TASCAM's MIxcast 4 Podcast Station Makes An Important Impact in Education

From learning disabilities to sports and performing arts, opportunities abound

September 2022... For teachers and parents alike, educating children has many rewards and an equal number of challenges. Some students grasp concepts quickly while others struggle to keep up. Maintaining equilibrium requires patience and the willingness to try new ways of communicating information. For Kalvyn Saayman, a computer skills teacher at Durbanville Primary School in Durbanville, South Africa, which is located just outside the city of Cape Town, the TASCAM Mixcast 4 Podcast Station is creating new opportunities few had ever imagined possible.

When the COVID 19 lockdown hit their school, Saayman started experimenting livestreaming mathematics lessons for his wife, who teaches grade 7 math—and this was the start of his interest in live streaming. I saw the TASCAM Mixcast 4 on the internet and just knew I had to buy it," he reports. "During lockdown, I started using my Mixcast 4 for livestreaming rugby games at our school because parents weren`t allowed on the school premises. Now, we stream all the rugby games from u/10 – u/13, giving parents the opportunity to watch their kids play from their own home. Similarly, I also record our school's choir performances."

Saayman notes that the primary use of his Mixcast 4 is creating recordings of examination papers for learners that have reading and related learning disabilities such as dyslexia. "My own daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia last year," Saayman explained, "It's a struggle to get her to learn her schoolwork, so my wife and I teamed up. She sums up the work and reads it out load while I record it with the Mixcast 4, using different sounds I downloaded from the internet to keep her attention. The Mixcast 4 sound pads are an incredible tool for adding sound effects, which help keep her focused. The Mixcast 4 recordings are a tremendous help for students with dyslexia and students who are auditory learners. I can truly say my Mixcast 4 has been a game changer in the lives of both my daughter and I."

Saayman says he has only had his Mixcast 4 for a relatively short six months. In that time, he has become very fond of its features. "For both the rugby games and the school choir performances, the Mixcast 4 makes it very easy to acquire the performance and stream it over the internet. We livestream both activities over YouTube, and this is a terrific way to keep parents involved in the activities of their children. With the choir, we also edit the performances into songs that can then be used for various school functions."

When queried about those Mixcast 4 attributes that have had a particularly beneficial impact on his use of the unit, Saayman immediately referenced the sound pads and the ability to alter voices, “Those sound pads are such an incredible tool for adding sound effects throughout the recording. They are an excellent choice to help keep students' attention. The fact that you can import many different sounds into the panel is nothing short of extraordinary. The sound pads also make the time to edit so much shorter—as I can add the sounds while I record, instead of editing them in afterwards."

"I also change the voices to make it more interesting," Saayman continued. "My daughter laughs a lot over the Chipmunk voices while studying, which helps her to remember the lessons better and to recall the facts while writing the examination paper."

When asked about his experience with TASCAM customer support services, Saayman was very complimentary. "Thus far, I have not required technical support," he said. "However, I should note that communication regarding system updates has always been fast."

Before turning his focus back to the business of the day, Saayman offered these parting thoughts, "It is wonderful to work with TASCAM gear. The Mixcast 4 has really been a significant life changer in my and my daughter's life—as it will be in many more children's lives when we start recording summaries for them. While I have every confidence the Mixcast 4 is an excellent tool for podcasting, I want you to know this is also a great choice for students with learning disabilities."

For additional information about the Durbanville Primary School, visit https://www.facebook.com/Durbieland.