I'm just going to say it, podcasts have changed my life. I love to listen to a good podcast! I have been casually listening to podcasts for the last couple of years. I'm sure my friends and family are tired of hearing me say "This one podcast I was listening to..." or I interject "That reminds me of this one podcast I was listening to..." Listening to podcasts has made horrible tasks more bearable. I actually want to mow the lawn or do the dishes. The entertainment value that comes from downloading and listening makes my commute enjoyable and welcome. Sadly, my commute is only 10 minutes long so, typically, I end up listening as I set up my classroom in the morning.
Not only has listening to podcasts made me more of a morning person (for the first time in my life I like getting up in the morning), it's made me smarter. Teaching me things that I would have never learned anywhere else. I first got hooked listening to HowStuffWorks podcasts. My favorites are Stuff You Missed in History Class and Stuff You Should Know. I had no idea that learning about how grass works would be fascinating to me.
Serial was amazing! I would wake up extra early on Thursdays to download and listen to the most recent episode. I talked about it so much that I convinced my entire family to listen as well. I even listened to it again with a friend to participate in the discussions and debate whether or not Adnan was really guilty or not. I called everyone I knew in the greater Baltimore area to ask if they knew where Leakin Park was. I can't wait for the new season to start.
I discovered teacher podcasts and found that I could listen to other teachers across the country talk about many of the same issues that I face. I found that listening to their voices I was able to connect in ways that I hadn't in the past.
TED radio hour and TED talks are awesome! Along with NPR podcasts, I have discovered that listening to people arguing about random topics makes me happy. I have even found a political podcast that I can tolerate.
The longer I listen to podcasts, the more I notice how different episodes inspire different projects, approaches, and considerations in both my professional and personal life. And, if nothing else, I now have a wealth of random knowledge stored in my brain.
I have never really listened to a podcast. After reading your post it is making me intrigued to listen to one. I will definitely have to check them out!
ReplyDeleteI would highly suggest it! It may take some time to figure out what it is that interests you, but it is worth it!
DeleteOh yes, Erika and podcasts :) I still need to go listen to TED Talks... this year!
ReplyDeleteTry TED radio hour. It takes 2-3 TED talks and summarizes them with clips from the TED talks and interviews from the people giving the TED talks. They also are listed by subject so you can pick subjects that interest you. I feel like I have listened to 3 TED talks in one sitting!
DeleteI have never listened to podcasts. I follow TED but have never listened to one of their podcasts. Now I really want to download one and listen. Thanks for sharing and motivating me!
ReplyDeleteI really like the TED radio hour. It takes 2-3 TED talks that have similar themes and summarizes them with clips from the actual TED talks and clips from interviews with the people giving the TED talks. I feel like I get to hear more than one TED talk in an hour and if I want to hear more I can always go and listen to the TED talk in its entirety.
DeleteHave you ever considered integrating them into a lesson or project for your students? I've tossed the idea around, but never really took the time to do so. I bet you could get your students hooked too! Do you know of any that are appropriate for 2nd graders?
ReplyDeleteLast year I shared parts of the TED talk by Amy Cuddy about power posing about a month before our state testing and we did some power posing 3 times a week. It was an interesting experiment. Some of the kids really got into it.
DeleteHere is the link to her TED talk https://www.ted.com/speakers/amy_cuddy
I don’t know if you have taken EDTECH513 or plan to. I learned a lot about lots of digital media and had to create a podcast and screencast. I think you might enjoy it given your love of podcasts. I enjoyed your style and reflection. Do you have any that you have lisened to more than once?
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken EDTECH513. Thanks for the suggestion! Th only podcast that I have listened to more than once was serial. I have listened to parts of Invisibilia more than once.
DeleteI have not taken 513, nor is it in my plan...choosing electives was quite difficult! I had already made screencasts and instructional videos at that point (though not podcasts), so I chose other electives on topics I had less experience in.
ReplyDeleteAs for which podcasts I listen to, I love The Splendid Table (which is about food and cooking), The Money Guy (investing for dummies, so I can retire in my 50's) and The Nerdist (Interviews with smart celebrities) to name a few. I haven't yet found one about science (which I teach) that knocks my socks off.
I haven't listened to the ones you do. I will have to check them out! I assume that you have tried Science Friday, I find them to be short and current topics. I also like RadioLab which occasionally has science topics that are interesting. It is time consuming to find ways to integrate podcasts into the classroom. I will occasionally find something in my curriculum that relates to a podcast that I have listened to, but it is infrequent and difficult to do.
DeleteSerial was life-changing. What a great way to tell a story. I found myself constantly wondering how you could do something like that in class...
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting thought to have students do the podcasting in class. You could have them podcast as if they were different characters in a novel or they could do an author study and podcast about the authors. It would take some work to set up and teach procedures but it would be a cool experiment.
DeleteI love podcasts as well. I listen to Radiolab (lots of pop-science), Freakonomics (pop-economics), Serial like you mentioned, 99% Invisible (design, architecture, etc), This American Life, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have often aspired to incorporate listening to a podcast into a lesson, but I never pulled the trigger. I usually lose confidence, and worry that a particular episode will be too long, or will have too many tangents away from what I'm trying to focus on. But I can still see the possibility.
Kids making a podcast would be a whole 'nother level! That would be great.
[side note: I have a friend who studied biochemistry in college, but figured out life as a lab-tech wasn't for her, and is now a science-journalist, and helps create science-based podcasts, radio shows, online articles etc...I just love that career pivot!]