Combining technology and religion has helped students at an Ozaukee school learn about the Gospels and saints. An innovative approach to teaching and learning religion is detailed in this article that first appeared in the February 2008 edition of Catholic Herald's Parenting. 

Students spread the Word through podcasts
‘Gospel 2 Go’ puts Lumen Christi religion class on the Web

Amy Rewolinski, Special to Parenting

MEQUON — Chalkboards and textbooks don’t crowd Kevin Schramka’s eighth grade religion classroom at Lumen Christi Catholic School. Instead, Schramka uses the latest in technology to gain his students’ attention, mainly by way of podcasts.

For the past year, Schramka and his students have been creating “Gospel 2 Go” and “Saints 2 Go” podcasts. A podcast is a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program that can be shared over the Internet and played on computers and digital music players.

“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from parents since we had teachers’ conferences,” Schramka said.

“Some of what the parents talked about was listening to the podcasts with their children. One parent thought it was very interesting how the first part of the Bible was passed orally — by oral tradition — and how now, thousands of years later, it’s still being passed on orally, but through a modern tool of technology, an iPod.”

The idea to integrate podcasts into his religion lesson plan came from the example of a kindergarten teacher at Lumen Christi who used podcasts as a way to teach social studies to her students. After witnessing her success, Schramka introduced podcasts to his students. 

The “Gospel 2 Go” and “Saints 2 Go” podcasts begin with Schramka writing a Gospel-themed script for two of his students who then add their own ideas and thoughts. After a week of practice, the script is read and recorded by the students. A guest speaker is also brought in to answer questions about that particular Gospel or saint on which the recording is centered. Music is added to make the podcast more colorful.

A typical “Gospel 2 Go” podcast is one recorded on Jan. 10 labeled “I am, who am,” that includes a short tutorial on who exactly Christ is. Two students discuss, along with Schramka, how Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is answered today. By design, religion, history and social studies are all touched upon in the podcast to make it as fulfilling to students as possible.

“The first ones started at about five to six minutes,” Schramka said. “We’ve been steadily enhancing them and making them better. Now we have evolved into these podcasts that are just incredible because we’re enhancing them in different ways, sometimes just by the way we speak and add music. That’s why I think they have evolved into more of the eight- to nine-minute ones. In the beginning we were speeding up, we were fast-talking. But now we’re talking and then giving an opportunity for a pause. Plus, we give a little bit more information. We want to make these valuable for the students.

“I think students have responded phenomenally. After each podcast, I try to have it where we will listen to it and at the end we will have a theological question. They (students) will type out a full page — some have even typed out three pages on just one theological question — and they will incorporate things that are going on in their lives on what is being talked about in the podcasts and the readings. I think they have received it well,” Schramka added. 

Laurie Yingling, director of technology at Lumen Christi, said that technology such as podcasts are becoming more common in schools. 

“It (podcasts) truly enhances what people are doing. You can learn grammar and foreign languages from podcasts, and it’s becoming quite prevalent that you can find any kind of information you want from podcasts. The reverse is also true that if you want to construct one, that is also easy to do. 

“When Kevin (Schramka) started recording podcasts, the students were quite intrigued. He has a whole philosophy about how meaningful that can be. If you can make a connection with their experiences and with what they know previously or have had experiences with, your impact on learning is far greater. So for him to talk about religion and bring it into their world using technology has made it more meaningful, and brings them more into it as playing a role.”
Student Kate Wirthlan, 14, said that for her, podcasts are interesting and creative, and she enjoys learning how to create her own. 

“We play a huge role,” Wirthlan said. “Our teacher wrote the script, and then my partner and I added our own insights. My favorite one was the one just before Christmas, because it got me in the mood for Christmas, and prepared me for the coming of Christ.” 

Principal Richard Goeden said that while he doesn’t think that the technology used at Lumen Christi makes the school unique, it certainly enhances and improves student learning. 

“I’m seeing it in religion and that with the ‘Gospel 2 Go’ and ‘Saints 2 Go,’ things like that are giving children new ways to experience our Catholic faith, our morality,” Goeden said. 

“Things like that have a different way that’s contemporary of sharing their faith journey and learning about their faith. Students today are technology literate. They don’t want to learn in the same ways that their parents did, and sometimes we, as adults, don’t always see that we have to adapt ourselves to their learning styles. Whether it’s religion or all subject areas, the more interactive their life is, the happier it is. To me, that’s just motivating and enhancing student achievement,” said Goeden.