iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

"My son’s podcast addiction began when he was 2, with “The Gingerbread Man.”

He was hooked at first listen and asked to hear it constantly. Eventually, I could recite the entire story, produced by Stories Podcast, along with the host, copying her intonations for the different voices. Our “Gingerbread Man” period peaked when my son was sick, and the only thing that could calm him down at 3 a.m. was listening to the podcast. I sat by his bed with phone in hand, and we listened over and over again, until he fell asleep.

My son is now 6, and fortunately, his taste in podcasts has expanded. He has many favorite shows and asks for episodes by name. It’s not a coincidence that he’s a dedicated podcast listener. His dad and I co-host “Tumble Science Podcast for Kids,” which we began producing just a few months after he was born. From this perspective, I’ve seen (and heard) the space grow from a handful of audio experiments to a big buffet of listening choices.

That’s great news, because once kids get into podcasts, they really get into them. A new study from the podcast “Brains On!” and the Science Museum of Minnesota of kids 3 to 17 and adults age 18 and over has found that 73 percent of listeners have heard an episode more than once. The study found that kids’ podcasts are a shared listening experience for kids and parents. Podcasts become part of the family routine, with the car the most popular place to listen.

All you need is a fresh playlist of shows that both you and your little one enjoy. I put together this list of great shows for kids ages 2 through 6 and their caretakers. They are all available free on nearly any podcast app."

"For teachers and parents, education podcasts can offer some brilliant expert insight. Here’s a list of our favourite education podcasts for inspiring, sharing, teaching and more.

Podcasts have become a hugely popular format for anyone with some spare time and a keen interest in just about anything. When it comes to the topic of education, there’s no shortage of podcast shows available online but finding the best education podcasts worthy of your time can be tricky.

To help find your perfect podcast, here’s a list of Twinkl’s top education podcasts handpicked by the teachers who work here."

 

These days busy college leaders hone their craft while walking the dog or commuting to campus (with earbuds in), thanks to the recent explosion of podcasts about higher education. But it’s hard to tell exactly how many higher-ed podcasts are out there and what difference they’re making.

Laura Pasquini, a lecturer at the University of North Texas and longtime education podcaster, hopes to tackle those questions with a new effort she’s leading called The Higher Ed Podcast Project.

A key part of the effort is a shared Google spreadsheet where she’s asking college leaders to add higher-ed podcasts they listen to. So far the list includes more than 70 podcasts (including EdSurge’s). The goal is to focus on podcasts intended to offer professional development, information or interviews about college, so it doesn’t include things like audio feeds of class lectures.

When you’re a designer you never stop learning. No matter if you’re a UX designer, a graphic designer, or you specialize in illustrations or hand lettering, there’s always something new to learn. That’s one of the best parts of being in this field.

And if you’re struggling, it’s helpful to know that there is a huge community of designers out there who are going through the same issues as you are. And who are eager to share their stories and impart their wisdom. Listening to them can help you become a better designer.

With that in mind, we have compiled a list of the best design podcasts that should help spark your creativity and get you out of any slumps you may be in.

I always say it’s a great time to be a teacher. New technologies are constantly changing what is possible in the classroom, the skills our students need to be successful are changing at an increasing rate, and we no longer need to teach in isolation. The ability to share resources, strategies, and ideas has never been easier. Unfortunately, we are also busier than ever, and staying current with 21st-century teaching and learning requires educators to look for new ways to be continuously learning.

 

When I add up the time I spend alone in my car, on the elliptical, or working around the house, I realize that it makes up a good amount of my “non-working” hours. The number of awesome podcasts for teachers being produced today has enabled me to turn this time into opportunities for lifelong learning and professional development. Whether I’m streaming in my car or listening through my earbuds, podcasts have become an essential part of my professional growth.

I used to have a five-minute commute to work. By the time I got to school I would rarely have time to listen to one song, let alone an audio book, or podcast.

When I began my first administrative role, I spent about 70-80 minutes in the car each day. And although I love music, it’s time I want to spend learning as well as unwinding.

Podcasts rejuvenated me as a learner in ways that I could not expect. I believe they’ll do the same for many teachers and leaders. Here’s my reasons to sway you to listen to podcasts right now:

Last week I finished a day leading professional development for teachers and jumped in my rental car. I was about to embark on a solo drive to visit family who lived a few hours away. Before pulling out of my spot in the parking lot I entered my destination on Google Maps and opened my Podcast app to pick a few episodes for my journey.

No matter where I am or how I’m traveling from one week to the next, podcasts have become such a huge part of my daily learning. From road trips and long walks to putting away groceries and folding laundry, podcasts have offered motivation, inspiration and sparked my curiosity as an educator. Those of you familiar with my newsletter know I love to spotlight podcasts. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites teacher podcasts to add to your summer playlist!

The podcasts on this list can be played in the Podcast app on an iOS device, played directly from the web browser of your device, or accessed on other services mentioned in the links below.

Chances are, even if you’ve never listened to a podcast before, you’ve heard about one. Podcasts bring old-time radio programs into the 21st century, and, thanks to their in-depth topic exploration and episodic nature, they’re downright addictive for listeners; the popular true-crime podcast Serial, for example, has been downloaded over 5 million times.

The popularity of podcasts makes them a great learning tool in the classroom. In one classroom in Connecticut, podcasts have even taken the place of final papers and exams, much to the students’ delight. Beyond their popularity, podcasts can be a great way to engage different kinds of learners, disseminate information, and get students excited about out-of-the-box assignments. Here’s how 21st-century educators can harness the power of podcasts in the classroom:

Did someone recently recommend you listen to a podcast? If your response was, “What’s a podcast?” we’ve got the answer, and more! Here’s a crash course on podcasts and how you can listen to them on your smartphone.

I'm going to confess, I did not bring podcasts into my English classroom with any intention of improving my students' literacy skills. The idea came from a more selfish place: My wife and I were enthralled by the first few episodes of Serial, and I wanted to share our excitement for the amazing story with my students. Like almost everybody, they were hooked by the pilot episode and begged me for more.
I began using other podcast episodes and excerpts as both primary and supplemental texts.

Using Serial turned out to be a huge academic success for a variety of reasons, most of them related to critical thinking, listening comprehension, and the art of storytelling. While I felt guilty that the students weren't doing as much reading from a traditional text, they voluntarily studied maps, evaluated clues, argued with each other, and wrote twice as much in their journals as they previously had. Perhaps most satisfying to me, they were engaging in adult conversations with teachers, parents, and administrators who were listening to the same podcast.

odcasts can serve a crucial role in preparing your students for the future and helping their learning to be meaningful.

Sound like things you’re looking for? You’re in the right place.

Plus, you (and your students) can create them for FREE in very little time.

A podcast is kind of like a radio show in your pocket. Podcasts are audio recordings that can be downloaded to a phone, played on a computer or streamed on a device.

I’m going to confess, I did not bring podcasts into my English classroom with any intention of improving my students’ literacy skills. The idea came from a more selfish place: My wife and I were enthralled by the first few episodes of Serial, and I wanted to share our excitement for the amazing story with my students. Like almost everybody, they were hooked by the pilot episode and begged me for more.

Using Serial turned out to be a huge academic success for a variety of reasons, most of them related to critical thinking, listening comprehension, and the art of storytelling. While I felt guilty that the students weren’t doing as much reading from a traditional text, they voluntarily studied maps, evaluated clues, argued with each other, and wrote twice as much in their journals as they previously had. Perhaps most satisfying to me, they were engaging in adult conversations with teachers, parents, and administrators who were listening to the same podcast.

Teachers, psychologists, and authors bring you handy tips and big-picture takes on the state of education in these eight podcasts.
By Betty Ray

Since the unprecedented success of Serial, podcasts have become a more popular form of mainstream entertainment. Not only are many adults listening for fun, but some teachers are bringing podcasts into their classrooms as a new kind of text. Teachers like Alexa Schlechter, Michael Godsey and Alex Fernandez have found teenagers to be a receptive podcast audience and have even experimented with asking students to make their own podcasts.

While audio has excited teachers of older students who can access the rich variety of content available for adults, teachers and parents of younger children are noticing there isn’t a ton of content made specifically for a younger audience. In an article written for The Atlantic, Stephanie Hayes investigates this hole in the podcast market. She was surprised to find that kids will pay attention to a full 15-20 minute podcast and learn from it. Hayes writes: