Haven’t you heard? Audio is in! It’s the hottest form of content delivery – perhaps you’ve heard about the Clubhouse app (a delicate balance of call-in radio shows, conference calls, and social media)? Or maybe you’re still waiting for the next series of the hit podcast Serial to drop (arguably one of the most popular podcasts ever produced and credited with making podcasts mainstream)?
If you haven’t played around with podcasts, now is a great time to get your toes (ears?) wet. Like DVR for the ears, podcasts deliver a near limitless library of audio to you. Form factors include interviews, monologues, conversations, true-crime, investigative reporting, scripted fiction, and more. Topics run the gamut – you can pick from comedy to food to sports to news to almost anything that scratches your itches.
And the best part? They are free (despite the term “subscribe” prominently visible in most podcast apps). The podcast business has been booming – Amazon, Google, Spotify, and Apple have spent a lot of money in this space (Amazon just acquired Wondery for $300M, Spotify acquired Gimlet for $230M as well as a $100M exclusive with Joe Rogan’s podcast and $150M to acquire Anchor).
Business aside, if you haven’t listened to podcasts before, you might want to check some out. If you have an iPhone, use the Podcasts app to discover podcasts and subscribe. You can also use other apps (Spotify and Stitcher are popular ones, but Pocket Casts is one of the best around). Android users can use Spotify, Stitcher, and Pocket Casts as well. While there are podcasts that cover every topic imaginable, here is a list of podcasts related to education (note that you should be able to discover these podcasts in your podcast app, but websites are provided for each podcast because there is often more information about the podcast on their website).
Teaching in Higher Ed
WEEKLY – ROUGHLY 45 MINUTES – INTERVIEW
“This is the space where we explore the art and science of being more effective at facilitating learning. We also share ways to increase our personal productivity, so we can have more peace in our lives and be even more present for our students.”
Host Bonni Stachowiak reliably has one of the best higher ed podcasts. Her guests are big thinkers in the education space and always provide wonderful, thought-provoking conversation.
tea for teaching
WEEKLY – ROUGHLY 45 MINUTES – INTERVIEW
“This podcast is a series of informal discussions of innovative and effective practices in teaching and learning.”
Produced by John Kane and Rebecca Mustare from SUNY Oswego, this weekly podcast covers relevant topics with engaging guests.
EdSurge Podcast
WEEKLY – ROUGHLY 25 MINUTES – INTERVIEW/MONOLOGUE
“A weekly podcast about the future of education, featuring insightful conversations with educators, tech innovators and scholars, hosted by EdSurge’s Jeff Young and other EdSurge reporters.”
Occasionally a higher ed podcast, occasionally a K12 podcast, the EdSurge Podcast covers some really innovative things. Jeff’s series “Pandemic Campus Diaries” gained a lot of attention as college professors and college students shared their visceral experiences as the pandemic was unfolding.
Trends & Issues in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, & Learning Sciences
BI-WEEKLY – ROUGHLY 15 MINUTES – DIALOGUE
“Stay current with the latest trends and issues in instructional design, educational technology, and learning sciences.”
Every two weeks, Dr. Abbie Brown and Dr. Tim Green flip relevant articles into their Flipboard magazine. Then they record their podcast and distill the essence of what is happening in the instructional space.
TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast
MONTHLY – ROUGHLY 30 MINUTES – DIALOGUE
“The Teaching Online Podcast (TOPcast), hosted by Dr. Thomas Cavanagh and Dr. Kelvin Thompson, is a monthly podcast for online and blended learning professionals conducted over a shared cup of coffee.”
Run out of the University of Central Florida, TOPcast episodes usually revolve around online learning strategies and innovations.
The Learning Scientists Podcast
MONTHLY – ROUGHLY 30 MINUTES – INTERVIEW
“A podcast for teachers, students, and parents about evidence-based practice and learning.”
If you are interested in honing your craft of teaching with evidence-based techniques, check out this podcast (but really look into the pre-pandemic episodes as the focus temporarily shifted a bit to emergency remote learning in March 2020).
The Key (Inside Higher Ed)
WEEKLY – ROUGHLY 30 MINUTES – INTERVIEW
“Hear candid conversations with higher ed newsmakers on how colleges and universities are coping with the pandemic and recession — with a special focus on equity and lower-income students.”
This podcast examines institutions holistically, not necessarily pedagogical ideas for your classroom.
The Ed Up Experience
3X WEEKLY – ROUGHLY 50 MINUTES – INTERVIEW
“Higher Education is changing rapidly and the thoughts, ideas, and insights from today’s brightest and most influential educational minds from across the globe are brought to you via The EdUp Experience.”
The Ed Up Experience also looks at the rapidly changing landscape of higher education through the perspective of the entire institution, usually through interviews with college administration or educational companies. [DISCLAIMER – I went to high school with the host.]
The Happiness Lab
BI-WEEKLY – ROUGHLY 30 MINUTES – INTERVIEW
“Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will forever alter the way you think about happiness.”
Recommended by both Lori V. and Patty T., this podcast prioritizes well-being and the good life.
Honestly, these are great podcasts to listen to for education. But even if you don’t subscribe to them, you should check out other podcasts that suit your interests. There is something for everyone and the podcast space is producing amazingly high-quality content.
Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash
