Second Show - Students’ Radio Play
Hi -
this is the second show of Schoolmaster’s Podcast. One of the ideas I have had in the back of my mind is the use of podcasts for student-made serialized radio plays or audio books. Creating radio plays has been almost a standard in our curriculum, especially in the language classroom. My town has the privilege to have an independent radio station, the Offener Kanal Jena. It’s perhaps good to know something about the concept of those “open stations”: In Germany, you have to pay a monthly fee for every TV-set and radio you own. This fee goes to the public stations, since they do not run commercials most of the time. This money also enables them to create some programmes that might not be quite as mainstream (documentaries etc.). A part of this money goes to these “open stations” as well: small communal stations (mostly radio, but there are a few TV stations as well) that have to be open for anyone who wants to produce and broadcast a programme. They provide studios, technology, air time and help. Plus - and here we’re getting to the point - most of them offer support for schools that want to do some radio work. Our station does that, in a wonderfully supportive manner. So, some of our 10th graders (when they were still grade 9) decided to produce a radio play (as a result of an English homework 
). They did most of it on their own, just very little support from some teachers and quite some help from the station. But ideas, stamina, work etc - that all came from the students themselves. Incredible, I just wish we had more kids like that. With their play “Kutikula” they earned a rather prestigious award from our federal state’s Media Board. And they certainly deserved it!
I won’t give you the story of the play, of course - just listen yourself. I’ll post the other episodes piece by piece, so stay tuned!
Here we go - “Kutikula”, chapter one.
Kutikula 1
Wundebar! I can’t wait to hear the next one! THey are artists! I will tell my English students in Japan to give a listen.
cheers
mits
Kommentar von Tim Murphey — 26 Januar, 2006 @ 1:32 am
Thanks for the feedback. Indeed, the kids have my greatest admiration, too. It will be great for them to hear that they’l have listeners in Japan!
Uwe
Kommentar von uwe — 26 Januar, 2006 @ 7:05 am
Guten Tag Uwe und die junge Leute aus Jena (man kann wohl nicht von Kinder reden wenn Ihr nun in die 10.Klasse sind, oder was?
What a lively story - the real sounds are fantastic, still letting us hear the dialogue very good when in the background, and creating the wanted effect of getting attention when needed. I’m delighted and willcome back for next episode. The link for the Open Radio in Jena was temporarily out of order.
Now you also have a listener in Denmark!
Sus
Kommentar von Sus in Denmark — 30 Januar, 2006 @ 11:52 am
Dear Sus -
thanks for the kind words - even in German
The kids will appreciate the feedback. I’ve had a look at the link, the server seems to have a problem…
Thanks again, we’d be happy to have a listener for the next episodes in you.
Uwe
Kommentar von uwe — 30 Januar, 2006 @ 12:14 pm
I’d like to echo Sus - this is a fabulous idea, and I’m sorry I’ve only just managed to find the time to listen to it, otherwise I would have mentioned it in the presentation on podcasting I gave last night.
Uwe, I’d love to see you write something (here, on your blog, or at our ELT Podcasting Moodle?)about how you went about preparing the students for this, and also the practicalities of recording the sessions and adding the sound effects.
I too can’t wait for the next episodes!
Kommentar von Graham Stanley — 2 Februar, 2006 @ 1:28 am
Graham -
thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you liked it! About the creation of this play: as I hinted at in the little introductory text, the kids did about all of it themselves. A colleague of mine gave her class a homework, they should invent and write down a little story (starting fom a certain point). A group of students pursued that further, ensured the help of the radio station and used their studio. They recorded it there and got help from some people there. My involvement was just that the kids repeatedly gave me their scripts and asked me to go through it as far as language is concerned. Sound effects etc - I’ll write something about this in the Moodle, oK?
Thanks again,
Uwe
Kommentar von uwe — 2 Februar, 2006 @ 8:58 am