An Ear for Inspiration - Educational Podcasts and Podcast Apps

A wonderful friend and colleague has inspired this post - thanks Jazz!  I've been very lazy on the blogging front lately.  Blogging has always been a valuable way for me to reflect on my practice and the way I think about what I do as an educator so, as I really get cracking on this PhD journey, it's even more important for me to not be so lazy and to use blogging as the tool I have in the past to think more deeply about what I do.  It's metacognition at its finest!

Podcasts are a great tool to get a daily dose of inspiration from a huge range of educators around the globe.  There are now more apps than ever that you can download to listen on the go - in the car, on a walk or run, at the gym, wherever you want to. (Don't forget the importance of completely switching off at times too though!  Balance is key.)

Which App...

I'm a huge convert to Spotify and have a tonne of music and podcasts stored there but you might prefer others such as some of those listed below.  I've include a bit of information on them and links to the sites.

Spotify - You can either have a free or a premium account. The free account does come with ads but they're not too intrusive.

Podcast - This is a app from Apple and was the original one I used, and still do.

SoundCloud - For iOS and Android - more popular for streaming than downloading but is very popular.

For more information on these apps and other digital trends, check out Digital Trends.

Who To Listen To...

Now for the daily dose of inspiration... there's so much out there, where do you start??!!  I've included the following links to lists of recommendations for you to have a look at.  Many will be familiar to you already but there may be some new ones.  I'd love you to add any others in the comments so that I can get some new inspiration too.

51 Education Podcasts for the 21st Century Teacher
A great list and range of podcasts curated by TeachThought.  Pretty much everything you could want is on here from Digital Technology in the classroom through to the future of education, flipped learning and general education topics.

The Cornerstone for Teachers - 12 of my Favourite Podcasts for Teachers
There are a few different and really inspirational ones in here - definitely worth checking out.

Student-Centred Learning
This is a valuable collection of podcasts all dedicated to student-centred learning.

Some of my current favourites are: 

TED Talks - always inspirational and they don't always have to be education-based.
Steve Hargadon - always has something interesting and thought-provoking to share on education. He will challenge your thinking.
Simon Sinek - from the first time I heard him speak about knowing your 'why' I've been inspired.

There are so many amazing ones out there. Please share some of your favourites so that others can tap into them too.