a public platform to express their opinions on current events, yet that thought was immediately halted when I realized that is precisely the purpose of the podcast - allowing students to read, critically think, and develop their own voice.  And the result?  Confirmation that giving students the freedom was, and is always, the right choice, despite any (false) perceived risk. 

This year, my students have fully embraced the idea of a podcast enough for be to confirm this learning output method will be here to stay for some time.  I've had groups hear me mention the word "podcast" and take it upon themselves to learn the process before I even taught it to the whole class.  I've walked over to groups where I thought they were arguing about nonsense, only to discover they were debating points within an article they found.  It is evident students love to podcast.  But it is even more evident that students love to have choice and ownership of their learning.  I started the school year providing the articles for students to reflect in the form of a written response to learn the general process.  This was usually meant with groans and heavy sighs.  Fast forward to today, and my most hesitant learner is checking in with me multiple times through class with questions about the article and ideas.  And the students that hands begin to sweat when the word podcast is mentioned?  The standard assignment remains.  However, the ability to provide alternate options for those non-traditional learners is where the magic is made.

We as educators are excellent at administering the "have to dos", and many students are excellent at receiving the "have to dos".  School, in the traditional sense, comes easy to many.  But what happens when it doesn't?  Do we provide more supports to push students into a box that they were never made to fit in?  Or do we design a new box?  A box we want to build, but we can't find the time.  What keeps me going in these chaotic times of education is designing those new boxes and labeling it as a "have to do".  Many times the construction is strong, but the execution is poor.  We learn from it, and other times, the box is built, then redesigned with the help of my students.  And sometimes, the box is designed solely by my students.  In the case of the podcast, the box has is holding strong, and the students who were made for it, are fitting quite nicely.