Podcasts that I like

WBGO podcast: Autism tales and Special Needs
This podcast talks about various stories regarding students with Autism and other disabilities. This specific podcast is called "Interview about the Drive for Rebecca." This podcast is very helpful because it educates parents about disabilities. They frequently feature different families who share stories about their children who have disabilities. During this podcast, the father talks about how he advocated for his child to receive adequate services. He lets parents know that they must know their rights, and what they are entitled to. He also recommends that parents have an advocate or lawyer to keep them informed. The father also feels that private schools and public schools need to come together to share information about how to best educate students with Autism and other disabilities. This podcast is a phenomenal resource for parents and educators. I would recommend this podcast because it gives wonderful advice and support for families and teachers who work with students with disabilities.

Education Podcast with John Merrow
This specific podcast talked about new initiatives in New Orleans in regards to public schools. John Merrow interviewed the superintendent of New Orleans about public education in New Orleans. This specific podcast discussed the new schools, technologies, and teachers in New Orleans. I really enjoyed this podcast, and John Merrow has many interesting podcasts in regards to education. They benefit educators, teachers, and anyone who is interested public education. I was especially interested in the remarks made about the amount of Teach for America teachers who are now working in New Orleans since I am a TFA alum. The superintendent felt that even if TFA teachers only stay in a school for a few years, it will benefit rebuilding schools in New Orleans. I would definitely recommend education podcasts with John Merrow to educators. John Merrow asks great questions, that challenge all people that he interviews. It provides information that may not have otherwise been heard. For example, from this podcast, I learned about the vision of the New Orleans superintendent, and his plans for New Orleans public education.

NPR Education Podcast
This podcast discussed the concept of giving all children a laptop. I love NPR's podcasts about education. They cover a wide variety of topics. This podcasts talks about how there are large amounts of children in the US and abroad who do not have access to computers and/or the Internet. This podcast discusses how students can use the laptops to work together on the laptops. Birmingham, Alabama is attempting to get laptops to all students in their city. NPR Education podcasts always have new and interesting interviews, and topics in regards to education. I would definitely recommend NPR Education Podcast to all teachers, parents, and those who are interested in education to get the latest in education news.

NPR Technology Podcast
Again, I love NPR. They have the latest in technology news. This specific podcast discusses a few architects who want to build houses that float in Dubai. The architects wants to use the coastline to build houses, restaurants, and shopping centers. Due to global warming, these architects say that it is imperative that we think outside the box, and create developments on water. The architects argue that anything you can build on land, you can build on water. This concept is a possible solution for the rising sea levels that are currently occurring. Again, I would recommend this podcast to all people who are interested in fascinating ideas and new technologies. It keeps you up to date on new projects that are taking place around the world.

Special Needs Kids Podcast
This is an interesting podcast, which provides families and students with information about IEPs. It seems incredibly helpful for parents who are new to IEPs, and gives them important facts about IEPs, and special education. I found the first part of this particular podcast slightly boring. The first 6 minutes was spent making small talk between the interviewer and the interviewee. This podcast spent way too long sharing unexciting stories. Originally, I was excited about this podcast, but then it turned in to two women sharing stories that were not very helpful for parents or teachers for kids who have "special needs." I definitely got pretty bored about 20 minutes into this podcast. It is possible that there are better Special Needs podcasts, and I chose a boring one, but I've got to say, as a busy professional, I didn't appreciate the small talk. The podcast would be good for parents who want to listen to other parents who have special needs talk about their concerns. It seemed to more of a venue for parents to vent about the difficulties of having a student with special needs, than a place to actually give solutions to problems.

Overall, I must say, I love NPR and the John Merrow podcasts that best. They are the most informative and helpful to educators and parents.