Podcasts. I love them. I am a good five years behind the rest of the world when it comes to recognizing just how wonderful podcasts really are. A podcast is:
A digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or portable media player, typically available as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically. Link
You can listen to podcasts when you are driving, cleaning around the house, doing yardwork, or during a break at work. They can be background noise or the focal point of your attention. You can pause it, rewind it, or fast forward it. You get to listen to it at your pace and on your time. The best part is most podcasts are free! (if you know me I love free!)
The reasons that podcasts work so well is that the only prerequisite for them is passion. Anyone with who can record audio can upload it to the interwebs and create a podcast. I even have a podcast I participate in! (really Jorge Rodriguez does all the work) Any time passionate people get a chance to speak about their passion you can’t help but be mesmerized.
My passions run far and wide so it only makes sense that the podcasts I listen to are all over the place. There are lots of education podcasts out there. The ones that I love to listen to are the Voxcast, The Bedley Bros. EdChat, #dcstransforms, the House of Edtech, the PE Geek, Pushing the Edge with Greg Curran and Learning Lab Education Radio. There are a million more I could name that are worth listening to.
The best part about podcasts are the ones outside of education. You get to listen to experts in an array of subjects that you would never be exposed to before. The Tim Ferris Show is the first podcast that really grabbed my attention outside of education. His podcast,
‘…deconstruct world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, sports, business, art, etc.) to extract the tactics and tools you can use.”
Is there anything better than listening to the most interesting people in the world who have done the wildest things and finding out what I can take from them to make myself better?
A couple of podcasts that I would recommend outside of education are the Hidden Brain, Curious Minds, Question of the Day, and Radio lab. If you have any hobbies or interests I guarantee there is a podcast out there waiting for you! Come join me on @Voxer and tell me all about your podcast experience by clicking on this link!! If you are new to @Voxer click this link. I look forward to continuing this conversation in person, on Twitter, and on Voxer.
Q1. What are your favorite podcasts that deal with education? #slowchatpe
Q2. What are your favorite podcasts outside of education? #slowchatpe
Q3. What is your go to podcast for social justice? #slowchatpe
Q4. Share the greatest thing you learned from a podcast. #slowchatpe
Q5. What podcast should others listen to? #slowchatpe
#slowchatPE 
As you say, there are so many great benefits to listening to podcasts and there are so many out there that can challenge our thinking and our practice in education. Personally, I’ve got sort of a pattern to the way in which I learn through podcasts. I will first listen to a podcast during one of my morning runs and take mental notes from the parts that resonate the most with me. To start off my day of work, I will re-listen to the podcast and take notes in my journal.
It’s a pattern that has served me well as it allows me to think deeply about what I’ve learned and how it resonates with the work that I do.
My go to podcast over the last year or so has been the Ted Radio Hour which is hosted by Guy Raz. Lots of relevant themes that are applicable in the education profession from both a student learning and teacher well-being point of view.
I also listen to Tim Ferriss as he does an amazing job of deconstructing what success looks like at multiple levels in his guest’s personal and professional lives.
There are others that I listen to, but the ones mentioned are my top go to podcasts.
My advice to teachers would be to find a few podcasts that really get you thinking and reflecting, identify key points that are applicable in your own lives then begin to implement some of those ideas at personal and professional level.
If a podcast doesn’t do it for you, scrap it and move on. As you build your own learning network, you are sure to find what works best for you based upon how you think, learn, teach, and live. Good luck.
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