Maybe you don’t have time to sit down and sift through the latest educational podcasts and blogs for ideas and inspiration. If the thought of trying to carve out more hours in your day leaves you feeling overwhelmed, this list is for you.
Educational podcasts are a great way to get information when you’re driving in your car, making dinner at home, or waiting at the DMV to renew your license. Podcasts don’t force you to find more time in your day; they give you the opportunity to capitalize on all the dead time that already exists in your day by simply downloading the .mp3 or syncing a podcast to your iTunes account on your smartphone.
Even though educational podcasts have been around awhile, a lot of people still don’t utilize the hundreds of free podcasts available on the Internet. Now is a great time to start.
Love Education? Study the Certificate III in Education Support online
Here are informED’s Top 50 Educational Podcasts
1. NPR: National Public Radio has an entire section of educational podcasts that highlight current education news and events that happen around the world.
2. TED Talks: I have yet to listen to a TED talk that didn’t inspire or ignite new energy for an idea or topic. Subscribe to TED’s educational podcasts to hear from some of the brightest minds in academia today.
3. A History of the World in 100 Objects: The British News Company has a great podcast for anyone teaching history or a related discipline.
4. ISTE: The International Society for Technology Education is a trusted source for educational podcasts on how technology is changing the classroom. Podcasts cover various topics from blogging to mobile learning.
5. Steve Hargadon: A leader in education technology with an impressive resume of experience hosts an ed-tech podcast on the future of education.
6. The State of Tech: These educational podcasts focus on education technology in the state of Ohio, but the podcasts can benefit any educator. Topics include new software, platforms, and innovative ideas for tech in the classroom.
7. The Ed Tech Crew Podcast: A weekly podcast about technology and digital advances in education, hosted by Darrel Branston and Tony Richards. Topics are varied.
8. The Compendium Blog of the A.T. Tipscast: This podcast focuses on Tools in Public Schools; giving students and teachers ways to use technology to further educational goals. Each podcast has a practical take-away tip for the classroom.
9. Classroom 2.0 LIVE: This website hosts a weekly webinar specifically designed for beginners who have never used the webinar technology before. Each episode is then offered as an archived podcast that is available for download.
10. EdReach: The focus of EdReach’s educational podcasts are on innovative apps and different web tools for teachers. Episodes focus on technology as a tool for students of all ages and abilities.
11. ESL: The website, “English as Second Language” offers a weekly practical podcast that concentrates on everyday topics for those learning to speak English. The podcast comes with a learning guide as well.
12. EDU-Talk: The mission of EDU-Talk podcasts is to get educators and students to talk about academia using technology. The site also encourages users to upload podcasts too!
13. G.A.M.E: Gamers Advance Meaningful Education is a site developed for people who want to use gaming to help in the educational process. For anyone who is interested in the creative potential of gaming in education, their webinar series is available to download in podcast episodes produced monthly.
14. Google Educast: Google certified teachers are featured on this weekly podcast that gives a roundup of new tech tools and Google products- many of which can be used in the classroom.
15. Infinite Thinking Machine: This is a high-energy TV show specifically targeted to educators, parents, and students who are interested in technology in education. They were nominated as one of 2012’s best educational podcasts by EduBlogs.
16. Nerdy Cast: Hosted by Nicholas Provenzano, this podcast emphasizes pop culture, technology, and how it relates to and affects education. Expect funny!
17. EdTechTalk: This podcast is called Teachers Teaching Teachers and is a collaborative effort. Teachers discuss new software and tools they are successfully using in the classroom.
18. Blog Talk Radio: Their Therapy and Learning Resources podcast is great for educators of young children or those with learning disabilities and other handicaps. Examples of topics include stuttering, organization, picky eating, and vocal health.
19. The Back Channel: This podcast is offered every other week and gives the listener a round up all the talked about education technology news.
20. The ARTS Roundtable: This podcast is a fantastic resource for teachers in the fine arts. The focus is on music, drama, and the visual arts.
21. The Flipped Learning Network: This weekly podcast is hosted by Troy Cockrum and focuses on the latest practices and tips from teachers who are using the flipped classroom model.
22. Lit Tech: This is a podcast for librarians. It is held weekly and showcases all the cool tech gadgets and ideas for literary educators.
23. Grammar Girl: This site offers regular podcasts for anyone interested in teaching grammar or learning it for themselves!
24. British History: For history buffs, this website hosts regular podcasts that focus solely on the history of England from the Ice age forward.
25. China History: Another history podcast that focuses on Chinese history starting 5000 years ago and proceeding to today.
26. Smart People Podcast: Picking smart people’s “oversized brains” is what this podcast is all about. They interview people from various industries to bring their listeners episodes that satisfy those of us with insatiable curiosity.
27. EdukWest: A podcast started by a woman who wanted to follow all the startups and trends in education. Various contributors now host the EdukWest podcasts.
28. Radio Lab: Podcasts for the curious mind. Broadcast on over 300 radio stations across the United States, Radio Lab explores science, philosophy, and the human experience.
29. How Stuff Works: You never know what you’re going to get with this podcast. Expect topics that range from cars to food to pop-psychology.
30. StarTalk Radio: A podcast series that focuses on all things extra-terrestrial. Topics include stars, the big bang, space travel, black holes, and more.
31. Ropecast: Mini-podcasts designed for those who love English culture and language. The five-minute episodes are available once every two weeks.
32. eCorner: This podcast, titled Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders, explores the principles that create successful business owners and leaders.
33. Chemical Heritage Foundation: A science podcast that focuses specifically on chemistry. Each episode looks at past breakthroughs and the effect it has on present and future scientific research.
34. Educate: This website offers a large database of podcasts for all subject areas and disciplines. They are specifically designed for classroom and student use. The database makes it easy to search by topic or theme.
35. Audiria: A podcast for those interested in learning the Spanish language. Each podcast is rated with a difficulty level or listeners can choose podcasts that concentrate on specific areas.
36. Teacher Created Materials: Podcasts for educators looking for new strategies to use in the classroom. Podcasts are arranged by topic and cover all subject areas.
37. Power to Learn: Cablevision’s Education Initiative offers a podcast that highlights user-friendly strategies and tips for teachers. Some examples of topics include plagiarism, common core standards, and mobile teaching ideas.
38. The History Chicks: A fresh look at history through factual and fictional characters. Podcasts go into detail about the time period, culture, and typical lifestyle of the person highlighted in each episode.
39. Math Mutation: Short podcasts that explore mathematics. Topics cover strange and quirky concepts that aren’t normally taught in school.
40. Astronomy Cast: This website offers a weekly podcast centered on astronomy concepts like planets and cosmology.
41. The Naked Scientist: Cambridge University researchers and physicians are behind this podcast filled with humor and levity as they explore a diverse set of science topics. Their goal is to strip science down to its bare essentials.
42. The History of WWII: Ray Harris, graduate of James Madison University and history buff, brings listeners a bi-weekly podcast of WWII facts, trivia, and information.
43. Day in Tech History: This podcast is hosted by Jeffrey Powers, a tech expert who loves to build desktops. He explores the history of technology along with what he calls “geek” science.
44. Classic Poetry Aloud Index: Podcasts of famous poetry. You can browse through themes or poets to find one that interests you.
45. BBC: Browse through podcasts about psychology, science, technology, or politics. The episodes are available for 30 days and updated weekly.
46. NOVA: Offered by PBS, the popular TV program also offers podcasts on a variety of science, human interest, and engineering topics.
47. NASA Science Casts: These video podcasts are short, fun, and bring unusual science topics to light. Podcasts are based on historical space missions completed by NASA.
48. Geek SLP: Podcasts that focus on technology and its place in education.
49. Music Education Advocacy: A podcast that interviews educators who are trying to restore music education in schools. Their mission is to mobilize musicians to donate to music education charities and breathe new life into the subject area.
50. Practical Money Skills: Podcasts that focus on financial literacy. Topics include how to afford college, tax preparation, and budgeting. Great for life skills teachers!
