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Douglas Byrd students help produce podcasts for Airborne and Special Operations Museum
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By Tina Ray
Paraglide
More than 50 students from Douglas Byrd High School have been working for the past four or five months to develop podcasts for the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
A podcast is a web-based audio broadcast that is accessed by subscription over the Internet.
The idea was the brainchild of Kathryne Morales, fundraising and special events coordinator for ASOM. Morales said she got the idea from another museum’s website and thought it would be good for ASOM, so she helped coordinate productions with Douglas Byrd.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase the museum,” Morales said. “I’m really excited for what’s coming along.”
Jared Tracy is ASOM’s research historian and education coordinator. He helps facilitate the podcasts production.
“(Recording the podcasts is) an opportunity for the students in their video arts and multimedia classes to come here and tell the story of the museum, of Airborne and Special Operations Soldiers using technology,” he said.
The podcasts will eventually be incorporated onto the ASOM website, Tracy said. They will be informative to people who are interested in visiting the museum by relaying information to them via the Internet.
The students so far have recorded pieces about the museums artifacts and have conducted a virtual tour of the museum. The benefit of establishing podcasts of that material is that it could be used to educate the visually-impaired as well as the English-as-a-second language population, Tracy added.
ASOM already does a good job with reaching the Fayetteville and Fort Bragg communities, but the podcasts would help to expand outreach geographically, he said.
There are various technical aspects to producing a podcast, said Patricia Barnard, who teaches TV, programming and broadcasts and advanced studies at DBHS.
Students use Final Cut Pro, editing software developed by Apple Inc., which is often used in the television and movie industry.
According to Barnard, it can take hours to edit museum pieces that are shot in a matter of minutes. The students have to perform tasks such as laying graphics, coordinating transitions and importing video for the podcasts.
But, all the work provides an excellent opportunity for students to perform a service to the community, Barnard added. It also shows them the importance of the military to the Fayetteville community.
Andresa Pittman is a one of Barnard’s students. She said her grandfather served in the Special Forces, and helping put together the podcasts gave her insight into his service as a Soldier.
“I get to kind of see the things that he did and the things around the museum from when he was a Soldier,” Pittman said.
Fellow student Zacery Boatman said that being a part of the podcasts project gave him a chance to step out of his boundaries and do something unique. It also allowed him to engage in a community-service activity.
Tracy seemed to appreciate the students’ commitment to the project and their work ethic.
“They are extremely professional,” Tracy said. “They are motivated and, to them, this is really an exciting opportunity.”
For more information about ASOM, visit www.asomf.org or call 643-ASOM (2766).
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