Mississauga students use podcasts to speak to world

CTV Toronto: From papers to podcasts Naomi Parness finds out how a group of students are using technology to improve their grades and get informed about world issues.

A group of Mississauga high school students are using podcasts to give a purpose to their studies.

Grade 12 students at Rick Hansen Secondary School broadcast their lessons live from the classroom every day, to an audience around the world.

Instead of using paper for their socials studies assignments, students are using technology to have discussions on world issues.

"What we started to find is when the students started to share their learning in a public forum, this is when we got great work out of them," RHSS Head of Social Sciences Jimmy Blackwell told CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness.

"There's an audience. It's real and it has a purpose for them."

When CTV Toronto visited the class, students were talking about the conflict in Syria, and the reach of ISIS. During each show, students tackle serious issues, ranging from refugees to female genital mutilation.

Thousands of people from around the world have listened to the show, the students said.

In addition to the audio shows, some students are using iPads to produce newscasts. Students said the technology is helping to enhance their learning, and their marks have gone up.

"It makes me go more in depth about it because someone’s hearing me say it instead of reading it," one student said.

"It allows us to put into practice what we learn in class so it’s not just regurgitating on a piece of paper or on a test," another explained.