Podcast Party
I'm sure you've heard of the new podcast craze that has hit us in the last few years. They are like talk shows that you can access at any time, and have become pretty popular. Well, to no surprise there are many that revolve around education. So I searched for the Best Education Podcasts of 2017 and found a great blog from Edutopia. I picked two podcasts that spiked my interest and I want to share them with you.
The Cool Cat Teacher Blog is great and author Vicki Davis has expanded to make her own podcast called Ten Minute Teacher. I chose her podcast Educating Kids For Life Not For Tests. A topic that I hold near and dear. Vicki starts by introducing her guest and giving an outline of what will be discussed in the 10 minutes. I really liked that aspect because sometimes I see a title that I find interesting and then am disappointed by the content. This was not the case for Vicki's podcast. She brought on Pam Moran who is a Superintendent in Virginia, and they discussed the challenge of helping teachers who grew up in the "Test till you drop" mentality. It is difficult to move away from something you know so well to technology that is new to everyone. Pam discusses how she saw virtual reality change learning for three of her students as well as her own experience with VR. The discussion moves to the struggle that comes from telling schools to "take a risk" and include blended learning when they are only teaching towards standardized tests. Pam references an experience where a teacher voiced their concerns about not being able to support a discussion because he had to move quickly in order to fit in all the material for the test. I think the main take away from this episode is that this idea of the quantity of fact over the quality of learning is what stunts student's passion, curiosity, and love of learning. Overall, I loved the episode and will be listening to more. I also appreciate that they are short. I can listen to one while making dinner but then I am provided with more information if I want to research further.
The Google Teacher Tribe podcast with Matt Miller and Kasey Bell is another great podcasts. I have listened to them before and these two really know what they are talking about when discussing Google in the classroom. There are a crazy amount of programs and apps from Google that I didn't know about before finding this podcasts and they go deep into detail here. They also express their own experiences using the tools they are discussing in each episode. The one I chose to speak about today was the Hanging Out With Google Hangouts episode. I chose to listen to this one because I know nothing about google hangout. This is a point that Kasey brings up right away. Teachers aren't completely sure how to use it or if they can, but she goes on to explain how it can be used to facilitate virtual tours, video conferencing, and quick instant messaging. Matt then brings up ideas or instances where he has seen google hangouts being used in classrooms as well as tips to make sure your time with the program runs smoothly. I think that there was a lot to take away from this podcast in regards to using tools in ways some might not think of. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and use a tool in a new way that works for your classroom. And don't be afraid to share it with others. Google plus communities are also discussed as a way to find new and engaging ways to interact with others. Matt suggested contacting NASA, the Seattle Aquarium, the SanDiego Zoo, and more to have virtual field trips with classes. My only complaint about this podcast is that it is maybe too jam-packed with information. I clicked the link to hear about google hangout but the first and last 10 minutes are about other topics. With a heavy schedule, its hard to have time for it all and maybe it should be split better to help the busy teacher.
I think the reason that podcasts are becoming so popular is that they can carry so much information. You can go to one podcast and listen to multiple different guest speakers about a variety of topics. You can listen to a few and see which ones you want to do further research on. You get introduced to different experts on different subjects. Realistically it is hard to read every book on your profession. With podcasts, you can listen on the go rather than sitting down with 20 books. I could definitely see myself becoming more involved with podcasts and listen to them on my drive to work. I think they are making information more accessible and available and I think that it could better my teaching skills and open me up to the information I might not have seen in the past. I also think that podcasts can be used in the classroom to facilitate discussions. It is definitely something I want to look into further.
The Cool Cat Teacher Blog is great and author Vicki Davis has expanded to make her own podcast called Ten Minute Teacher. I chose her podcast Educating Kids For Life Not For Tests. A topic that I hold near and dear. Vicki starts by introducing her guest and giving an outline of what will be discussed in the 10 minutes. I really liked that aspect because sometimes I see a title that I find interesting and then am disappointed by the content. This was not the case for Vicki's podcast. She brought on Pam Moran who is a Superintendent in Virginia, and they discussed the challenge of helping teachers who grew up in the "Test till you drop" mentality. It is difficult to move away from something you know so well to technology that is new to everyone. Pam discusses how she saw virtual reality change learning for three of her students as well as her own experience with VR. The discussion moves to the struggle that comes from telling schools to "take a risk" and include blended learning when they are only teaching towards standardized tests. Pam references an experience where a teacher voiced their concerns about not being able to support a discussion because he had to move quickly in order to fit in all the material for the test. I think the main take away from this episode is that this idea of the quantity of fact over the quality of learning is what stunts student's passion, curiosity, and love of learning. Overall, I loved the episode and will be listening to more. I also appreciate that they are short. I can listen to one while making dinner but then I am provided with more information if I want to research further.
The Google Teacher Tribe podcast with Matt Miller and Kasey Bell is another great podcasts. I have listened to them before and these two really know what they are talking about when discussing Google in the classroom. There are a crazy amount of programs and apps from Google that I didn't know about before finding this podcasts and they go deep into detail here. They also express their own experiences using the tools they are discussing in each episode. The one I chose to speak about today was the Hanging Out With Google Hangouts episode. I chose to listen to this one because I know nothing about google hangout. This is a point that Kasey brings up right away. Teachers aren't completely sure how to use it or if they can, but she goes on to explain how it can be used to facilitate virtual tours, video conferencing, and quick instant messaging. Matt then brings up ideas or instances where he has seen google hangouts being used in classrooms as well as tips to make sure your time with the program runs smoothly. I think that there was a lot to take away from this podcast in regards to using tools in ways some might not think of. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and use a tool in a new way that works for your classroom. And don't be afraid to share it with others. Google plus communities are also discussed as a way to find new and engaging ways to interact with others. Matt suggested contacting NASA, the Seattle Aquarium, the SanDiego Zoo, and more to have virtual field trips with classes. My only complaint about this podcast is that it is maybe too jam-packed with information. I clicked the link to hear about google hangout but the first and last 10 minutes are about other topics. With a heavy schedule, its hard to have time for it all and maybe it should be split better to help the busy teacher.
I think the reason that podcasts are becoming so popular is that they can carry so much information. You can go to one podcast and listen to multiple different guest speakers about a variety of topics. You can listen to a few and see which ones you want to do further research on. You get introduced to different experts on different subjects. Realistically it is hard to read every book on your profession. With podcasts, you can listen on the go rather than sitting down with 20 books. I could definitely see myself becoming more involved with podcasts and listen to them on my drive to work. I think they are making information more accessible and available and I think that it could better my teaching skills and open me up to the information I might not have seen in the past. I also think that podcasts can be used in the classroom to facilitate discussions. It is definitely something I want to look into further.
I have become a big fan of Google Hangouts because of it's ability to connect folks from all over the world. We were recently able to do one with a marine biologist from National Geographic! It was an experience our students will never forget!
ReplyDelete15/15