Description
For more than ten years, the European School Radio provides educational tools and services that enable schools in Greece, Cyprus and other school units across the
world to create and broadcast original sound content. Today, the European School Radio’s Repository contains more than 10.000 original digital audio creations that empower intercultural communication and understanding.
Greater student participation and the increasing creation of podcasts within schools over the years, in tandem with the popularity of podcasts in society and, more particularly, in education, necessitates the use of podcasts for educational purposes as well as their evaluation on the basis of specific criteria so as to pay tribute to excellence.
At a time of rapid flow of online information, students are urged to investigate and assess information, become critical readers and listeners, discover knowledge in an experiential way and create their own content across themes studied throughout the school year either in the classroom or over school projects and interschool collaborations. The podcast as educational tool offers unique opportunities for the development of skills like collaboration, communication, exercise of the right to free speech; what is more, it operates as sound and/or audiovisual content in digital form that incorporates speech in an authentic communication framework and may be replayed in the classroom as teaching material in order to enrich the learning experience.
A podcast is a recorded episode, either one-off or part of an episodic series that presents a topic through the use of various techniques of radio speech. The number of speakers varies, ranging from a monologue to a panel discussion. Nevertheless, the structure must be designed in advance and the text should be the result of probing into the chosen theme. An original play, a sound documentary or a fiction story can equally be featured.
At the same time, radio is inextricably linked to music which is placed high in education, cutting across all the modules and grades of school life, offering unique opportunities for the development of critical thinking in students, regardless of grade. The making of a song, as educational activity, enhances teamwork, cultivates emotional intelligence and encourages self-expression whilst applying a multi-dimensional approach that combines different areas of knowledge such as language, maths and social sciences. The value of song making also stems from empowering the imagination and strengthening memory, even as it offers opportunities for a deeper understanding of cultural and historical topics. The ancient philosopher Proclus said “Music is the science of harmony” to underline the deeper meaning of music as a force that connects and unifies different aspects of human knowledge and experience. Through the art of music, students not only learn to express themselves and work together but also to understand the world around them on a more substantial level. Music education enriches the learning environment and prepares students for the diverse challenges of contemporary world.
With the student contest “Make it heard 2025” we invite the student community to work together and harness their creativity by submitting a podcast and song in a theme of their own choosing.