erica Heilman - Jan 29, 2007 3:50 pm (#7 Total: 8)


I'm developing a youth radio project in Vermont, and I'm grateful to find this project online. Can't wait for more. One thing I'd love to hear people talk about is the log slog. It's hard to really understand how holy the log is until you've finished your first piece. So it requires a lot of faith to keep GOING on that first project. I'm finding a lot of resistance to this stage of the process. It's slow, kids are not clear why they are logging, and they seem to see no light at the end of the tunnel. A lot of energy is lost in this stage.

In light of this, I'd be real interested in hearing about effective ways of teaching in this strange and mysterious stage of production...and would love to hear what people think are good parameters for FIRST projects (after a quick dip with a vox pop). What have you all found is the best format/length to set kids up for success on their first project? Any advice for a newbie teacher like me?

Thanks a lot.

Erica Heilman

Stephan - May 23, 2007 11:32 am (#8 Total: 8)


Thanks for putting this together, Erin (sorry I'm joining this conversation a little late...I just found your piece on Transom.) I'm the new Education Director at public station WYEP in Pittsburgh, PA, and we're starting a radio journalism program this summer with high school students. Since we're kind of in uncharted waters (for us, that is), any suggestions about starting something like this are greatly appreciated.

Some of the other posters have mentioned this, and I would also enjoy hearing your suggestions about introductory exercises for kids who are totally new to audio storytelling. A lot of these kids come from urban neighborhoods that don't traditionally have any associations with public radio listening. What's a good way to introduce these concepts and spark their interest?

I know not every student wants to be the next Ira Glass, but I think there's a lot of potential there for the students to tell stories that are meaningful to them. What are some short-and-sweet beginner exercises you'd recommend that are fun but also teach the basics and leave them wanting to do more?

Thanks! -Stephan Bontrager