Podcasts as PD

Credit: florantevaldez, Pixabay

So this week in my instructional technology course we covered podcasts. I'm a fan of talk radio, so naturally I listen to podcasts. I actually kind of miss having a commute, as that gave me the time to listen to them!

Podcasts in education, though, is something I hadn't really thought about (screencasts are another story!). The concept we focused on was when to use audio-only podcasts as a teacher. My gut reaction came from my almost-decade of teaching experience that was screaming at me, "YOU NEED A VISUAL!" 

But -- keep an open mind. Play your own devil's advocate, suspend your disbelief, and consider ways that having only audio might actually benefit what you're trying to do. 

Alas, this topic was well fleshed out in our BlackBoard discussion posts, and while I do hope to keep this blog going as a professional tool, right now it primarily serves as a way to expand my learning in the course....so I'm actually going to take this in a different direction. 

I told my teacher-friend what this week's topic was, and he texted me back with:

Ok so best audio podcast for teachers? I'm copying and pasting all my PDF assessments into moodle quiz (pretty mindless) need something good to listen to while working

I told him I didn't know; we were looking at using them as tools in the classroom for students. However, it DID get me thinking about podcasts as a useful PD tool, which then led me to search for podcasts for educators! Here's a little of what I found that could be useful to my friend.

• BAM! Radio Network - Their slogan is: "Amplifying the voices in the education village" -- pretty good start for what podcasts were designed to be: a way for individuals to get their voices heard! Their About page says it was created by early childhood professionals with one show, but later expanded as an all-around network for educators. All around a good place to start looking for podcasts aimed at educators. Multiple podcasts are hosted here, listed under the following categories
• Educators
• EdTech
• Leaders
• Parents
• Edutopia's Best Education Podcasts (2015) - Editor Betty Ray reviews seven educator's podcasts here with topics about PLNs, teaching strategies, teacher leadership, STEM, and PD. Another collection site, which I like because it gives me a selection of vetted podcasts to try out. 
• TEDTalks Education - While not a podcast in the strictest sense, it is available in the iTunes podcast section for delivery to your device (visual). Basically the people at TED have been so kind as to compile all the Education-themed talks (the "E" from TED). I'm a huge fan of TED Talks (education or otherwise), so I definitely wanted to include it here.
• The Google Teacher Tribe Podcast - I stumbled on this gem while searching for education podcasts in the Podcast app on my iPhone. As a Google Certified Educator, I had to have a look through their stuff. The CVs of the two hosts, Matt Miller and Kasey Bell are impressive, and their episodes cover a broad range of using Google in various subjects, or for general productivity. Score one for serendipity!
• Education Podcast Network - This last one is another site that curates many podcasts. This was an offshoot of the Google Teacher podcast above...on the sidebar was posted a message saying that they were a proud member of the Education Podcast Network - so I followed the link and found quite a few whose titles look promising!

To end - consider podcasts as another tool in your PLN arsenal. It's another great way to connect with educators from all over the world and enhance yourself as a professional.