Podcasting in School Libraries

This week as an additional activity we were asked to brainstorm ideas of how we would use a podcast in the school libraries.  My mind immediately went to students recording book reviews that could be posted on the school's website.  I then thought it would be fun to record our bi-weekly lunchtime Nene discussions.  First, I thought about providing a  podcast of the questions that would be asked during the discussions to get students thinking about them.  They could write answers down or simply wing them.  Then I thought about recording the discussions altogether and providing links to the discussions on our website.  I really liked this idea, and although it wouldn't be scripted it would provide a chance for students who missed the discussion to still feel as if they were a part of it.  In addition, students could share the podcast with their parents or students could provide a link in their blogs so that other family members could experience what they are doing in school.

After I got to thinking about podcasts more and after reading Lori Atkins Goodson and Matt Skillen's article entitled, "Small-Town Perspectives, Big-Time Motivation: Composing and Producing Place-Based Podcasts, I started hatching another idea.  My passion for education involves helping military children. Before I went back to work I was heavily involved with the Army's Family Readiness Group.  This group helps to foster a sense of comradery and community among the wives and families of a particular unit.  Since I've started working I still hold onto that passion of bringing people together and giving them a voice.   I now work at a military school located on the army installation Schofield Barracks on Oahu.  Ninety-five percent of our school population is military children.  All year children are constantly coming and going.  I also live on the base and many of the children I see at school I also see in my neighborhood.  Each child has a story they could tell you and each of them has a secret to share with you about how they have overcome the stresses and challenges of being a military child.  Giving these children a chance to tell their stories and provide them a voice would be a course of action I greatly want to pursue.

How I would structure it would be it give students the prompt of, "Tell me about a time when it was hard to be a military child?"  I would suggest telling me about when a friend moved, or a deployment, or them moving, or being away from family.  From there I would ask them to write down their story which will also act as their script.  I would once again give them the prompts, "The most challenging experience I had as a military child was.....",  and "I got over this by....."  I would also ask for them to do a drawing to go along with their picture that way we could display their work either in the library or in their classrooms.  I think this activity would get kids talking and writing who otherwise do not.  I would try to want to do it during the month of the military child in March.  I know the students would love doing this especially if they knew they would get to display their work to an authentic audience, say the general of the base.  This activity could really get students to show off their resiliency in the face of challenges.

Here I've provided a link to the podcast and pictures of an example I did with my eldest daughter Kaydence.  She followed the prompts above and did a great job!  She loved working on this and was excited to be able to record and listen to herself at the end.

Kaydence Stone's writing and drawing.