Teachers Teaching Teachers #179 - Radio Rookies Finding Where Their Passions Make Good Stories - 12.16.09

In this Teachers Teaching Teachers podcast, we welcome five students from the East-West School of International Studies and two radio producers, Sanda Htyte and Ann Heppermann. We wanted to learn more about the kinds of passionate, intelligent, well-researched radio programs that we hear on WNYC’s Radio Rookies.

This fall six of Paul Allison’s students at the East-West School of International Studies worked with Sanda Htyte and Ann Heppermann to produce radio programs (with images) for the Mapping Main Street project. This was the “Short Wave” program with WNYC’s Radio Rookies. All of these students (and one more from East-West) are now working on individual programs with Radio Rookies.

Radio Rookies Short Wave Mapping Main Street
Short Wave rookies embark on a mapping project to tell stories related to the Main Street in Queens, NY, as part of an ambitious project to map all the Main Streets in the United States. In the fall of 2009 the rookies collaborated with the mappingmainstreet.org project in a 5-week long intensive workshop, hosted by the Queens Teens program at the Queens Museum of Art. The students worked in groups reporting, taking photos, developing their stories, and above all working as a team to tell stories ranging from the cultural conversations of Main Street to steamed buns. View and listen here.

In this podcast, you'll learn more about creating projects for students that are personally meaningful and of interest to others. Learn how public radio producers help young people create high-quality audio documentaries. Enjoy this podcast about Radio Rookies and Mapping Main Street.

Click Read more to see a transcript of a chat that was happening during the webcast.

20:32:11 MJaved: hello
20:33:03 mimi: hello
20:33:20 mimi: is there a live stream at 9
20:35:01 mimi1: hi
20:35:55 mimi1: is anyone there
20:39:41 Jenny Brandon: sorry, I'm working on Voicethread while I wait for things to begin
20:44:11 mimi1: when will the broadcast begin
20:44:16 mimi1: and how
20:45:48 Jenny Brandon: I believe on the hour.  Usually its chat AND voice. 
20:46:42 mimi1: ok
20:48:24 mimi1: it is going to be here
20:53:49 Jenny Brandon: hello paul
20:54:20 gabewarner: hello all
20:54:24 Paul Allison: Hi.
20:54:57 Jenny Brandon: hello
20:55:41 gabewarner: I haven't had a chance to read up on tonight's topic. What is it?
21:01:45 SusanEttenheim: hi everyone!
21:01:53 Jenny Brandon: hello!
21:02:09 gabewarner: hello
21:02:14 Jenny Brandon: Should I be hearing something?
21:02:24 gabewarner: i'm not
21:03:19 Jenny Brandon: We could sing some carols!
21:03:26 Jenny Brandon: fa la la la la
21:03:41 SusanEttenheim: hi jenny click on edtechtalk A
21:04:00 Jenny Brandon: bless you
21:04:21 SusanEttenheim: hi jenny do you hear us now?
21:04:40 Jenny Brandon: gotha!
21:04:43 Jenny Brandon: gotcha
21:04:49 SusanEttenheim: oh great and everyone else?
21:04:55 gabewarner: not me
21:04:57 SusanEttenheim: hi gavbe and javed
21:04:58 SusanEttenheim: welcome
21:05:17 gabewarner: i'm in
21:05:45 SusanEttenheim: great can you all hear?
21:06:05 SusanEttenheim: please introduce yourself! I teach at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, NYC
21:06:25 gabewarner: I teach at Pleasant Run Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio
21:06:36 Jenny Brandon: 2nd grade daily and 6th-8th after school in rural West Tennessee
21:06:43 gabewarner: yikes
21:07:24 SusanEttenheim: javed - please introduce yourself!
21:08:01 Paul Allison: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/
21:13:05 gabewarner: teaching is always a noble option
21:13:47 Jenny Brandon: at this time of year, noble is not the word I'd use - more like crazy
21:14:05 gabewarner: hahaha
21:14:21 matt montagne: hey all
21:14:27 Jenny Brandon: hello
21:15:09 Paul Allison: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/#loc=Salt%20Lake%20City,%20UT
21:15:53 matt montagne: hey peggy
21:16:15 Jenny Brandon: hello
21:16:20 PeggyG: Hi! I'm on the East Coast tonight and forgot about the time change.
21:16:46 PeggyG: I'm so glad I didn't miss this!
21:17:30 SusanEttenheim: hi matt - hi peggy welcome!
21:18:02 SusanEttenheim: peggy - where are you??
21:18:15 PeggyG: I'm in Pittsboro, North Carolina :-)
21:19:09 PeggyG: is there a link where the Main Street stories are shared?
21:19:53 Paul Allison: http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/shortwave/queens.html
21:20:02 PeggyG: thanks!
21:20:43 gabewarner: just to clarify, does this [i]have[/i] to be main street? or is this a reference to the "main street" in a neighborhood?
21:21:10 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/285576896/radio-rookies-producers-and...
21:21:25 PeggyG: I read some of the earlier posts about Main Street on Youth Voices and it seemed many of them were about the Mexican border town.
21:21:29 Paul Allison: http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/shortwave/queens.html
21:22:40 gabewarner: what subject was this for? Language Arts I assume...
21:22:58 Paul Allison: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/
21:23:09 Paul Allison: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/blog/2009/12/radio-rookies/
21:23:14 PeggyG: don't be shy Helen :-)
21:23:52 gabewarner: sorry about all the questions, I'm kinda new at this
21:24:23 PeggyG: your questions are great gabewarner!
21:24:35 SusanEttenheim: yes!
21:24:56 matt montagne: so, is mapping mainstreet a project, kinda like "This I Believe." Did these students create a story about the main street in their backyard?
21:27:22 matt montagne: ahh, thanks for answering that...
21:27:40 SusanEttenheim: hi lexichan welcome! please introduce yourself!
21:27:47 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:27:57 SusanEttenheim: or go to school ;)
21:28:00 lexichan: I'm a student at East-west
21:28:06 SusanEttenheim: welcome!
21:28:22 Paul Allison: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/blog/2009/12/radio-rookies/
21:28:41 PeggyG: your blog is very impressive!!
21:28:48 Paul Allison: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/#loc=Salt%20Lake%20City,%20UT
21:29:19 gabewarner: So it could be for any subject or cross-curricular
21:29:22 gabewarner: even
21:29:46 PeggyG: I read quite a few of the blog posts about Arizona Town, Main Street and found them really interesting since I live in AZ. :-)
21:30:15 Paul Allison: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112763684
21:31:24 PeggyG: thanks for that link Paul. I hadn't seen that but had only seen the blog posts on Youth Voices. I can't wait to read this!
21:32:56 PeggyG: that's a great response!! your audio documentaries are definitely more personal and very interesting!
21:34:47 matt montagne: Kinda thinking about Bob Seeger's "Down On Main Street." It is about Main Street, Ann Arbor (Michigan)
21:35:20 Paul Allison: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/
21:35:28 PeggyG: this is such a great model!!
21:36:01 matt montagne: the cool thing about projects about this is they require many different kinds of skills...you can't stick them in one departmental silo
21:36:13 PeggyG: thanks Ann!
21:36:25 gabewarner: It's a beautiful thing
21:36:40 PeggyG: that is so true, Matt! very integrated and definitely crosses all subject areas!
21:37:36 Paul Allison: http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/shortwave/queens.html
21:37:44 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/285576896/radio-rookies-producers-and...
21:39:53 matt montagne: what are your favorite kinds of equipment in the radio rookies?? What kind of mics, video cameras, etc?? Is it expensive, or do you use stuff like flips??
21:40:16 PeggyG: Matt are you thinking of linking up Gator Radio Experience with this?
21:40:40 matt montagne: in my mind I am definitely thinking of that Peggy
21:41:05 PeggyG: do you have a Main Street in Palo Alto?
21:41:31 matt montagne: but, 'm having a challenge simply engaging our students on my end right now...they are busy with lots of different things and I'm struggling
21:41:54 PeggyG: your students are VERY busy!! I can understand!
21:42:15 SusanEttenheim: wow I listened to it matt not that long ago and it sounded great
21:42:17 PeggyG: maybe Gator Radio could host an interview with Radio Rookies :-)
21:43:07 matt montagne: peggy, that would be great...our students could learn tons...
21:43:29 PeggyG: love that idea! name your recorder :-) kind of like having an avatar for a recorder :-)
21:43:35 matt montagne: cool
21:44:32 PeggyG: that is such a great idea to explore the stories of the homeless!
21:46:00 PeggyG: @Matt--I think your students have a lot in common with these students--some very deep thinking and reflection going on!
21:46:26 Paul Allison: Matt, do you want to join us for a moment soon?
21:47:05 Paul Allison: Oh... feel better!
21:47:54 matt montagne: Thanks, Paul. I'm just enjoying listening...and not feeling great today.
21:48:17 PeggyG: that's a very interesting observation! both learning more about your own roots/culture as well as that of others around you!
21:48:26 matt montagne: looks like the radio rookies has an intergenerational project, Susan
21:48:47 matt montagne: http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/stories_senior.html
21:51:16 PeggyG: do the students feels like they're taking big risks to share their personal stories?
21:51:17 SusanEttenheim: thanks matt!
21:53:00 matt montagne: What kind of peer feedback have they received??
21:54:20 PeggyG: wonderful idea about the safe space conversation!
21:54:58 PeggyG: I'd love to hear the student response about that process
21:56:16 matt montagne: what strategies do you employ so you don't capture too much media...wow, 6-8 months of content has to be difficult to pour through
21:56:22 PeggyG: that was a great description without mentioning the specifics!
21:56:31 matt montagne: it was indeed, Peggy...
21:58:10 matt montagne: I would like to participate in radio rookies...sounds like an incredible learning journey...
21:58:22 PeggyG: I agree Matt!
21:59:26 matt montagne: truly a deep dive into the digital storytelling process...
21:59:26 PeggyG: do they always start with the audio stories or do they sometimes start with photos they have taken to begin to explore ideas that are inspired by the photos?
22:00:15 matt montagne: Makes what we do in schools with digital storytelling so "surface"
22:00:41 PeggyG: I'm so impressed with the ideas and topics they are coming up with!
22:00:51 matt montagne: oops, meant to say, *makes what we do in schools with digital storytelling seem so "surface"
22:02:36 PeggyG: these are very real stories which make them very powerful!
22:02:54 matt montagne: when you start your stories early in the process, do you listen to radio rookie projects that have been archived?? Have there been any that really influenced you or you remember well??
22:04:15 gabewarner: having been there, I can say that the sounds around the house is a WONDERFUL idea, and would be great for him to listen to as well.
22:04:28 matt montagne: wow, the diaries serve as a "mirror" into thier thinking...a way to understand their own thinking better
22:05:52 PeggyG: it really sounds like they are choosing their own stories based on something they care deeply about rather than geared to a particular audience
22:06:14 matt montagne: wow, I'll have to listen to Rocky's Story
22:06:45 SusanEttenheim: I was at a program at Radio Rookies with some other teachers and they all talked about Rocky too!
22:07:10 matt montagne: http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/Midwood/Rocky.html
22:07:14 matt montagne: rocky's story
22:07:21 gabewarner: this has been good. Thanks.
22:07:23 PeggyG: this has been so inspiring! I'm really learning a lot!!
22:07:36 matt montagne: agreed, Gabe and Peggy
22:07:55 matt montagne: What a great webcast (typical of the TTT Team!!)
22:08:06 PeggyG: for a story to "work" does it require an audience?
22:08:08 matt montagne: kudos to all of the youth on this 'cast
22:08:17 matt montagne: good question, Peggy
22:09:11 PeggyG: do all of the students have mentors?
22:09:54 PeggyG: thank you so much to ALL the students tonight!! You are amazing!!
22:10:01 matt montagne: Paul and Susan should be the NYC feeder for the Radio Rookies program!
22:10:03 gabewarner: great job guys
22:10:19 matt montagne: http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/
22:10:22 SusanEttenheim: I've been trying for years to get them in my school ;)
22:10:41 SusanEttenheim: paul has the magic touch :)
22:10:56 PeggyG: They need to tell this story on the K12 Online Conference!
22:10:58 matt montagne: inspiring stuff
22:12:20 PeggyG: thank you all!! a great show! I can't wait to explore the links and re-listen to this webcast!
22:12:26 Paul Allison: Thanks for the great questions Matt.
22:12:37 PeggyG: bye everyone
22:12:42 Paul Allison: Thanks Peggy.