showandtell's Podcast

Week of May 27 - June 2

Sun, 27 May 2007 18:54:00 GMT

Well, this is it. It was a lot of fun, but the ride is over. And none too soon, let me tell you. It was one thing to give up a weekend evening in the winter to edit interviews and post shows, but these last few weeks of beyond-beautiful weather have been almost torturous to have to come in and work.

I hope you and the children have all enjoyed the shows at least as much as I have. Any ideas you might have for this show moving forward would be greatly appreciated. As things move forward, its looking less and less like we'll be in the Plymouth School District for next year, so one way or the other, if anyone wants to do something with this show, you'd have to take it over and own it yourself.

Any thoughts or ideas, just click the comment link directly below this paragraph, or email me at: show_n_tell@mac.com . Thanks.

Kyle

Sun, 27 May 2007 18:52:00 GMT

Kyle brought in an interesting piece of nature that he and his father came across while working on their home. We talk a little bit about the wonders of natural design and various sources of food. Its a nice light interview to end the series on.

Week of May 20-26

Mon, 21 May 2007 02:34:00 GMT

Here we are in the next to the last week. Kids are getting giddy that summer is near, and I'm wishing that I got the summer off. A couple of interesting things came to my attention in the last week, that may show the direction that new media is taking.

The first is that George Lucas, who previously announced that he was making no more movies, told a Fox reporter that he was planning to make 2 more Star Wars movies. However, he said that he'd be releasing these directly to Television, skipping the Cinemas completely.

The second is that the crew of Stargate Atlantis has started working on an internet only new series called Sanctuary. The crew is as professionally proficient as they come. The show stars Amanda Tapping and other seasoned actors and actresses, many visiting from the Stargate series. This is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it shows that the internet is maturing as a delivery platform for video entertainment. Second, the success of this show will not be determined by some board of network executives, but rather, by the audience, since the series will make its money on the $1.99 per episode download fee. This effectively puts the viewers in control of the series success.

Personally, I'd love to see Lucas release his new Star Wars series directly to the internet as well. If anything could launch the web as a media platform, that would be it.

Sean

Mon, 21 May 2007 02:22:00 GMT

Holy Nineteen Nineties, Batman! Here's a interesting, and vocal, blast from the past. Straight from Furby Island comes Sean's special item. Join us as the three of us talk up a storm.

Samantha

Mon, 21 May 2007 02:13:00 GMT

Samantha could have brought in anything. A toy. A book. Her favorite outfit. What Samantha wanted to talk about was her favorite sister, Stephanie. Sounds like she really enjoys her time with her, and looks up to her a lot.

Week of May 13-19

Mon, 14 May 2007 03:43:00 GMT

I need help. Or ideas. Or help and ideas.

Down to the last 3 weeks, including this one. By the time we are done, we'll have heard from 56 children. I'd like to invite all of you to start thinking about what we might be able to do with this show next year.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do anything with it myself next year. In fact, I can't even guarantee my family will be in this school district next year. What I do know is that I can't afford the time to follow this same format. Maybe there's a way to include all of the kids, but do fewer episodes? Maybe someone else would like to take over, or at least help with some of the work? Or, should we just call it good, and take the show down at the end of July and not worry about it next year?

Personally, I think it would be cool to have something like this every year, and then look back over the years to hear what our children were saying and what interested them from year to year.

All ideas welcome. Just email me at the email address at the bottom-right of this page, or leave a comment by clicking on "comments" just below this line.

Thanks,

Chris

Ilda

Mon, 14 May 2007 03:40:00 GMT

When I first started interviewing the kids, I was afraid that I'd need to find a translator in order to talk with Ilda, but 5 months later, she could speak English quite well. I think she stalled out on a couple of questions when she couldn't think of quite what to say, but she did quite well, otherwise.

Gannon

Mon, 14 May 2007 03:30:00 GMT

Gannon went to Disney World, and his favorite part was the Hotel. Gotta love it.

Week of May 6-12

Mon, 7 May 2007 05:45:00 GMT

This week we have the very last interview from Ms. Pisconski's class. 3 more weeks of interviews left. And then another what, 2 weeks until school is out for the summer? Man, I wish work would be out for the summer.

Last week, the Terryville's Prospect Street and Main Street elementary schools thanked their volunteers. I was surprised as to how much volunteering was going on, and impressed as to how much more is needed. If you've got a child in school, take a look at your schedule and see if you can't volunteer to help out in class, if not once a week, or once a month, then maybe once or twice a year.

Brandon

Mon, 7 May 2007 05:32:00 GMT

Robo-raptor is on the loose. This is the perfect mix for someone who likes robots and dinosaurs. Another McDonald's distributed toy hits the show. Did you know that in 1999, McDonald's was the worlds (the WORLD's, I say) largest toy distributor? Not sure where its ranked now, but if this show (not just this episode) is any indication, its still among the largest.

Matthew

Mon, 7 May 2007 05:21:00 GMT

Chinese anyone? Matthew and I discuss our mutual enjoyment of Chinese food, and he fills me in on his favorite Chinese restaurant. As well as a special message he got in a fortune cookie.

Evan

Mon, 7 May 2007 05:18:00 GMT

Evan is getting ready to go on Vacation, and apparently its to a place that he's been to several times before. All in all, he seems to be looking forward to some sun and warmth.

Week of April 29 - May 5

Tue, 1 May 2007 03:20:00 GMT

Unbelievably busy week for me. Had about 10 deadlines this last week and weekend. Hit most of them. Missed this one, and one more that I'll be working on tomorrow night. So, that's why we're a bit late getting this week's shows out.

Today was nice. Beautiful day. Warm. A bit windy. A great day to take half of a day off of work and attend the school's Town Meeting. The school had me in and presented myself and the rest of the volunteers and mentors with a small token of their appreciation in front of the teachers and the kids. Its a beautiful silver keychain shaped like a star. The message engraved is "Volunteers are Shining Stars". Thanks to the teachers who gave me the classroom time to interview your children, and especially to the kids who so enthusiastically approached this project.

Zachary

Tue, 1 May 2007 03:11:00 GMT

Did you know there are three Zacharys in the first grade? And oddly enough, all three brought in their favorite electronics game. Two of them have been Nintendos.

Zachary's Gameboy Advance is a favorite toy since he can play games and watch shows. Gotta admit, it sounds like hours of fun.

David

Tue, 1 May 2007 03:04:00 GMT

Flame On!!!

Fantastic Four fan David brings in his Human Torch action figure in to talk about. Apparently, he's got other FF fun as well. With the new movie coming out June 15th, he's sure to have an exciting summer.

Chris

Tue, 1 May 2007 02:56:00 GMT

Chris was an interesting interview. Very outspoken and more than happy to share any thought that came into his head. He was obviously making a number of things up, but still, its a fun listen. We cover everything from David "Batista" Bautista to very erroneous musings on monkeys to Disneyland and Spiderman.

Week of April 22-28

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:01:00 GMT

This weeks shows were all a lot of fun. Haley's was one of my earlier interviews, so its a bit 'structured' on my end, but what I made bland, she spiced it right up.

Both Austin and Tyler were last-day interviews, so we were just having a lot of fun. Wow. I think there's only 5 more weeks after this one. Enjoy!

Austin

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:54:00 GMT

After spending 10 minutes with Austin, I came to realize how appropriate it was that his special item was a Formula Racecar. This episode is a bit different from all the others. I could have edited it and made it conform, but I really wanted to preserve his personality so that you could experience it along with me.

Haley

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:51:00 GMT

What do elephants, gorillas, bunny rabbits and 6-year old girls have in common? Listen to the show to find out. Haley is a very precocious little
girl who has a lot to say on the subject of Build-a-Bear and the Rainforest Cafe.

Tyler

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:22:00 GMT

Over Easter, Tyler picked up a special project that he finished. Forget your velvet Elvis. How about velvet motocross? Tyler puts his art skills to the test on a velvet masterpiece.

Please, somebody show this kid a black light. And if any of you haven't been to the Imagine Nation museum in downtown Bristol, check it out. Its about 4 or 5 bucks a head, and a lot of fun for the kids. Especially a great rainy day diversion.

Week of April 15-21

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:32:00 GMT

Well, we took a week off. There were a number of reasons, but I think mostly I just needed a week off. Its a lot more work than I expected to put out 3 shows a week, even if I do enjoy it. No fear, however, since it turns out that we have 7 weeks worth of episodes left, and 9 weeks of school. So, we'll still finish in time for summer.

Something that my daughter and I tried last weekend was downloading a movie from iTunes. I really hadn't been interested in such a thing before, but Esmaya was sick and just wanted to watch a movie. One movie that she'd been wanting to see was Ice Princess. So, instead of running out to Blockbuster or somewhere, I decided to try downloading it to see how it would go. The movie quality was really good, and the convenience was pretty nice. It took about 30 minutes to download, and we were set to go. I just carried the laptop up to the bedroom where she could lie down and enjoy it. All in all, a resounding success.

Hunter

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:28:00 GMT

Whether he's building up, or tearing down, Hunter is the guy for the job. He'll bring in his team of Tonka built dozers, front loaders and cranes to handle any sized project. Also, they will bravely take on spiders.

Ethan

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:26:00 GMT

Ethan originally came prepared to talk about a robot toy that he brought in, but during the course of the day, he was rewarded for something. Not sure what exactly, but he was too excited about his prize to let it pass. So, we sat and chatted about his affinity for spiders, instead of robots.

Charmonee

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 19:15:00 GMT

Charmonee has an eye for beauty and style, and her friend Mariah benefits from it. Keep an eye on these two as they make the scene.

Week of April 1-7

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 04:24:00 GMT

Wow. I got nothing. Really. Not this week.

OK. So, here's a quick one. If you're the kind of person that likes to listen to the commentary on your DVDs, then you might really like this trend in podcasting. I like the show Battlestar Galactica, and Ronald Moore, the Executive Producer, puts out a commentary podcast with the release of each new episode. And this isn't the only show that does this. Wondering if your favorite show does? Check out their website and take a look. Even if they don't now, maybe they'll start soon.

Have a great week, and pod on!

Tyler

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 04:21:00 GMT

Tyler has been playing hockey for a lot longer than I thought possible. To be honest, I'm still not sure I got all of my facts straight. It sounds like he plays for a team called the Wolfpack and they are the best team in the league. But at one point he told me they beat the Wolfpack, so I'm not entirely sure of anything. Either way, its obvious he likes hockey and loves to play.

Madison

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 04:07:00 GMT

Madison brought in her friend, Sarah. While they've only been together a little while, apparently they're great friends. They cuddle at night, play during the day, and go shopping at Wal-Mart.

Zachary

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 03:57:00 GMT

Zachary and I sat down across his Nintendo DS. Its funny that after almost 30 years, while the technologies have changed, the classics just never die.

Week of March 25-31

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 23:53:00 GMT

OK. Well, I've been at this a little while, but still learning the finer details of some of the tools I've been using. Also, I tend to get rushed to put these out on the weekend, and I got sloppy. I literally figured out what one of the buttons in my software does. It turns off all of the audio tracks except the one the button is one. And then because I was tired, I didn't double check the audio, so Jonathan's show went up a couple of weeks ago with an open and a close, and dead air in the middle. So I've reposted his show, and you can find it at the bottom of this page.

I'm rapidly running out of interviews for Mrs. Zabek, and I still have a few more to do in Mrs. Davis' class, so I'll be heading back to the school sometime in the next few weeks to finish up talking to the kids.

If any of you have any feedback, please feel free to drop me a line. I'd like to know what everyone else thinks about this show. You can leave comments on the site, or shoot an email off to show-n-tell at (use @) mac.com Or, just click the link at the bottom the link at the bottom right corner of this page. Until next week, Pod on!

Devin

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:25:00 GMT

Devin's special friend is one he made himself. No fancy build-a-bear store or shop assistants to cause a lot of ruckus.

A labor of love, Devin spent his own money on some stuffing, and an un-stuffed skin. It doesn't get any more simple than that. A little while later, and wha-lah! Beary!

Enjoy!

Amber

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:06:00 GMT

Amber brought in her friend and build-a-bear Twinkle Cat. Oy. This interview was a bit difficult. My kid has the exact same cat, and calls her Lisa. I edited this a bit because I got tired of hearing myself call the cat by the wrong name and then correcting myself, but Amber came through it like a champ.

All in all a fun interview. Someone please make sure that she still fits into her matching dress. April is only a week away!

Renae

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:49:00 GMT

Remember those dolls of old? The one's with the eyes that would close when you would lay them down? Or the ones that would mimic drinking from a bottle and then you'd have to change their diaper? Or even the ones that would cry and make noise? Well, this animatronic wonder puts them all to shame.

Actually, being a guy, I mostly ust remember them from commercials, but what I do remember are marbles. Repurposed automotive ball bearings were the best. We called them 'steelies', and they would plow through a whole mess of glass marbles. What do steelies have to do with the doll? Listen to find out.

Jonathan - fixed and reposted

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:44:00 GMT

Somehow I made a mistake and posted Jonathan's show without the actual interview. Just dead air. Sorry, Jonathan! I checked. All the rest of the shows work. :D
---
Jonathan and I entered the steel caged ring and faced off. Kurt Angle on his side, and a set of microphones on mine. We sparred. We tangled. And in the end, he surprised me several times leaving me laughing.

You know, I don't know Kurt Angle. I still remember Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper and the Junkyard Dog. And of course, Jesse 'The Bod' Ventura. Man, I'm feeling old.

This was a fun interview, and also one of my later ones, so I was starting to feel more comfortable in the role. Enjoy!

Week of Mar 18 - 24

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:26:00 GMT

OK. Again, nothing really new this week. Apple has begun shipping its new Apple TV, so now people will start to be able to watch and listen to their favorite podcasts on their home entertainments systems (as well at purchased TV shows, movies, and music, if you're into those sorts of things). Its an interesting twist for anyone; you, me, our kids; to be able to
produce content that anyone else in the world can watch if they want in the comfort of their living rooms.

What's next?

Victoria

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:18:00 GMT

Victoria brought in her new best friend Casey the cat, adopted from Build-a-Bear. She was a Christmas present from Dad. Since Casey was so new, it was kind of a short interview, but fun to do, none-the-less.

Madison

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:11:00 GMT

Madison brought in just about the biggest coloring book I've ever seen. She's a quiet, but not shy, interview who had poked her head in on the interviews a number of times hoping it was her turn. She was obviously excited about sharing her book with us, and was actually pretty excited about spending time coloring with her father later that evening.

One of the things I noticed is that ALL of the pictures with the family together were colored. Other pictures had been started, but none were finished with the care that the family pictures were.

Derrick

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:02:00 GMT

Derrick was a great interview, and he was really into his favorite toy. This is one of those things I can't believe is on the market, but boy, what a lot of fun I'll bet he has with it. And a gruesome as the initial description might be, I'm sure its helping him along to becoming the fine surgeon he wants to be.

Week of Mar 11 - 17

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 03:19:00 GMT

Episode 30? Well, we've just crossed the half-way point in this series. With roughly 20 students per class, we are supposed to have about 60 shows. I still have a handful of children to interview, which I'll probably do in a few weeks. So, if I haven't interviewed your child yet, let them know that it'll happen soon.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid this week's episodes might post a couple of days late. The service I'm using for this show is running on a 30 day archiving cycle, but we release shows every week, so it would actually be better for us if the shows archived on a 28 day (4 week) cycle. So, we run into problems every four weeks.

Ryan

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 03:15:00 GMT

Wow. Can you say fidgity? Sorry about the audio, but Ryan just couldn't keep from rubbing his blanket against the lapel mic he was wearing.

Ryan shares with us his baby blanket, which is still under heavy use. I've never seen a blanket with this much use in it, but I've been told by others much older and wiser than I that this is a common occurrence.

Sydney

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 03:07:00 GMT

Sydney's friend, Fluffy, is a constant companion at home, and she's had it for a number of years. Fluffy is also a picky eater, and has a number of things in common with Sydney.

Apparently, she's also a budding young author, but we'll have to wait to read any of her work.

Dominique

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 02:57:00 GMT

Dominique was a nice interview. Talkative and lively, she fills us all in on her favorite friend.

Week of Mar 4 - 10

Mon, 5 Mar 2007 01:24:00 GMT

Hi, everyone! We have just a great line-up of interviews this week. All three were wonderfully vocal and excited to tell us about their special items (don't let Hailee's quiet voice fool you, she was very happy to do the show).

I do want to take a moment and talk to you as parent, so hang on... let me see if I have a soap box around here to stand on... OK. Found one. Here I go.

Our kids are growing up in a world very different from the world that we grew up in. Compared to today, we grew up in a world of relative security and privacy. However, our kids grow up in a world of cameras, communication, and cataloging. These aren't small changes. They've led to one of the greatest generation gaps that this country, and in fact, this world, has ever seen. Our children have a VERY different view of the world than we do.

There are cameras EVERYWHERE. In many towns, they are mounted on street corners. They are all over stores, banks, and other public areas. Reality TV shows and the internet can make anyone an overnight star. I mean, the feds listen in on our cell phone calls without a warrant, fer cryin' out loud, and everyone gets a thorough checking at the airport.

Debit card, credit card and store card transactions are tracked. Networks of stores keep records of all the items you've ever returned. If you've purchased online at Amazon, you've seen a perfect example of this, when you get newsletters that make product recommendation based on your previous purchases.

We grew up playing video games with the kid sitting next to us. Our kids play games with people from all around the world, speaking and conversing with Europe, Africa, Japan, and others in real time while playing. They can talk on message boards, forums and in chat rooms with people from everywhere. They can shoot an email to grandpa, and 10 minutes later have a response.

With all of this going on, we often look at the younger generation and think that they have no sense of decency, decorum or dignity. They seem to flaunt themselves all over the place, posting images, video and written text of a personal, sometimes revealing nature.

Who're the crazy ones? Our kids, who are growing up in a world devoid of true privacy and anonymity, or us, holding on to our memories of what the world used be and the illusion that we live in a world where privacy is possible?

If this has caught your attention, I highly recommend this article Say Everything from New York Magazine. It's a detailed, well thought out and researched article that will give you a better insight into the mindset that your children are growing up with. Especially if you are the parents of pre-teens or teenagers, read it NOW! ;-)

Cody

Mon, 5 Mar 2007 01:13:00 GMT

Holy smokes! Cody was a great interview. He was energetic, excited, and couldn't wait to start recording. Apparently, he's a big fan of Buzz Lightyear (and really, who isn't?). If you're only familiar with Toy Story I and II, Cody makes a lot of references to the TV Series, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. Enjoy!

Noah

Mon, 5 Mar 2007 00:53:00 GMT

Noah brought in his signed Redsox baseball with him. There were several names on it, but the one he's most proud of is Mike Timlin's. He took the ball to a Redsox game about 2 years ago, and then the players signed it after the game. Very cool.

Hailee

Mon, 5 Mar 2007 00:40:00 GMT

Hailee is a VERY softspoken but amiable girl. Lots of smiles. Not content with just ONE favorite toy, she brought in a trio of her favorite plush animals.

Probably one of the most interesting things is where she actually got her toys. In all, a very fun interview.

Week of Feb 25 - Mar 3

Thu, 1 Mar 2007 03:21:00 GMT

Well, the server was full, so we ended up waiting a few days to post. We had a few larger episodes and also the "how to subscribe" episode that were hogging up all of the space. They're gone now, and so, now the new shows are up.

This week we've left behind my 'first day' interviews, and we're moving into later ones. So, I've kind of gotten into my groove.

Enjoy.

Courtney

Thu, 1 Mar 2007 03:10:00 GMT

Well, Courtney is a shy, quiet girl. Lots of shrugs and short answers, but she started to open up a little bit at the end. I did a little research, and Ben is in fact a McDonald's toy called an iZ. Apparently its part of a set of 8, all of which do different things. This one plays music.

Quiet as Courtney is, her smile was extra big while Ben was playing his music.

Tony

Thu, 1 Mar 2007 02:55:00 GMT

Tony's interview is one of those that makes me wish that this was a video podcast. Not only was he a pleasure and easy to talk to, but this kid has this GREAT story. While his story is a lot of fun, the best parts were his gestures. I still have them locked into my mind. When he describes how he was stuck, he made his whole body go stiff, and vibrated all over. He gritted his teeth, opened his eyes wide, and spread his lips as big as he could while keeping his teeth together. It cracks me up just thinking about it. I wish I could do his storytelling justice in writing, but I can't.

Jonathan

Thu, 1 Mar 2007 02:44:00 GMT

Jonathan and I entered the steel caged ring and faced off. Kurt Angle on his side, and a set of microphones on mine. We sparred. We tangled. And in the end, he surprised me several times leaving me laughing.

You know, I don't know Kurt Angle. I still remember Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper and the Junkyard Dog. And of course, Jesse 'The Bod' Ventura. Man, I'm feeling old.

This was a fun interview, and also one of my later ones, so I was starting to feel more comfortable in the role. Enjoy!

Week of Feb 18-24

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:36:00 GMT

Well, these shows are coming right on the heels of last weeks episodes, since I was so late with the last batch (try, 10 days late!) So, I really don't have much to add to last week's post. However, I did notice one thing. Bugs Bunny. Emily has a Bugs Bunny eraser, and Mickey visited The Great Escape, which is a Six Flags park, and would have had Bugs and the rest of the Looney Tunes characters involved. I wonder if Eileen has ever combed Bugs' fur?

Mickey

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:23:00 GMT

Mickey brought in his amazing, camouflage-able, stuffed puppy. He is one of my first-day interviews, so its a little rough on my part, but its a fun listen. I teased him about it being a cat, hoping to get him to correct me and describe it, but in the end, I sound like an idiot. Call it a 'learning' experience for me.

Most of us have a stuffed animal that has been with us since the beginning, and Dudley has been with Mickey since he was only 1.

Also, I did a little research, and it turns out that The Great Escape is a Six Flags theme part located at Lake George, NY. So, Mickey was right. At 3 hours travel time, it is a long ways away. Especially to a 6 year old. ;-)

http://www.sixflags.com/parks/greatescape/

Eileen

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:12:00 GMT

I met Eileen the first day I did interviews, since I had lunch with my daughter, and she was sitting at the same table with us. She was very quick with a smile, not shy at all, and even drew me a picture while I was there. So, I was kind of surprised when I interviewed her, and she kind of clammed up.

She brought in a comb. And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out WHY in the world it was special. After beating about the bush with her for a while, and finally feeling that I just wasn't going to get it, she let it slip. The comb is part of special time that she spends with her mother. The kind of one-on-one time that just means soooo much to kids (obviously more than any toy), and that no one else can provide.

Emily

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:59:00 GMT

Emily was one of my latest interviews, and what a blast I had with her! She was talkative, and very excited about her special items. They were figurines created in eraser rubber. I hadn't really seen anything like these since I was in elementary school myself.

What was it about these erasers that made them so special to her? Well, I'm still not sure, but it seems that really, she just likes to play with them an awful lot.

There were a number of highlights in this interview, but one that really stood out was that Emily had no idea who Bugs Bunny was. So, just for her, here's a scan of a US Postage Stamp with Bugs on it. Enjoy!

Week of Feb 11-17

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:31:00 GMT

Well, here we are. I missed a whole week, and now I'm several days into the next week, but finally, we're going live. Thank the ice storm. Pretty much home-bound today, so I had some extra time to actually finish up these three episodes.

We're starting to seee some nice numbers on the downloads, and comments for the kids, so it looks like some of the families are starting to listen in. I've found that the kids like to hear their classmates as well as their own show.

Looks like missing a week hasn't hurt us too bad. I've got 14 more rounds of shows to go, and it looks like we have 16 more weeks of school. Holy Smokes! Is that all? I'm not sure. What date is school over? Well, 16 or 17 weeks to go, anyway.

Also, about those comments, I really thought that I would get email notifications when a comment was posted, so I didn't bother checking. However, it looks like I have to keep an eye on that myself. So, if you leave a comment, and I don't put it up for a couple of days, its just because I haven't logged back into the site. But don't fret, they'll all get up there eventually.

Thanks to everyone who is participating in this with your kids at home.

Chris

Melanie

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:25:00 GMT

Melanie's special item is a constant companion. He goes to school with her every day. Reserved, but happy, she was a tough interview. Mostly "yes" and "no" was all I got. Maybe some day I'll learn to handle tough interviews like this. ;-)

Ian

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:18:00 GMT

Ian's special item is Lacey, his pet dog. Apparently Ian is very attached to Lacey, but my favorite part is when we find out how Lacey got his name.

Delia

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:25:00 GMT

Delia was another first-day interview. The interview is a little short, but she was a lot of fun to talk with. Delia, brought in a brand-spanking new friend, and has a secret about what she got her teacher for Christmas.

Week of Feb 4 - 10

Tue, 6 Feb 2007 04:25:00 GMT

I'm really sorry, everyone. I got buried under deadlines and life this weekend and didn't have a single moment to work on the podcasts. I didn't even have an opportunity to go out and enjoy the Superbowl with friends. I hope this doesn't happen again, since I don't know if we'll have enough weeks to handle more delays.

The truth is, this little project, as enjoyable as it is, has turned out to be a bit more work than I had anticipated. Hopefully I'll have everything worked out by this weekend and we'll be on track again soon.

Thanks,

Chris Wilson

Week of Jan 28 - Feb 3

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:01:00 GMT

Several changes to the site this week.

First, you'll notice that the photo that was in the header of this site has been replaced with a new graphic. The reason for this was that there was an objection to putting the children's faces on the internet. Now, originally we decided to use the photo of the kids since there was no way to tie the kids to their classes, their names, their toys, or anything else. And we figured, "if they can't identify the child, they can't find him."

After the objection was made, I talked with the teachers, and we all talked to other colleagues, and we realized that there are people out there who won't even bother trying to track down a kid. They'll see something that they like, and just park themselves outside of the school and wait for them to show. So, we decided it would be better to just take down the picture of the kids. The site truly suffers from the lack of children, but we're better safe than sorry.

The second change is that we've added a Quickstart Guide and an audio file to the Subscribe page. If you haven't learned anything about podcasting yet, I recommend that you pop over to the Subscribe page and give it a quick listen. Your kids are going to grow up with this stuff. Don't you think you should know what its about? And chances are, you can be up and running yourself in less than 10 minutes.

Ethan

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:09:00 GMT

Ethan was one of my first interviews, but he was natural enough to make the entire experience just flow. He has plenty to say, and obviously an active imagination. His stuffed Rottweiler is a loyal and helpful friend, protecting him from all threats, real or imagined.

As for the age of the dog, I think dog years are calculated as 7 dog years for every 1 human year. If Ethan is about 7 years, and he got his dog when he was 5, then Ethan may be right in stating that his dog is 14 years old.

Trinity

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:01:00 GMT

Trinity was a very sweet, soft-spoken interview. Her favorite toy is a Baby Bratz doll that she got as an infant. Apparently, this little doll has been a part of her life ever since. During a little story she was telling towards the end of the interview, I saw something change in her eyes, and I could tell that there was a little more to the story that she was hesitant to express.

I asked her a question, and got a head nod from her. She stopped talking, and it was a heart-wrenching moment. I could tell she was OK, but lost in the emotions from a moment from her past. The interview ends after that, but a moment later, she was all smiles again.

Robert

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 22:55:00 GMT

Robert was a lot of fun to talk to. Whether he's watching it on TV with his father, or playing with his model cars, Robert's enthusiasm for NASCAR and racing is very infectious. As far as I can figure, the yellow and black Nextel/Sprint car is just a promotional toy. The actual pace cars were red and yellow, and looked very different from this design. If anyone knows if there was actually a car with this number and paint job, please leave us a comment by clicking on the comment[] link below.

Week of January 21-27

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 06:14:00 GMT

Well, this week brings the last (I think) of the ma-KAY-las. As far as I can tell at this point, there are 3, and each of them is spelled differently. Imagine the confusion that I had with my files.

I've noticed from the site statistics that while we're getting a lot of people listening to the shows, that we've had very few subscriptions. Since teaching people how to subscribe to podcasts was one of the reasons that I started on this project in the first place, I've added a little audio clip to the end of the episodes that will probably stay there through the end of the season.

We've had our first comment left by family members. This one went to Evan. If you too, would like to leave a comment for any of the students, just click on the 'comments' link at the end of their post.

If you haven't tried to subscribe, its a very easy 3 steps. Just click here to get started.

If you have any problems subscribing or listening to the audio, feel free to email me at show_n_tell@mac.com.

Makayla

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 05:58:00 GMT

Makayla was a fun interview, but very quiet. She used body language to answer most of my questions, so you'll hear me echoing her head nods verbally quite a bit. But when she has something to say, she says it with conviction.

Hannah

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 05:56:00 GMT

Delicate but tough is how you describe Hannah's special friend. This night-time companion keeps Hannah company while she sleeps.

Mariah

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 05:48:00 GMT

Mariah brought in a photo of her special person. This photo looked like it had been carried around with her everywhere. It was bent, folded, scratched and pitted. Obviously, this photograph has seen a lot of travel and use. Too Mariah, family is what's most important in her life.

Week of January 14-20

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 21:23:00 GMT

Well, we're 3 weeks into this. I've got my kid helping me out, as you might notice with the show introductions. She's got a bit of a sniffle, but she's still more fun to listen to than me. I'm putting these out in the order that I did the interviews, so in theory, I should be doing a better job as time goes on, but we'll see. Last week, 3 girls. This week, 3 boys. Randomness is an interesting thing.

I hope you've all started trying to figure out how to subscribe by now, but if not, you should really look into it for a number of reasons.

The first, and probably most exciting reason, is that there are nearly 100,000 programs in the podcasting universe, so far. 100,000 programs. Can you get your mind around that? Do you know how many networks it would take to carry that many shows? Now, granted, like traditional TV and radio, not all of them are great, and in fact, some of them are lousy, but many of them are very well done, entertaining and with great information, like this one; full of stuff you want to listen to. ;-) Seriously, though the bottom line is, if there is something that interests you, from Sports to Knitting, from Politics to Technology, from Childrearing to Health or Sci-fi, you can probably find some great shows on it.

The second reason to look into how podcasting works is because this is the direction things are moving. In February, Apple will start shipping Apple TV. The first "simple to use" and inexpensive device that will allow you to watch on your TV any content that you have on your computer. So, movies, TV shows, You Tube videos, and yes, Podcasts, whatever you've saved on your computer, will now be as easy to watch on your TV as, say, Cable. Which means that those 100,000 Podcast programs will also be available on your TV and/or stereo system.

Third, and as a parent, more importantly, because all of this will be second nature to your kids. Just as our generation basically grew up with VCRs, cable boxes and console games, and just as the generation behind us grew up with cell phones and the internet, our kids are going to grow up in a world where their programs come from a number of different sources. TV will no longer be what comes over cable or off the satellite dish. It will be whatever they get, from wherever they can get it. And just like the rest of the world, not all of it is healthy for them. As a parent, you need to know where it comes from, how it works, and how to monitor what they view and perhaps even limit their access to it.

So, go ahead, step one is just to click here. If you have iTunes installed, it will open up iTunes and automatically subscribe you to the show. If not, you might have to do a little more work, but its all pretty easy. Click here to find out more information about podcasting and how to subscribe.

Trey

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 21:07:00 GMT

Several of the toys that I've seen during this experience have been so beat up, used up, and just out-and-out loved, that it's amazing they are still holding together. Thread-bare, stuffing peaking out, lucky to have their eyes still sown into their sockets. This is one of those animals. Personally, from the looks of it, I doubt this friend has spent many nights alone.

Evan

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 21:02:00 GMT

Interviewing kids continually surprises me. In this interview, Evan shows me one of his prized posessions; an archival piece of history dating back to 1972. As they say, Baseball is timeless.

Brandon

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 20:41:00 GMT

Brandon's favorite item is a video game that he plays with his dad. Hold on to your socks, the next great video game player is on his way to the top.

Week of January 7-13

Tue, 9 Jan 2007 03:29:00 GMT

Well, if you live in Terryville, you know that this weekend is the big switchover from Telemedia Cable to Comcast in the neighborhood. Somehow, I missed the news of this big move until my internet connection went on the fritz for the past several days. So, here we are on Monday night. I had wanted to post the new episodes over the weekend, but this is the best I could do.

This week's interviews include Jade, my first interview of the whole series, and Makalia, also a first-day interview. We finish with an interview with Mikaela, a second round interviewee. I think I did a little better with her. I'm certainly feeling a bit more comfortable the second time around.

One of the biggest obstacles that I've run into, that I didn't expect, is that kids talk less than you think. They smile, nod, and use body language with a great deal of skill, but you can't hear any of that. You'll hear as these shows progress, that at times it seems like I'm asking several questions in a row, or that I'm answering the question for them. In these cases, they've usually answered the question non-verbally, and I've used the answer as a basis for the next. As I did these, I started realizing that at these times, I should repeat their answer out loud, so that listeners could hear them, but then it sounds like I'm putting words in their mouth.

This has been a lot of fun, and with few exceptions, the kids really seem to enjoy being interviewed. Not sure if its actually the fact that they're being interviewed that they like, or just the opportunity to have the attention of someone that they can tell about something that interests them. Either way, the smiles I get are genuine, and its a real treat to walk into the school and have the kids just stop and say, "Hi, Mr. Wilson!"

Jade

Tue, 9 Jan 2007 03:21:00 GMT

This little Angel has spent almost every night of her life in the company of Jade, my first interview. If only every toy were as well loved as this little one.

Mikaela

Tue, 9 Jan 2007 03:18:00 GMT

Mikaela's special friend comes straight from the jungles of the Big Apple. But where she comes from isn't as important as the function she fills, helping a little girl forget all about the stresses in her 6 year old life.

Makalia

Tue, 9 Jan 2007 03:03:00 GMT

Makalia was one of my first interviews, and she immediately threw me a curve ball by bringing in a picture of a place that she loved, rather than an object. Not only that, but her choice of places even threw me for a loop. I suppose if I was a more experienced interviewer, I might have handled it better. In the end, even if this is a little short, I think we all learn why its so special to her.

Esmaya

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 03:13:00 GMT

Esmaya brings in her newest best friend, Abagail. Loaded with a cybernetic growl, the best of poly fills, and a warm heart, personally bestowed upon her by Esmaya, Abagail is a special Snow Leopard worth meeting (if she does say so, herself).

Zachary

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 02:56:00 GMT

Zachary brings in his new favorite toy; a brand new VTech Nitro Notebook. What do bugs, Chuck E. Cheese and keyboards have in common? Listen to find out.

Gentri

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 02:50:00 GMT

Meet Gentri and her new friends, Savanah and Bluie. Gentri has a unique story about being visited by the tooth fairy multiple times for the same tooth.

How Do I Hear My Kid?

Sun, 24 Dec 2006 22:05:00 GMT

On the main page, the 3 most recent interviews are listed. You can get back to the main page at any time by just clicking on the class photo at the top of the page or clicking the HOME link in the menu bar.

The whole purpose of this exercise is to teach the students and their parents about how to subscribe to podcasts, but if you don't want to do that, then you'll be happy to know that there are a number of other ways to hear the interviews of your children and their classmates.

The Player: First, all of the pages have this little mp3 player on it. This player (its on every page at the top of the right-side column) plays the newest episode first. By clicking on the "next" button (an arrow > pointing to a line |) you can move to the next oldest interview, and so on until you finally reach the first interview. The "previous" button (|<) works in reverse, sending you back to the next newest file. The name of the child is in the filename just under the little astronaut-looking character, so you'll know if you've got the right interview before it actually starts. You will need Adobe's Flash Player to see and use the player.

Browser Plug-in: Second, you can play an episode directly from this website without using the built-in player. Just find the interview you want to hear in the list to the right of the page, and click on your child's name. You will be taken to a page with your child's interview on it. Simply click on the POD image next to the episode title. This should open an mp3 audio file in your browser window. To hear it play, you will need to have a player plug-in installed on your computer. If you are running Windows, then Windows Media Player should take care of this. If you are running a Mac, then Quicktime is probably going to handle this for you.

Downloading to your Computer: Finally, if you want to download an interview directly to your computer, then right-click on the POD image and choose "save link as" or whatever equivalent option you might see.

Commenting: Also, you can leave comments for your child, their friends, or whomever to read. From your child's interview page, at the bottom of the paragraph that describes their interview, click on the "comments[#]" link, and start typing in the boxes provided.

Subscribe Now! Don't miss your kids interview!

The beautiful thing about Podcasts are that they can be subscribed to very easily. By simply adding the address of our RSS feed (http://showandtell.libsyn.org/rss) to your podcatcher (if you have a newer version of iTunes, then you already have a podcatcher) you will receive updates to the show as they are posted to this site. For more information on subscribing, click here. You and your first grader can have fun listening to the weekly updates of their classmates.

<-- Click Here! All About Podcasting and How To Subscribe!

Sun, 24 Dec 2006 21:05:00 GMT

Already a Podcast Afficianado?

Know all about podcasting and just need the subscription links? Here they are:

Subscribe using iTunes - Our show currently is not listed on the iTunes Store, but we're looking into it. Until that happens, though, you can subscribe directly by clicking here. It will open newer versions of iTunes and subscribe you automatically.

Subscribe using another Podcatcher - Using a podcatcher other than iTunes? Use the link below to our RSS feed and add it to your PodCatcher manually.

- RSS

If your operating system is too old to run the newer versions of iTunes, then you can use one of the other podcatchers listed in Invasion of the Podcatchers below.

New to Podcasting and Want to Know More? Read on!

Topics Below:

No iPod Required
You say I can subscribe for free?
Invasion of the PodCatchers
I have my PodCatcher, how do I subscribe?
How do I find other PodCasts?
Cool. I want to know more about PodCasting.

No iPod Required

So, first, what is a podcast? Its a show! A podcast can be audio only, like radio, or video, like television. A podcast, however, is not broadcast on its own schedule. Instead, its posted to the internet so that you can download and enjoy it on YOUR SCHEDULE! Pretty cool, huh?

Our show is audio only. You can listen to it on your computer, take it with you on your MP3 player (the most popular of which is Apple's iPod - thus, "PODcast" - clever, eh?) or even burn it to CD and listen to it on any CD player. There are many different types of audio and video content on the web, but podcasts are special. They include an XML document (called a feed) that allows the podcaster to syndicate their show by allowing you to subscribe to the show, and receive regular updates. This means that once you've found a podcast, you can just subscribe (kind of like bookmarking it) and not worry about tracking it down again every month, week, or day. The two most popular syndication methods are RSS and ATOM.

You say I can Subscribe for Free?

You betcha! So, you've found our podcast, now how do you subscribe? Well, there are these great little applications call "podcatchers" that you can use to track your favorite podcasts. Every time you start your podcatcher, it will dutifully check to see if any new episodes of your favorite podcasts have been released, and if so, it will download them to your computer for you. A list of popular podcatchers (try saying THAT 10 times fast) is listed below.

Also, if you don't want to use your own podcatcher, some podcasting directories have their own built-in systems that do the same thing, you just have to be connected to the internet to use them. PodShow, for instance, allows you to set up a free account, subscribe to podcasts, and listen to them all online from one place. The disadvantage is that they won't automatically download your shows to your computer for you. The upside, though, is that you can log onto your shows from any computer.

Invasion of the PodCatchers

Need a PodCatcher to download and play your favorite podcasts? Try these. The newer versions of iTunes are by far the most popular, and among the easiest to use, but there are plenty of others:

I have my Podcatcher, how do I subscribe to Show -n- Tell?

iTunes - For those using a newer version of iTunes, just click here. This will launch your copy of iTunes and automatically subscribe you to our show.

other podcatchers - If you are using a podcatcher other than iTunes, you'll have to look at its documentation for details, but generally, the process is the same. First, you tell the 'catcher that you want to subscribe to a new feed, then you either type or paste the feed address into the appropriate box, and that's it. Oddly enough, some of these PodCatchers don't actually play the shows, they just download them for you, so you'll have to open them using another player, such as quicktime or windows media player, or by playing them on your mobile MP3 player. Choose the appropriate link below for your catcher.

RSS - http://showandtell.libsyn.org/rss

How do I find other Podcasts?

Well, you've already found this podcast, so the most important part of your job is already done. :-)

However, there are literally thousands of podcasts on almost as many topics, so if you have interests other than your child, you are sure to find podcasts for those as well. There are a number of podcast directories on the internet, and chances are, your podcatcher has links to directories already built into it. A comprehensive listing of directories can be found on Rob Walch's site, Podcast 411.

Other family oriented podcasts are:

101 Uses for Baby Wipes - parenting from a father's point of view.
The Mommycast - parenting from a mother's point of view.
The Pediacast - a podcast about child health by pediatrician Dr. Mike.
Just One More Book - a podcast about outstanding children's books.
Griddlecakes Radio - modern audio storytelling in the tradition of the likes of Garrison Keillor's Prarie Home Companion (Lake Wobegone).
Bell's in the Batfry - slapstick comedy by voice artist, John Bell. Family friendly, in a Tom-n-Jerry sort of way.

Cool. I want to know more about Podcasting.

Check out these links for more information on podcasting:

Podcast 411 -:- Wikipedia -:- Podcast Alley

Welcome to Show-n-Tell!

show_n_tell@mac.com — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 18:23:00 GMT

This is kind of an experiment of mine to expose the kids of my daughter's first grade class and their families to the concept of podcasting. Podcasting is an offshoot of "web logging", or "blogging". Podcasting is a way of creating audio and video content that is distributed over the internet. This is a large growing form of media. Currently, about 10 million people listen to or watch podcasts. By the end of 2008, it is estimated that nearly 25 million people will subscribe, and by the end of 2010, they anticipate that nearly 50 million people will subscribe to podcasts.

The potential of podcasting has yet to be measured, but already, its been seen as a force that is revolutionizing the media business as a whole. The idea of "what I want, when I want it" is a powerful one, and it is making large strides against the media giants of this world, such as newspapers, radio and television. Shows like this, that might never have seen the light of day in 'big media', are now able to reach out and find an audience. Where TV and Radio have to guarantee a certain number of watchers/listeners in a geographic area, podcasting has a global reach, so far fewer people in a location need to 'tune in' for a show to be successful. And with products such as Apple's iPod and iTV, internet content, such as Podcasts, are now able to be consumed as easily as traditional media.

For this show, the premise is simple. We are creating an audio show of interviews with our school's first grade classes. We've asked the kids to bring in a single item that they feel is special or important to them. If the item can't be brought in (i.e., a person, pet, location, or very large item), then they have brought in photos or drawings of their subject. Each student will have his own episode. At the time of this writing, I have interviewed just over half of the students. We intend to release 3 shows per week through the end of the school year, one student from each of the 3 first grade classrooms. These interviews will only be available through the end of July, 2007. If you want to save your child's interview, just right-click on the POD image and choose 'save as' to your computer. Of course, if you subscribe to this podcast, then all of the episodes will automatically download to your computer as they are released.

If you want to know how to subscribe to this show so that every episode will download to your computer, free of charge, just click here. We hope you will take the time to learn a little about this emerging form or media.

Finally, please have mercy on me. I am a multimedia artist, not a professional interviewer or radio personality. I am having a tremendous amount of fun working on this show and another that I do in my spare time, Answers for Freelancers! However, my voice is what it is, so try to ignore me and just enjoy your children.