Hi gang! Welcome to the podcast Bing on the ring! We have a voice and this podcast is for and by the young people of the North, and for the not-so-young too.
Background music enthusiastically introduces the podcast.podcast"produced by students in class 7e and 8e year at École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima (Longlac) to listeners.
The podcast projectBing on the ring!", a first for Aurores boréales CSDC schools, is designed to introduce students to Northern Ontario and promote the activities taking place in our communities, particularly in Longlac and the Greenstone region.
It's a group project that helps develop various skills and knowledge. "With the support of Nancy Fournier-Leclerc, the pedagogical advisor, we created a pedagogical project by and for the students, with clear objectives," explains Vicki Rancourt, 7th grade teacher.e and 8e year at École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima. "The project allows students to promote Francophone culture in digital as well as develop their global skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, digital citizenship, entrepreneurship, self-evaluation, and more. They also discover multidisciplinary skills such as visual art, music, French (reading and writing) and oral communication."
From naming the podcast, to choosing the logo, music, themes and topics, the students were at the heart of the decisions and planning. Ms. Rancourt explains that the name of the podcast was an easy group decision: "One of the ideas we brainstormed was 'Bing on the Ring!'. Like the Voyageurs, we have a school theme song about raftmans. It represented the school and our community so well."
Themes and topics
The first block of six programs focuses on Longlac. "In brainstorming sessions, students pulled out their interests like camping, surviving in the woods, fishing, and local activities," elaborates Ms. Rancourt. "In their groups of two, they chose the most interesting topics and worked out the points they wanted to discuss." Students can also conduct pre-recorded and live interviews with community members.
Planning for the second block is already underway, and the theme is the Greenstone region. "We learned a lot from the first block. The students listened to each other and were proud. But there was a lot of feedback. For example, the show wasn't long enough, and the students were talking too fast. The group decided they wanted to continue with another block to keep improving," adds Ms. Rancourt.
The project is a great source of pride for both the students and the school. During the nutrition break, the programs are broadcast over the school intercom. The hope is that the project will continue next year, and that other schools in the Council will be inspired by this first project to launch a podcast in their regions.
Bing on the ring! is available for listening on Spotify.
