I have to admit I’ve been a fairly slow adopter of
podcasts. I am not a talk radio fan and
I loathe listening to books on tape, so podcasts have always seemed like a
weird hybrid. When "Serial" became popular I ignored all the hype as I learned my lesson years ago with "Forrest Gump", the more people talk about
something the more it’s sure to disappoint.
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon "Mortified", the premise of which is
to get adults to read writings from their teenage years. Public humiliation? Angst riddled sentiments? Badly written poetry? Hormone fueled
declarations? Now that is something I can get behind.
As a classic film nut, my favorite so far has
been 17
Katie: Saving Kathryn Hepburn where an adult Katie reads letters she wrote as an eighth grader to save "the four time Oscar winner from the snatches of hell" after hearing her idol was an atheist.
There are plenty of mortifying moments shared from around the world, many of which your students could relate to. Be sure to preview any podcasts before sharing, though, as sometimes the content is not so school appropriate. The premise could be easily adapted for high school journalists to cover staff members in a fresh and maybe, even, in a more relatable way.
What are some of your favorite podcasts?
Jennifer Woolsey
Sunrise Mountain HS
Peoria, AZ
Peoria, AZ
I'm devoted to NPR's "Wait, Wait -- Don't Tell Me" (a weekly news quiz that has comedians improving all kinds of funny answers) and "Le Show," Harry Shearer's audio blog. I also listen to the podcast of Doug and Wolf, the local sports talk guys, when I walk my dog. It's a great way to listen.
ReplyDeleteGlad the institute stoked your interest in these.
Steve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix