5 Minutes to Your Very Own Podcast

As a school counselor, I am always looking for ways to get the important messages out to students and parents. College prep, scheduling, mental health and social media trends are all important topics that tend to take more time and conversation than can be gleaned through email, a letter home or a newsletter. 

Factor in that students and parents are busier than ever before, and you need a mode of communication that can be simple and time effective: Podcasts!

What I absolutely love about listening to a podcast is that I can do it simultaneously while completing a task.  Driving – podcast. Laundry – podcast. Mowing the lawn – podcast. It incorporates perfectly into my day’s agenda and I can find a snippet of time to learn while I work. Are you or your school interested in starting your own podcast? Here are five tips to get yours up and running in five minutes or less

1. Find a platform.
At Chadron High School, we do not have copious amounts of extra funding lying around, so we love a free platform! Check out Anchor or Podbean, which are easy to use and get the job done from a computer, phone or tablet. It’s as easy as signing up with an email address and exploring.

2.  Don’t get hung up on equipment.
Did you know you can record a podcast from a set of headphones? Do not get caught up in needing a fancy microphone or state-of-the-art sound studio equipment. First try a few episodes from your computer’s built-in microphone or a pair of Apple Airpods – you will be surprised by how good the quality actually is. Then, once you’ve committed to leveling up, check out microphones on Amazon, and make sure to read the reviews.

3.  Get real and listen to your audience.
What topics are really needed at your school? Are you having a hard time with student mental health stigma? Are kids afraid to take hard classes for fear of failure? Is sexting and inappropriate use of social media an issue in your building? What topics are truly an issue and how can you have a conversation with stakeholders to help them better understand the full picture? As educators, we have experience that holds value for parents who might be navigating these school years for the very first time. 

4.  Listen to other schools and educators podcasting.

• Cardinal Cast (Chadron High School podcast for students and parents), available on iTunes, Spotify and Podbean.
• The School Office: Nebraska high school counselor of the year Loni Watson and high school principal Jerry Mack discuss tips and tangible tricks for working with students, parents and educators.
• NETAGo – The Podcast: Professional development and technology in education on the go with flexibility and accessibility.

Loni Watson was named Nebraska High School Counselor of the Year.