​Mrs. Lang, an 8th grade science teacher at Montezuma-Cortez Middle School, assigned a unique project to her students, she challenged them to create a podcast about something that inevitably binds us all- water.  She wanted her students to focus on Water Wrangling and how water is used and allocated across the state; in addition, she wanted to bring awareness to water preservation and conservation. Yet, as questions and answers were unpacked, the theme shifted from water conservation to water technology and innovation.

Each student was assigned a role for the podcast project. The different roles for this project included Ambassadors, who participated in a state-wide, virtual collaboration collecting evidence that would later be used in the podcast. There were also Website Developers, who were tasked with making the website and compiling summaries and work from students throughout the project. The Artists decorated the website and created visual representations of each water theme, and selected music for the podcast's transitions. The Partner Relation team was tasked with getting in touch with community and industry leaders to answer student-generated questions. The Equipment Managers determined the appropriate equipment needed to create and edit the podcast, and our Audacity Editors manipulated the interviews and created water-themed transitions to create a one of a kind podcast. Each role worked together to determine their responsibilities to contribute to the whole of the project. 

This podcast project strengthened the social and collaborative skills of every student. There was an emphasis on acquiring and activating 21st century skills needed to be active members of society. The learning was connected to the real world which makes education more meaningful and innovative. Students were able to walk away knowing they contributed to something more than just a test score.