The Mobile Educator – Best Podcasts for Educators

I don’t listen to a lot of live radio anymore. Instead, I tend to listen to a lot of podcasts. I can find content specific to my area and take it with me on the go. Here is a great list of podcasts for Educators (all for free and in no particular order):

tns.mxboduof.170x170-75Edutopia Webinars - Edutopia presents engaging webinars hosted exclusively for our audience of educators, parents, and administrators throughout the year. These interactive events are free and universally accessible thanks to support from foundations, advertisers, and donors. Each webinar is designed to connect our valued audience with thought leaders in the movement for educational reform, providing opportunities to learn about the latest research, tools, and ideas from experts in the field. Note: Most Edutopia Webinars are large files, approximately an hour long.

Education & Teaching from Yale - Yale Professors and special guests speak on teaching, education and the important role education plays in our lives.

mza_1941855506054357745.170x170-75Great Teachers by Harvard University - Harvard’s Great Teachers invites you to discover our faculty sharing their ideas, very much as they do every day with undergraduates at Harvard College.

Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University - The Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning supports the effective communication of knowledge and the love of learning by faculty inside and outside the classroom, by graduate students in their roles as apprentice scholar/teachers, and by undergraduates as they take their place in the community of scholars.

Google Tools - Google is much more than a search engine. It is a suite of free software and services that can enhance learning, engage students, and make the work of teachers easier. This series of podcasts demonstrates the usefulness and applications for some of Google’s most innovative products including custom search engines, Google earth, iGoogle, Google Calendar and Google Docs. Each podcast will consist of a screencast demonstrating the product in action and suggesting applications for use in the classroom.

mza_3818613649415185422.170x170-75Department of Education Public Seminars at Oxford University - Public seminars from the Department of Education. Oxford has been making a major contribution to the field of education for over 100 years and today this Department has a world class reputation for research, for teacher education and for its Masters and doctoral programmes. Our aim is to provide an intellectually rich but supportive environment in which to study, to research and to teach and, through our work, to contribute to the improvement of all phases of public education, both in the UK and internationally.

Technology Integration by Edutopia - Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals.

Harvard EdCast - The Harvard EdCast is a weekly series that features a 15-20 minute conversation with thought leaders in the field of education from across the country and around the world. Hosted by Matt Weber, the Harvard EdCast will mza_3370589433019548374.170x170-75serve as a space for educational discourse and openness, focusing on the myriad issues and current events related to the field.

NPR Education - From NPR: perspectives on great teachers, the science of learning, classroom dynamics and more. The best of Morning Edition, All Things Considered and other award-winning NPR programs.

About these ads

My Favorite Ed Tech YouTube Channels

YouTube is an excellent resource, especially for educators. I subscribe to various channels that focus on educational technology. Here is just a small sample of those available.

Evernote - Evernote is a great tool for organizing your life and can be transformative in the realm of education. Their YouTube channel hosts how-to’s for all levels (beginners, intermediate, advanced) and covers a myriad of topics. They have material directed at various industries (education, business, cooking, etc) and their videos are readily accessible and useful. If you’re an Evernote user or want to become one, peruse their content here.

MacMost - I’m a heavy Apple user… no doubt about that. MacMost focuses entirely on instructional videos relevant to Apple Users. It has dozens of videos on a myriad of apple topics (software, hardware, news, etc). If you’re a Mac User, it’s a must! Check out their channel here.

Edutopia - Edutopia is one of the most prominent Educational Technology blogs for American Educators. Their YouTube Channel hosts webinars, Ted Talks, pedagogy, and application. What makes it especially helpful is that they subscribe to and post resources from applicable sources around the world. It’s a rich resource for all educators. View their YouTube Channel.

Microsoft Office - Office is still the most prolific office suite today. We all have to use it at some point. The Office YouTube Channel can answer every question you ever had (and a few you never imagined) about Microsoft Office. Learn how to create stunning PowerPoint presentations, build templates for Word, explore One Note, and see where the suite is going in the future.

MindMeister - MindMeister is my favorite online Mind Mapping service. I use it in my classroom and for my own brain storming sessions. Their YouTube Channel shows you how to do amazing things with this simple yet innovative program (with free and paid tiers)!

Anson Alexander - Anson Alexander is a tech guru of all realms… all of them! If you want to know about current trends in technology, how to use the new features of google drive, how to troubleshoot your iPhone, Anson has answers for you. Check out the various feeds on his YouTube channel.

Google - It’s hard to go a day without using google (be it their mapping system, email, even YouTube videos). If you want to harness the power of Google Apps, then check out the highlighted features of their YouTube Channel.

This is hardly an exhaustive list, but it is a great starting part for anyone interested in further understanding technology. I hope that you find these useful and please be sure to share your own!

 

Best Online Ed Tech Resources and Blogs

If you are looking to expand your resource network for educational technology, there are numerous free resources available to educators and students alike. Here are a few of my favorites. If they’re not in your feedburner, time to add them!

Edutopia - The George Lucas Educational Foundation is an amazing resource for K-12 educators. Their website has a myriad of materials for teachers and administrators – lesson plans, experiential testimonies, free and discount applications, and much more. Their website is not solely dedicated to educational technology, but rather innovative education in its entirety, including theory, pedagogy, and application. If you want to get the best snippets, follow them on twitter.

Cool Cat TeacherViki Davis is a full-time educator and ed tech pioneer! She blogs about her experiences in the classroom… all of them, successes and failures. Her writing is a true inspiration to those of us ‘in the trenches’ of teaching. In addition to her blog, she maintains an excellent website. She is a must read for all teachers trying to make a difference in their classrooms and schools.

FreeTech4Teachers - Just what it sounds like – a regularly updated list of free technology (usually apps) that can readily be applied in an educational setting. This web blog is maintained by Richard Byrne, another full-time educator. In addition to resources, he includes an excellent ‘ask me’ section and great tutorials (especially for Google Apps and Products as he is a Google Certified Teacher).

Edudemic - Edudemic is one of my all-time favorite resources for educational technology. It highlights various products, applications, social media, and more. It is wholly dedicated to 21st century learning and technological integration in K-12 schools. At edudemic you can find resources, tutorials, reviews, funding opportunities, professional development (free and paid), and even personal experiential stories. If you want to just grab the highlights, be sure that you follow them on twitter.

Google in Education (Teachers) - Many educators and institutions use Google Applications as they are not only innovative, but also free! Not only does Google provide free apps readily applicable in education, but they have some great learning communities! They have blogs, repositories of lesson plans, free training, and links for grants to help educators expand their professional development.

PLP Voices from the Learning Evolution - As a periodic contributor, I would be remiss if I didn’t give out a shout to my PLPeeps! The PLV blog should be in every educator’s Reeder. You’ll find experiential reflections, how to’s, resources, pedagogy, and more. Contributors are educators, administrators, students, etc. It truly is about innovation and real world application, not just theory.

Mind/Shift - This is KQED’s (the people who brought you Sesame Street) Ed Tech blog. It highlights stories and experiences from various adventures in Ed Tech – flipped classrooms, the ‘just google it’ mentality, classroom tools, and more. If you remember the Sesame Street of your youth, then you know that KQED specializes in concise and useful information. Their blog is no different. For snippets and highlights, be sure to follow them on twitter.

EdTechTeacher - Founded by educators, EdTechTeacher focuses on technological innovation in the classroom. They provide free and paid professional development in the form of webinars, podcasts, conferences, workshops, podcasts, and in person. Their blog highlight current trends in educational technology. They also have innovative lesson plans and various examples of application of technology (both successful and unsuccessful) in the classroom. Having attended both a workshop and a conference hosted by this organization, I can tell you that they are enthusiastic, informed, and skilled at preparing educators for innovative technology integration. Again, don’t forget to follow them on twitter!

This is a very concise list of resources. There are many, many others out there. I would love to hear your own lists and suggestions!