Last week, Voxblock Co-Founder Rebecca, myself and another member of the Voxblock team headed out to Haddington Primary School in East Lothian for an exciting afternoon of filming for STV News. STV were keen to understand how the children have been using Voxblock players in the school, and the impact they have had on learning.
Voxblock in Haddington Primary School
The Voxblock players have been used in their Lower Campus, set up alongside the P2/3 classroom library for the past six months. The teachers and kids have found them to be a valuable addition to the classroom. Thanks to PTA funding the school has just received 17 additional players and over 50 new audiobooks to be used throughout the school from nursery to P7.
Lights, camera, action!
First up on film was Rebecca, she set the scene on how far Voxblock has come in the past 18 months since launch and where the original idea came from. I asked Rebecca how it felt to be behind the camera in the school.
“It was really heartwarming to see Voxblock's in the classroom and the joy it brought the children. You tend to get lost in the day to day running of a business and sometimes forget why you are doing it. Seeing the children enjoying the players and stories really reminded me of why we are making them and the exciting journey ahead."
Six P3 children – Eilidh, Robyn, Austin, Leo, Evie, and Hannah – were chosen to talk to the presenter about what they thought about having Voxblock's in school. Being presented with a microphone and being filmed was new to them, but they didn’t bat an eye and were naturals on camera.
I (Philli Thorne, Parent and Co-Chair of the PTA) discussed how after originally having players at home for my kids I saw the opportunity to extend this to the classroom, and how they are a valuable resource for PTAs to purchase for schools.
Mrs Wood, the class teacher was the last to be filmed. She shared how she sees the value of audiobooks in the classroom and how they complement many learning goals throughout Early Years, Level 1, and Level 2 in the curriculum.
The segment was on STV News on 26th September and can be watched here.
If you’d like to find out more about Voxblocks in schools, click here
