Review of Three Podcasts on iTues

Podcasting is a great way to keep yourself up to date with educational trends. On iTunes there are three podcasts of interest to me. The first one involves the whole child approach to education. It's name"Whole Child Podcast" speaks for itself. In one episode I happen to catch an interview conducted with Eileen Santiago, a principal from Thomas Edison Elementary School in New York. She explains how the elementary school became what is known as a "community school." A community school is a school with affiliated community partners that provide services for students and their families. The whole child initiative involves educators and policymakers that believe that not only do the intellectual needs of the student be met but also the physical, emotional, and social needs be addressed. The podcast has several great episodes addressing success stories at various schools and districts.

Another podcast visited was the "District Leader's Podcast." This episode involved a panel discussion addressing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which involves a stimulus package primarily for special education and Title I. Interestingly, the podcast is produced and copyrighted by McGraw-Hill, one of the leading educational publishers in the country. During the discussion, specific information regarding how the stimulus is to be used was talked about. There are pros and cons to the new package by Obama. Historically, it's the largest amount of money ever used in public education: $100,000,000,000 to be exact! However, it does not resolve local economic stresses being felt on district and state levels. A reported 40% of superintendents expect to reduce teachers this Fall while an addition 42% expect increased class size according to Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools. Those on the panel were expert educators whose years experience in education totaled a century together. This podcast is a good tool to keep up with administrative issues that effect all parties involved in education.

The final podcast I reviewed was on the "Hooked on Phonics" podcast also found on iTunes. This short episode introduces word families such as -op, -ox, and -ot. The video shows a short and easy way to introduce short vowel families by using a chant or song that is simple to follow. It's great for differentiating instruction for your visual learner and/or providing additional resources to students for independent practice and can also be used to begin a unit on word families. I would definitely use it as a first grade teacher.