“Professor Larimer. Do we really have to record a podcast episode?!”

I was surprised by the question from my university student on our first night class together, yet, as I paused before responding. I understood the nervous concerns behind it. 

While I was excited to explore an alternative assignment to the conventional research paper for my university course Teaching H.S. English Language arts, I had failed to consider how such a departure from conventional assignments and learning into daunting and different assignments for an English major accustomed to literary analysis might cause such concerns. After all, it was a completely novel skill in addition to learning new content relating to pedagogy in high school classrooms. 

Nevertheless, I immediately made my case for podcasting as representing a validly authentic form of expression along with the value of interviewing as a necessary skill for teachers embarking into their classroom observation hours. Never would I have expected the tables to turn as they did a couple months later. 

DEFINITION: “Dogfooding” : a designer sampling their product or experience from the perspective of user/consumer

While I’d been very familiar with the idea of modeling the reading/writing skills and inner learning processes with my students, the idea of dogfooding was a bit different. “Dogfooding borrows from the world of technology design by allowing the designer of a product or experience to test it as a user. It revolves around completing the experience and process from beginning brainstorm to final draft of an assignment required of my students. I’d partially done this in years prior, but this has been the first year I fully committed to this practice. Mind you not every assignment, but some of the important ones! Remember: 

1. it’s about showing how you also struggle with the writing and learning process, but how to struggle productively. 

2. Also! It’s about testing the troubleshooting and testing process and experience through the vantage point of the student. 

3. Finally, it helps with noticing the clarity or confusion of your directions and instruction from the perspective of the audience.(Gonzalez) 

Once the closure of schools had stripped my university students and teachers of the future of their opportunity to observe high school teaching. I knew my fate was sealed with my earlier commitment to the value of podcasting, I myself set out to begin the process of preparing and recording my first podcast episode. Fortunately, in hoping to interview many different educational experts ranging from Dr.s to authors to instructional coaches, I had a rare opportunity -we all were thrust into the world of zoom meetings. 

That’s where my journey began, but now having filmed a series of six interviews, I’d like to share a few important discoveries that might offer encouragement and advice to any amateur podcasters out there: 

5 Tips for the Amateur Podcaster (like myself)

1. Read & Research deeply as you craft a topic outline

(this enables you to even the playing field of your discussion with your guest-you can guide interview from a position of preparation not ignorance)

2. Revise Topic Outline by adding guiding questions WHICH YOU THEN SHARE WITH ANY GUESTS

(topics are entry point the questions give you a direction)

3. “Et Tu Technology:” Emotionally prepare for WHEN technology will betray at you’re most vulnerable; NEVERTHELESS, STILL REHEARSE a PLAN B - it could be difference between a productive struggle and a complete failure

(learned the hard way as my family hears me shouting guttural sounds of frustration from study)

4. Allow for and Embrace the moments of discovery and exciting tangents in the natural course of your podcast conversations and monologues

(the best trips always feature some exploration and bushwacking off the planned path)

5. You only need the the complexity of technology to match the complexity of your task 

(after looking at all kinds of different software my Luddite self returned to recording zoom meetings -and only branched to editing software when needed)

While I’d never imagined my first earnest foray into the world of blogging & podcasting would be due to this crisis reminiscent of some a dystopian novel. I plan to continue contributing to my podcast and blog; both as a means to publish my writing and research AND as a means to “dogfood” and model the writing and media skills that I encourage my students to practice.