Students work as a team working to produce seven monthly episodes of a podcast, developing close friendships with other homeschool students around the country (and sometimes the world.)
No previous podcasting experience is required; this is a “learn as you go” experience, but high school students are welcome to register for the spring podcasting class called ‘Audio Storytellers.’
Training for the student podcasters will begin in the summer, but it won’t interfere with vacation, camp or work; therefore, students are encouraged to register in April or May, but registration won’t close until the end of July.
During the school year, there are two hour-long monthly staff meetings at 6pm ET on two Thursdays. However, student writers, hosts, artists and producers can easily watch the recording and still participate. Students will work on each monthly podcast, planning, interviewing, narrating/hosting, designing, editing and producing, based on their interest and/or skill level. Besides the work, there is unlimited communication and opportunity for making new friends!
The faculty advisor, Mrs. Jamie Anderson, has more than a decade of experience with online homeschool student-run clubs. Her podcasting work & teaching, 15 years of radio and public relations work experience, journalism degree and homeschooling her own sons give Mrs. Anderson a wealth of knowledge to share with student podcasters
SPECIAL NOTE #1: There is no charge to reserve a space in a club although you must have paid your family registration fee. If you have already paid the registration fee, simply add the club purchase to the cart, and your teacher will be in touch soon. Club memberships are not purchased as a family; each student represents one club member.
SPECIAL NOTE #2: Please be advised: There are no refunds for clubs. If club attendance dwindles during the course of the year making the club unviable, there are no prorated refunds of club membership(s).
Access to free Audacity audio editing software and a decent microphone
Jamie Anderson is passionate about helping homeschool students become better communicators. As a homeschool mom herself, Anderson combines several years of online homeschool teaching experience with a career in radio broadcasting and public relations to offer a unique experience to students at Excelsior Classes.
Since September 2012, Anderson has taught speech communications online, after a decade of working with homeschool students in-person; this follows a public relations career that included training adults across the country how to confidently communicate their message in front of an audience or with a news reporter.
Since 2013, Anderson has worked with homeschool students each school year to guide them in producing a monthly newspaper. Many of those students graduated, went on to college and used the skills they gained under her tutelage to work on a college newspaper, major in journalism or just use the team-building skills in their college and career endeavors.
In September 2019 Anderson was invited back into the world of broadcasting to co-host an award-winning morning drive show on a Michigan adult contemporary radio station, but that job was cut short by the pandemic. Using those newly-honed radio production skills, she helped a friend produce a podcast production, voicing the Graceful Dawn devotionals.
Anderson graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and Mass Communication. After working at radio stations in Iowa and Minnesota, she moved to Colorado for twelve years, working in public relations for the National Cattlemen’s Association.
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