Two episodes in, and what are we learning about this initiative? Our small team of willing and able Year 9 students who take Digital Media as a subject have learnt so much collectively. Also, as the teacher in charge, I am developing some strong beliefs about the merits of why a school should build podcasting into its repertoire of available learning experiences.

Collectively we have learnt that:

  • Matching up people’s diaries to find a time that works for an episode to be recorded is challenging! We are so grateful for the alumni who have put themselves out there to be our first guests. They are all very busy people who aren’t necessarily living and working in Jindabyne and available at any time. I am also so grateful to our three students, Kai, Abbie and Gracie, who have been a part of this to date. They are a pleasure to work with and have been willing to give their own free time to host the podcasts.
  • After two episodes, and with a pipeline of guests to come, we need to build momentum and embed this into our developing strategies to stay connected with our alumni.
  • Commitment is key. When you agree to be part of an episode as a host, you understand what is required to be present and ready. Our students are managing this in organising who the two guests will be for an episode. They let me know what they have decided and I trust they have the rest in hand.
  • Preparing for an episode takes some time. This includes preparing a script that is built specifically for the individual guest. It’s setting up and testing the technology. It’s setting up the studio space with plants, lights and signage. It’s also packing it all down.
  • New skills in editing are needed to compile three cameras worth of footage and one sound file in order to create enjoyable watching for everyone.
  • It is rewarding to see the finished product hosted on Youtube and Spotify and realise that it is available for anyone to watch and listen.

What I believe are the benefits of creating Welcome Back as a podcast:

  • Our students are learning to engage in meaningful conversations. As each episode is recorded, I am noticing the confidence that our hosts are developing. If you watch Episode 2 with Karl Van Goor, you’ll see two young girls in Abbie and Gracie feeling confident to expand on lines of enquiry and revisit new content that has been given to them from their guest. They are not simply reading a list of questions with no consideration for the responses they are given. They are adapting and developing the conversation. It is special to watch.
  • Being a confident and capable conversationalist is a skill that not everyone can claim to own. It is as much about listening as it is about speaking. The more we can develop opportunities for our students to practise this, the better they will be equipped to leave school and manage themselves in a range of social situations that range from professional to personal conversations.
  • Our alumni are prepared to share their stories with us, and this is special. We have always been so proud of our alumni and have been aware of the diverse pathways that they have taken. We appreciate that many travel away and only some return. Being able to tap into their journey through this podcast is a lovely way for them to reconnect with us and for us to feel a continued connection to them. When Karl was asked to sum up SMGS in one word, he instantly said, ‘Community’. We are proud of this, and I believe that it is a genuine feeling shared by our teachers, students and families. It is lovely to have this reaffirmed by an alumnus who has been out of school for eleven years.
  • We are showing others that you can build content that is worthy of an audience beyond the classroom walls. This is real—no marks, no grades, just the satisfaction that you created something. The reward is in knowing that it can be enjoyed by anyone.
  • We have scope to build on our podcasting offerings and I am excited to see this grow within the school over the coming year.
  • The hardest part of all of this is believing you have a message worth sharing. Once you land on something that is decided to be more than a self-serving experience, you are ‘off to the races!’

Listen to our latest Podcast here:

Scott Frize

Head of Faculty, Art and Design