Not Enough Time? Keeping Up Through Podcasts

Recently I talked with another staff member about teachers and time--there just isn't enough for everything that we'd like to do.  Daily we use our time to take care of routine educational tasks including duty, housekeeping activities, planning, meeting, communicating with parents, paperwork, and yes--working with students in the classroom.  We'd like to keep up with what's going on beyond the walls and boundaries of our campus, but there never seems to be enough time.

There is a bigger world out there, and podcasts are one way to reach it.  You may have noticed as I walk the building installing software or work at my desk that my iPod friend is often at my side.  While I love my top rated songs as much as the rest of you, you may be surprised to find that most of the time I'm listening to audiobooks and podcasts.  This allows me to keep up with some of the latest (albeit geeky) research and current practices while I'm on the go.

If you'd like to reach out for new ideas without leaving your classroom or your home, follow these steps.  First, load a content aggregator to your computer.  An aggregator brings all of your feeds to one location and keeps them current as they update on the web.  I normally use iTunes for its simplicity, but have also used PageFlakes and Bloglines.  Greg Smith from Laurel Mountain prefers Google Reader, while Robin Young from Ridgeview and Nicole Ortega from Cedar Valley use NetVibes.  There are many other free feed readers that you may want to investigate as well.  Many of the aggregators include tutorials or step-by-step directions to help you get started, but if you’d like more information, give me a call.  You don’t even need an iPod or MP3 player because you can listen from your aggregator or straight from the source website.

The second step is to find content.  Here is a short list of educational podcasts and directories that will give you a place to begin:

• Radio Willow Web—a nice example of student podcasting
• Learn Out Loud—a directory of education podcasts
• PDK International Podcasts—podcasts of and about feature articles including discussions with authors
• Education Podcast Network—podcasts for teachers who are looking for content
• New Teacher Hotline—advice and discussions from veteran teachers
• Digg (Education)—a compilation of the most popular podcasts in education

Have a go!  There may not be much time, but you can reach out for new ways to stay current with the changing face of education.

Coming soon:  Fun Websites and Podcasts with Little or No Educational Value