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Interview with WeirdFins Gramma

Produced by the NOAA World Team and NOAA National Marine Fisheries CIO

Click to play MP3 Audio file.

 

TRANSCRIPT

[WeirdFins opener:  music, sounds, “Howdy!  Weird Gramma here with “WeirdFins. . . . .”]   Wow. . this isn’t a typical beginning for a government podcast!  But WeirdFins isn’t your everyday podcast.  It’s a new NOAA Fisheries Service weekly series geared to 8- to 12-year-old kids, with Weird Gramma leading them through her bizarre undersea world. 

Hi, I’m Julie Bedford, from NOAA’s Office of Communications, and this is NOAA World.  We’re here today with the very hip Weird Gramma herself.  But don’t be misled:  WeirdFins is based on solid science and national education standards.  Its dual mission is specifically to foster marine conservation and expand NOAA’s reach into the classroom.

WeirdFins went online in May and 15 of the 2-minute episodes are already available, with names like “Baby Shark Cannibals” and “Giant Ocean Pillbugs.” And if you don’t have an iPod or MP3 player, you can still enjoy WeirdFins. The quirky WeirdFins Web site offers up all the episodes, along with images of the offbeat Weird Gramma herself and her whimsical pals.  You can access it through the NOAA Fisheries Web site.

Recently, we sat down with the high-spirited Weird Gramma to get her take on podcasting.  Here’s what she had to say. 

1.  How did you get involved in science and teaching and why do you think kids are drawn to something like WeirdFins? 

Let me first note that kids like WeirdFins for the same reason ol’ Gramma went into marine Science:  The sea, and the strange stuff living in it, are just downright fascinating.  I bet there’s nothing living in outer space that’s as neat as the stuff in the ocean!  And you know, kids love learning about voracious predators, giant prehistoric beasts, and tiny alien thingies that live inside other animals, and the sea’s full of this stuff!  As for teaching, what’s more fun than sharing what you know with kids?

2.  Why do you think podcasting particularly suits WeirdFins?

It’s a natural, hon!  WeirdFins is for kids, and podcasting was made for kids.  It’s technology, and kids are genetically programmed for technology—computers, iPods, cell phones, text messaging, and so on.  With podcasts, you got this little teeny device you can take everywhere—hunkered down in the school bus, going to karate lessons, standing outside the bathroom while your ugly sister takes all day trying to make herself passable.  Plus, what kid doesn’t plop down at the computer every day to check out Facebook?  So it’s as easy as pie to pop in the iPod or MP3 player and get every new WeirdFins episode automatically.

3. What makes educational podcasts different than other types of outreach?  What makes a successful podcast?

Well, of course, podcasts use audio technology instead of the printed word most common to government outreach.  But if you think folks get bored with written stuff, try keeping  ’em from going to sleep while you’re talking to ’em!  Your audience can skim over printed material ’til
They find something interesting, but with audio education, every sentence has to be interesting or meaningful to keep the listener from mashing down on that ol’ off button. So not only does that mean good information, but good presentation—interesting voices; short, snappy sentences; and the use of music and sound clips.

Another challenge is the lack of visuals in podcasting.  Video is a great outreach tool, and good outreach publications have interesting photographs and charts.  So developing a catchy script is pretty important.  You’ve got to keep your message short, add some appropriate humor, and make sure you don’t get all preachy.  With podcasts for kids, you have to make sure you’re following learning standards appropriate for the target age group.  And you have to make real sure that every word gets heard, and sounds just like what you intended it to.  This is especially important with a target audience of kids, who have a more limited vocabulary and experience.  Some words are pretty innocent in print, but to the unfamiliar ear, they can sound downright naughty.  You want the kids to laugh, but not snicker.

What else?  Good reviewers—folks who aren’t afraid to tell you what works and what stinks.  And you’ve got to find someone who knows the podcast technology, like our engineer, Julian, who keeps me from sounding like I’m walking around on squashed jellyfish.

4. What’s involved in producing each episode of WeirdFins and what do you find most challenging about it?

Hoo, boy!  The biggest challenge is developing the scripts—not only the research, but keeping to the WeirdFins format and limiting each script to just two minutes.  We want some neat facts, a conservation hint, reference to non-government institutions that are involved in the research, and our opening and closing NOAA identifiers.  Getting each episode online is a three-week cycle.  First, we develop a draft and send it out for fact and appropriateness review.  Meanwhile, we research good images for the WeirdFins Web site and request permission to use them.  Then, we record, usually three episodes at a time, and the engineer does his sound editing magic while we put together the Web page for each episode.  These Web pages go beyond just meeting the requirements for an online text of each podcast for the hearing impaired.

5.  So where do the WeirdFins story ideas come from?

Hmmm.  Well, I guess they come from a whole lot of years being fascinated by the sea and its creatures.  Every trawl you pull up, and every plankton net, is loaded with fabulous stuff.  Ol’ Gramma is just one of thousands who’ve stayed up all night on a research vessel sorting through the bizarre critters brought up from inky depths.  Many of  ’em were previously unknown to science, and some of  ’em have already found their way into WeirdFins.  And memories from a bunch o’ years studying sharks led to WeirdFin episodes on these animals.

6.  Do you ever hear from any of your listeners?  What kind of feedback do you get?

Well, we haven’t got much feedback yet from the sea critters.  Could be they’re a tad miffed about being called weird.  And WeirdFins is still pretty new, so we haven’t heard
much from kids.  But because WeirdFins is part of NOAA Fisheries’ new education office, we’ve got great tie-ins with the educational community and we hear that teachers are pretty wild about WeirdFins.

7. Where do you and WeirdFins go from here?  What other possibilities do you see for podcasting?

Well, hon, there’s a whole lot more weird sea critters, so we’ll keep going with WeirdFins.  As our Web team advances its own expertise, we want to help other parts of NOAA add this outreach technology to their educational toolbox.  And who knows, now that visual iPods are MP4s are becoming common, maybe we’ll get into video podcasting.  Of course, that’ll mean ol’ Gramma will have to pare off a few of these fish-sandwich pounds.

 

This has been great, Grannie, if I may be familiar.  I’m sure we’ll see a spike in WeirdFins hits as our NOAA listeners and their kids go online to check out the Web site.

And be sure to watch for more podcasts bringing you news and stories from NOAA World.