School holidays are a good time to slow down and catch up on what others are doing in the world of education. Podcasts are an important component of my PLN, they’re easy to access via iTunes and are available for anywhere/anytime listening. The podcasts to which I subscribe are a broad range of international presenters and topics ranging from education to history, literature and contemporary debates (Intelligence Squared being a favourite in this regard). Your personal options are unlimited. Here today, are three specifically Australian education podcasts for your interest.
EdTechCrew
http://www.edtechcrew.net
Australian educators have tuned into the EdTechCrew podcast hosted by educators Darrel Branson (ICTGuy) and Tony Richards (ITMadeSimple) as they’ve discussed all things digital in education since 3 May, 2007. WOW! Such dedication. If this is news to you, don’t miss out any longer, go to their website The Ed Tech Crew Podcast for links to all their podcasts and associated show notes.
The EdTechCrew podcast also has community of supporters who contribute links and ideas through the EdTechCrew Diigo Group.
EdPod
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/edpod/
Presented on ABC Radio National by Antony Funnell, EdPod updates on the first Friday of each month. It is a selection of education stories from early childhood to Year 12 that have aired on Radio National in the previous month. The range of topics are broad as can be seen from this selection for June:
- Gonski Urges government rethink
- Girls in Maths, Science and Technology
- Great expectations, Holroyd High- Sydney
Teachers Education Review
http://terpodcast.com/
Hosted by Cameron Malcher and Corinne Campbell, this fortnightly podcast has a strong focus on educational practice. It presents teachers from primary and secondary schools who explore the implications of educational policies, teaching practices, and international events that impact on teaching and learning in Australian classrooms.
Included in each fortnightly podcast are the topics:
- Main feature – discussion and exploration of a relevant topic
- AITSL’s teacher feature
- Education in the News and Analysis
- Off Campus’ with Dan Haesler
- Teachers’ Brains Trust – practical ideas and strategies
An interesting conversation on a recent episode was a discussion with Ewan McIntosh from Scotland (and NoTosh.com) about the origin of Teachmeets, the professional learning model that has now spread worldwide. He encourages teachers to join local teachmeets but also to collaborate with teachers in different countries under the ‘teachmeet’ banner. Adopt a teachmeet that’s not your own and create a global connection.
Show notes provide links to conversations and associated resources. I like to download podcasts via iTunes and listen while commuting but you can also access TERPodcast online at Soundcloud. Have a listen.
If you have other Australian education podcasts you would like to share, please let us know via the comments option.
A couple to add Camilla is RU Connected featuring Jenny Ashby and Lois Smethurst and 2Regular Teachers featuring Rick Kayler-Thomson and Adam Lavers.
I didn’t know about EdPod, but always find interesting things in Anthony Funnell’s other program ‘ Future Tense’.
I actually riffed on the differences between the various podcasts in my post: ‘Different Voices, Different Podcasts’ http://readingwritingresponding.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/different-podcasts-different-voices.html
Thanks for your contribution Aaron. It’s much appreciated. I cannot believe that I overlooked Jenny and Lois as I enjoy ‘RU Connected’ and have it on auto-download from iTunes. http://ruconnected.global2.vic.edu.au/ They generously share their classroom practice and provide valuable background knowledge.
Jenny also hosts AU2AZ – http://au2az.podomatic.com/ with Rodney Turner in Arizona, USA in an education conversation with a global perspective.
Thanks also for your introduction of ‘2 Regular Teachers’ podcast with Rick and Adam http://2regularteachers.podomatic.com/ – I notice they’re fellow Victorians so will add them to my listening.
I’ve just read your blog post. We must be drinking from the same well-spring of inspiration! That’s what school holidays do for you. All the best and thanks again.
Thanks for this timely list of podcasts, even more so because of the fantastic Australian Education bias. I am just about to put my toe in the podcast water and have literally just put a podcast app on my ipad and downloaded a few RN podcasts!
Compared with video (eg YouTube), do podcasts use much data and do you have any more tips for me before I begin my explorations of the exciting world of podcasting which I eventually hope to listen to from my smart phone on my evening walks.
Hi @bucathy
It’s their flexibility that makes podcasts more appealing than video for me, also files are not as large. You can listen to them easily while on the move or while having a sleepless night. I use a dedicated iTouch ipod but your phone would work just as well – just watch the battery drain. As for managing your podcasts, I like to get them via iTunes but that’s just because I’ve been doing it that way for years and have them set up as ‘subscriptions’. There are a number of highly recommended apps that do the same job – especially Downcast. You may like to check out this article with a number of recommendations. Cheers