This is such a wonderful recognition for the effort of our 8th graders and Herricks Community. The NPR contest was something that we felt could be a fun challenge. Because each submission was required to be within 3 and 8 minutes in length of a topic of the student’s choice, it seemed like a great way for students to create something short and yet have a powerful message. I was floored when I found out that we had so many student groups in the honorable mention category. These students in addition to all of the students in the course should be proud of their work. 

In our Content Creation Foundations elective; students brainstormed, planned, recorded, edited, and produced podcasts of their own creation. These podcasts were crafted using professional equipment and software that the students became proficient in using within a short period of time. This was no small feat and these students deserve the honor of being recognized. Although podcasts have been around for some time now, this is something that you might not expect from a middle school aged student.

In these projects, students found a way to connect with this medium in topics that they felt resonated with them. Some podcasts were for entertainment purposes, some podcasts were intended to inform the listeners about specific topics, while others were a platform for students to share their stories. Regardless of the topic, each of the students brought their own voice and authenticity to their recordings. They met with one another to create show notes on their chromebooks, recorded using Shure Dynamic MIcs & our RØDECaster Pro II, and edited using Logic Pro on our Macs. In addition to this, students learned some basics of sound engineering, removing mistakes and unwanted noise in recording, and had the difficult task of editing to allow their stories to shine. Students learned how to find music and properly give credit for intellectual property of the recording artist. Some students scheduled interviews with adults in our building or their peers. They even spent time coming up with descriptions of each recording, a name for their podcast and artwork. These shows can be found online for others to hear. I am in awe of our first year students and look forward to this Fall in year two of our elective. This is all possible because of the tremendous support from our parents, administrators, teachers, staff members, students and school board. 

If you would like to hear more from these students please take a moment to search for Herricks Studios in your favorite podcasting app.