Professional Learning

Monday: Let's Learn!

Welcome to Week 2 of March Badgeness!

We hope you bookmarked our website! Website

Don’t forget to Introduce yourself so we can all start feeling like we are part of a pod! 🙂

No need to look back at last week’s email here’s the link- Introduce Yourself Slides

Last week we learned about the benefits of podcasting. The psychological benfits alone are worth exploring this type of media. Not to mention the ease of use! You can listen from anywhere at any time. And talk about choice… As of last month, February 2024, there are over 3.2 million podcasts to choose from right now. To say there is something for everyone is an understatement. 

This week we are going to focus on ourselves as adult learners. Most of our time consists of teaching day after day but we all know the benefits of taking some time and switching gears and taking a seat in the classroom. It can be extremely beneficial professionally. According to Edutopia, “Podcasts about improving practices in education provide bite-sized enrichment that teachers can consume whenever they like”. I just love that statement “bite-sized enrichment”. Time is always a factor whenever we think about professional development. 

As we dive into our week of focusing on ourselves as learners, let’s look at 4 ways to use podcasts to guide your learning according to our friends at Edutopia.

1. Identify your learning needs. Brainstorm topics independently or with colleagues to define learning goals that align with your curriculum, standards, and learning targets that can lead to intentional learning.

2. Prepare for listening. If you’re interested in tuning into podcasts, you can download podcast apps in advance. Always keep earbuds handy to listen to podcasts anytime and anywhere, whether on your commute, taking a walk, having your lunch break, or waiting in line at the grocery store. The convenience of being able to listen at your own pace is what makes podcast learning enjoyable.

3. Consider professional learning tips. Since time is of the essence, it becomes important to think about various ways teachers can capitalize on listening to podcasts.

• You can listen to a podcast in short segments over time or focus on a specific section that interests you. You can even speed up or slow down the podcast to your preferred pace.

• Approach it as you would any professional-learning experience. Discern what may be relevant to your practice, and gain value from picking up one or two high-impact routines. A great benefit is that you can easily revisit particularly meaningful sections. Simply fast-forward or rewind as needed!

4. Leverage strategies to document your learning. Listening to podcasts is a great way to learn and grow. You may have different motivations for listening to a podcast, depending on your goal. You decide how to document your learning while listening.   

Wednesday: What's popular? 

What’s popular?

Here are some educational podcasts that cover a range of topics:

• The EdSurge Podcast

  • Focus: Education technology, trends, and innovations.

• The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

  • Focus: Teaching strategies, education technology, and professional development.

• The EdSurge On Air Podcast

  • Focus: Conversations with educators, leaders, and innovators in education.

• Teaching Matters Podcast

  • Focus: Discussions on teaching practices, professional development, and education policy.

• Talks with Teachers

  • Focus: Interviews with educators discussing teaching strategies and experiences.

• The Bedley Bros EdChat

  • Focus: Interviews with educators, discussions on teaching methods, and education-related topics.

• The TeachThought Podcast

  • Focus: Exploring innovative teaching practices and education trends.

• Edutalk Radio

  • Focus: Features interviews with educators, administrators, and education thought leaders.

• The Education Gadfly Show

  • Focus: Discussions on education policy, reform, and current events in education.

• Educators Lead Podcast

  • Focus: Interviews with educational leaders discussing leadership strategies and experiences.

None of these speak to you? That’s OK. 

Do us a favor and check out one of these at https://www.edupodcastnetwork.com/ and report back on your favorite pod you stumbled upon.

Friday: Reflection 

This week, you’ve had the opportunity to dive into some educational podcasts we recommended and explore some of your own.  As you reflect on what you’ve learned and your own personal experience with educational podcasts, share some of your favorite educational podcasts and what you like about them in this Google Form to earn your second badge. You’re doing great!