With technology evolving at the blink of an eye, York College of Pennsylvania graduate and York Suburban Middle School STEM teacher Andrew Foust is seeking innovative ways to prepare students for the future.
Middle school students at York Suburban School District soon will have the ability to create professional-quality audio recordings and podcasts, thanks to York College of Pennsylvania alumnus Andrew Foust ’13.
A STEM and Careers teacher at York Suburban Middle School, Foust teamed up with Jeffrey Schiffman, manager of the College’s WVYC-FM radio station and a Lecturer in Communication, to write an Innovation Grant proposal to the York County Alliance for Learning (YCAL) for the purchase of audio equipment.
“York College is one of the top schools for the audiovisual arts in the country. They have a very good reputation,” Foust says. “I asked Jeffery if he’d be a partner in this project because one of the YCAL points is to create collaboration between organizations.”
Before they wrote the grant proposal, Schiffman gave Foust a tour of the College’s radio station and created a list of production-grade equipment and supplies that he recommended for a studio. They came up with a plan to create a podcast studio that easily could be moved from classroom to classroom to allow students the freedom to explore and create professional-grade audio.
The mobile podcast studio will be not merely a technological novelty but a gateway for students to explore the wide world of production and content creation.
Enabling a vision
At a YCAL reception in March, Foust and York Suburban were among 12 recipients of Innovation Grants totaling nearly $9,000. Foust’s grant, amounting to $925.53, enabled the realization of his mobile podcast studio vision. From production-grade microphones to audio-editing software, the studio will have all the pieces needed to take an audio project from idea to completed work. Its components will be able to be packed quickly and easily into hard-sided custom carrying cases and moved among classrooms.
“It’s the first step into the production world,” Foust says of audio. “It’s a YouTube generation. This is a chance to try out audio-editing software and make everything production-worthy before adding in video.”
With a planned opening of the studio in Spring 2024, Foust envisions a future where students seamlessly integrate podcasting and audio production into their learning experiences. In his ideal world, he’d begin by letting sixth-grade students dabble with the equipment. By the time they reach eighth grade, they’d have the skills and experience to produce a monthly podcast.
For Foust, the long-term goal extends far beyond the walls of the classroom. He envisions students using the podcast studio to carve out their own production paths in the realm of science, technology, engineering, and math as well as non-STEM-related fields.
Media production techniques form an interdisciplinary skill that is increasingly used in a variety of career fields. Foust envisions students utilizing the equipment across classes, whether for a history presentation or a science research project, fostering collaboration and creativity along the way. Other teachers and classes also will have access to the equipment.
From math to mobile podcast production
Foust’s passion for educating middle and high school students began while he was a teen at Dallastown Area High School, and it led him to York College. He was drawn by the College’s stellar reputation for nurturing aspiring educators. Throughout his time there, Foust served as a tutor and mentor at the former Learning Center before completing his student teaching at Central York High School.
“I was well-prepared for the world of teaching when I left York College,” he says.
His dedication to teaching eventually brought him to York Suburban Middle School, where he transitioned out of teaching core mathematics classes and found a perfect fit in the new STEM and Careers class.
“It’s a lot of project-oriented learning and unique projects,” he says. “It’s a really cool position and very flexible because the world of science and tech is changing every day.”
With the installation of the mobile podcast studio, Foust and York Suburban School District will be able to not only embrace the future but train the next generation of voices. Foust hopes that through the studio he can continue to inspire students to explore the endless opportunities afforded by careers in STEM. It’s a field that encourages students to be lifelong learners, he says, and one that will continue to be in high demand.
