NPR Ed takes learning on the road (and beyond)

Plus: Introducing Sound Advice, NPR’s one stop shop for podcasting resources [View this email online]( [NPR Education]( March 12, 2023 This week, NPR Ed highlights student podcasting at SXSW Edu, a high school musical gets canceled and then revived, and how raising salmon offers a window into climate change. Plus, caring for sheep in between midterms... --------------------------------------------------------------- NPR Ed Executive Producer Steve Drummond and reporter Sequoia Carrillo at their keynote, "Turning your classroom into a podcasting studio" at SXSW Edu. Janet Woojeong Lee/NPR Hello there! This is Janet. If we haven’t met, hello! I’m the newest member of the NPR Ed team and the producer behind [NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge](. (If this sounds interesting to you, you can learn more from my weekly SPC newsletter: subscribe [here]( This past week, three members of the NPR Ed team – my big boss Steve Drummond, reporter Sequoia Carrillo and I – attended SXSW Edu in Austin, Texas, to present a panel on student podcasting. [Our workshop]( was called “Turning your classroom into a podcasting studio.” (If you were there, thanks again for coming!) As one middle school teacher from California shared with us at the conference, podcasting opens up a new learning opportunity. For this humanities teacher, his students got to process and share their reflections on losing their homes to wildfires. We also get several entries from history and science teachers, who have their students make podcasts to share what they’ve learned in their own voices. And, of course, we hear from educators, librarians, school counselors and more who teach students podcasting for them to explore whatever topic they find interesting. That’s been anything from [tattoos]( to [memes]( to [tater tots]( So for anyone interested in teaching or trying podcasting at all, I want to share NPR Ed’s new resources page – “[Sound Advice: The NPR guide to student podcasting]( One of the great things about podcasting is that it doesn’t take a lot of advanced expertise or expensive equipment – our guide tells you how to make a great podcast with just a smartphone and a laptop. Of course, I strongly encourage everyone to read and click through the page, but here’s a sampler of some of my favorite resources: 🎙️ [Using sound]( Teachers, here’s a lovely video you can play for your class! Or for any visual learners, this is a fun watch. In this video, a veteran NPR correspondent walks you through how to build your own recording studio – a pillow fort! (And yes, this is an actual trick we use at NPR.) 🗣️ [Voice coaching]( Speaking into a microphone is hard, even for our radio veterans. In this video, NPR’s voice coach Jessica Hansen and our training team share a few vocal exercises that will help you sound more natural in front of a mic. I personally watched this video before recording my first radio story, so I’d highly recommend it to everyone! 🎧 [Life Kit episode on podcasting]( In this episode from NPR’s Life Kit, Lauren Migaki, our very own NPR Ed senior producer, brings us tips from podcast producers across NPR, working on all your favorite shows, including Code Switch, Planet Money and more! It’s an awesome listen for a class or on your own. [​​​​​​​Click here for more Sound Advice!]( Check out the link above, and if you have any questions, you can reach me at [studentpodcastchallenge@npr.org](. And if your student is already making a podcast please please please throw your hat in the ring and submit their work to this year’s [Student Podcast Challenge]( for a chance to hear their voices on NPR. Here’s the [submissions page](. Thanks again to anyone who stopped by at SXSW Edu. And thanks to everyone for reading. Warmly, Janet — [Janet Woojeong Lee]( Producer, NPR Ed --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- This week in education news... real-world learning is happening everywhere: in the theater, in lakes and rivers, in the recording booth (hey #studentpodcastchallenge, I see you!) and even, baaaaaaa, on a college-campus sheep farm. Here are stories about the diverse array of challenges and learning opportunities young people are taking up outside the classroom. I’m inspired. — [Abē Levine]( Intern, NPR Ed After parents question high school musical content, curtains close then reopen In some states, parents or school officials have complained that the content of plays and musicals isn’t family friendly. In Ohio, a superintendent shut down a student performance of a high school rendition of Spelling Bee, a Tony Award-winning musical that features student characters with image issues, one of whom has gay dads. Here’s the twist: The show’s creators got wind of what happened and worked with the play’s director–music teacher Vanessa Allen– [to make rewrites so the show could go on](. Raising the next generation of salmon Students are getting their feet wet. A program called Salmon in the Classroom teaches kids in Alaska about aquatic ecosystems through experiential learning: Students care for Coho salmon eggs and release them into lakes when they reach the fry stage – when they can swim and eat. The impacts of climate change and pollution get personal [when students hold life in their hands](. Black history is a family affair Long before [bans on African American Studies courses]( Black families and community members have taken up the responsibility to pass on history lessons where schools fall short. From secret schools for enslaved Africans, to freedom schools of the 1960s, education is an integral part of community life. [Black educators share their pathways]( to learning history and the controversy over classroom content centering race and racism. — [Juma Sei]( Kroc Fellow, NPR Ed And to warm the hearth this week, we post up barnside…🐑 At the University of Maryland, students get their hands dirty (greasy to be exact) rearing sheep. [Sheep Management]( (ANSC245 in the course catalog) is highly popular, so much so that enrollment is limited to those in the Animal Sciences program. The real work takes place on the campus farm, sometime overnight, where students get the call to put on their overalls and [attend to the pregnant ewes]( that they’re each assigned. It's Sunday afternoon, go get some sheep! --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]