Podcasting @ High School

Podcasting offers a powerful way to amplify student voice, engage learners, and create authentic opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning.

In this Secondary Connect, educators shared how they are bringing podcasting into their classrooms in different ways. Ramya Prasad, from Tamaki College, shared examples of Year 12 students using interview podcasts to communicate their ideas and learning, while Siobhan O'Malley, from Westland High School, explored how podcasting has supported English students to engage with texts, develop their thinking, and prepare for assessment.

We also heard from Will Fleming, founder of DigiKōr, an online podcasting platform designed for New Zealand classrooms. Will introduced the platform, shared examples of what podcasting can look like in practice, and explored its connection to NZQA Skill Standard 40153 (NCEA Level 2, 5 credits).

Together, the session highlighted the potential of podcasting as more than simply another digital tool — providing students with an authentic audience, a reason to communicate clearly, and another way to make their learning and thinking visible.

Emma and Rylee podcast.mp3

Lord of the Flies Podcast 1

Siobhan O'Malley.mp4

Siobhan O'Malley

Westland High School

Siobhan O'Malley is the Head of English and Social Sciences, Literacy Lead, and Manaiakalani Lead at Westland High School. One of her standout moments so far this year was having her Year 10 students create their own podcasts.

Using podcasting as a revision tool, students combined oral language and text response assessments to create a rewindable resource where they could discuss different aspects of the text and support their revision for exams.

Sharing individual student podcasts with families also strengthened positive connections with the wider school community.

Fordcast Ford, Nate & Finnian English Assessment on Lord of the Flies- April 16, 2026.mp3

Lord of the Flies Podcast 2

Ramya.mp4

Ramya Prasard

Tamaki College

Ramya Prasad is a Digital Technologies teacher at Tamaki College. Earlier this year, Ramya taught a Level 2 unit standard worth five credits: Create an interview podcast for social media.

Using the DigiKōr platform, students recorded interviews with a range of people, including teachers, coaches, family members and members of the senior leadership team. Along the way, they developed their own workflow, which involved drafting professional emails, organising schedules and preparing interview questions.

Ramya saw students grow in confidence as they developed active listening skills and greater independence in managing the interview process. These highly transferable skills extend well beyond the podcast itself, preparing students for future situations such as job, scholarship and leadership interviews.

Will Flemming.mp4

Will Fleming

DigiKōr

Will Fleming knows the value of strong communication skills, having worked in a variety of roles within New Zealand’s media industry. He also hosts his own podcasts, My Kiwi Life, Please Blow My Mind and The 1 Min Mentor.

Will is the founder of DigiKōr, an online platform he created to support young people into podcasting. He sees podcasting as a vehicle for developing students’ voice, confidence and connection. In turn, this can help tamariki build their own networks, which can naturally lead to new opportunities.

Central to Will’s approach is the idea that students need multiple opportunities to develop their skills. Rather than creating a single podcast for assessment, repeated opportunities to plan, record, edit and publish allow students to build confidence and genuinely develop as podcasters and communicators.

The DigiKōr platform has been designed for all year levels, providing teachers and students with a structured and sustainable approach to podcasting in the classroom. The platform supports a nine-week podcasting programme, with built-in recording software, free editing tools and step-by-step tutorials designed to make the process straightforward for both teachers and students.

In this presentation, Will shares how teachers and students can get on board with DigiKōr and discusses the potential opportunities available to students.

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