Podcasts for Educators

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As a teacher, one of the things that I looked forward to the most was the quiet after school got out or during my prep period. However, for me, the silence was sometimes too deafening. Even music, at times, would be too much. I had to find something that would help me relax and reflect on the day or start to think about what was coming up for me and my students. Even now, I need something other than music to help me reflect on what I've just done or have coming up soon. So, I turned to podcasts to help me out.

Podcasts have been around a long time, but I don't consider them to be a dying technology. In fact, I feel like they are on the rise because they are portable and many include a video portion to them, for those that want to watch instead of just listen.

When I first started listening to them, I was looking for distraction from work and something to help me unwind. So, I started listening to some that were unrelated to education and teaching. However, I soon realized that there were so many that could help me think about my work and how I approach my work with teachers and students. Here is a list of education related podcasts that I recommend starting with (it is by no means exhaustive, but one's that I've listened to and would recommend - if you have any that you like, please leave that in the comments below and I'll add them to the list! ).

I've found myself pondering new ideas or approaches to my teaching, cementing ideas that I've always known to be true, commiserating with teachers from across the nation on circumstances, or just listening to the thoughts and perspectives of educators that I look up to and know to have a large impact on educational research. It's definitely one of the things that I encourage educators around me to do as a part of their regular routine to keep themselves in balance with their work and the work of others in this profession.

The best part of it all, is that most nights I am able to get into the right state of mind by the time that I get home to my family. I'm able to be fully present with them because I've spent time reflecting on the work of the day and have allowed myself to switch over to be in my daddy mode instead of the tech coach mode that I'm in at work. This practice has made a huge difference in how I do my work and spend time with my family at the same time.

In the classroom note:

Using podcasting can be fun for students and informative for you as a teacher as well! It’s along the same lines as digital storytelling. See these links for more information about this:
An overview of Podcasting in the Classroom - By EdTechTeacher
10 Ways to Use Podcasts in the Classroom - By WeAreTeachers
A Good Lesson Plan to Guide through the Process - By ReadWriteThink


Podcast icon used under Creative Commons Licensefrom AJC1. 

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