Grade 7s at College Park have been challenged to chat with experts and produce a podcast series for the last four years. This year’s class has taken up the mantle and is busy making contacts in various fields.
With over 20 students in the class, it makes for a range of topics over the school year.
Stephanie Derkach, a licensed practical nurse since 2019, gave of her time to visit with the class and chat about her job. She was grilled on everything from the most difficult moments, her favourite Tim Hortons and how she relaxes after a hectic shift.
“I give medications, I check vital signs, get people moving after surgery, wound care, coordinating with doctors, and processing orders,” says Derkach.
She started her career at the Jubilee Home, then on the medical floor at the Lloydminster Hospital, then Home Care and now back at the hospital on the surgery floor.
She says some of her colleagues are taking extra training to work in the operating room, but she enjoys working on the floor with the patients.
“It’s a totally different place to be, helping people to get better to go home,” says Derkach.
Grade 7’s, Declan Morgan who was the moderator of the podcast added a few questions that were not part of the original script.
“What’s your favourite colour, (and as a nurse), what else do you look for,” says Declan.
The student has done a couple of the previous productions and enjoys some of the technical aspects like checking the voice levels on the computer as the podcast is being recorded.
Teacher, Cornelius Krahn says this was the fifth show for the school year as each student gets to invite someone to be interviewed for the podcast series. Sometimes they may do as many as two productions in a day. The longest show has been 90 minutes, and the shortest about 10 minutes.
“We have interviewed people from across the globe. We have had guests from Switzerland. We video-chatted with them. What I like about podcasting is that it is really opening up their (the students) world, but it is also making their world small. They can communicate with people all over the world,” says Krahn.
The educational technology consultant with the Lloydminster Public School Division adds the podcast teaches communication skills, confidence to sit in front of your class and lead a discussion for 30-50 minutes.
Krahn notes that Declan did an amazing job.
“Whatever the student’s needs; we are able to adapt the podcasting program for that student. We have students that are super shy. We organize it in a way that they are not physically in the room, but the entire class gets to participate in it,” says Krahn.