Great Blogs & Podcasts for Education Leaders

Communicator
October 2015, Volume 39, Issue 2

CREATIVE STALL/BIORAVEN/SHUTTERSTOCK

With busy schedules, even from the start of the school year, school leaders are hard-pressed to find time for their own professional development and to network with other administrators. Luckily, our digitally connected culture has provided numerous avenues for people to connect without having to upend their routines. Here are some blogs and podcasts developed just for education leaders to improve their practice and think more deeply about the work they are doing.

Blogs
Use an RSS reader like Feedly to organize your blogs so that you can read updates all at one time. If you don’t mind consistent emails, sign up for email newsletters from chosen bloggers so you have access to their latest work. Here is a roundup of blogs to improve your practice:

ADVERTISING

Blogs about education leadership:

  • Team Kid: Inspirational posts about schools and leadership from mentor and California principal Adam Welcome.
  • Reflections: Personal reflections on leadership from a middle school principal and NY Ed fellow Lisa Meade.
  • Learning Leadership: Reflections, scenarios, and tips from New York principal Dennis Schug.
  • The Principal of Change: Commentary on connected leadership from Canadian principal George Couros.
  • Finding Common Ground: Education Week commentary blog by national commentator and former principal Peter DeWitt.

Blogs on innovative instruction/technology

  • A Principal’s Reflections: Educational leadership and best practices on effective technology integration and creating a student-centered learning culture from thought leader and former high school principal Eric Sheninger.
  • Jose Vilson: New York middle school teacher’s reflections on teaching in an inner city environment. Essays on race, class, and education reform.
  • Rafranz Davis: Digital teaching and learning strategies from the author of The Missing Voices in EdTech

Podcasts
Most phone operating systems have a native podcast app that allows you to subscribe to podcasts and download episodes for listening on the go. If you don’t like your native app or just want something with a few more features, Stitcher is a great platform. Add these podcasts to your list:

Podcasts on innovative instruction/technology:

  • #BACKCHANNELedu: Scenario-based and participant-driven podcast from Penn’s Mid-Career Doctoral Program, posing real educational leadership challenges from voices working directly in the field.
  • Talks with Teachers: Interviews and views about teaching from the education community; also incorporates a blog format.
  • #Edchat Radio: Podcast continuing the discussion from the popular Twitter chat series. Topics range from faculty meetings to homework to digital literacy.
  • BrandED: Commentary and best practices from a revolving stable of education leadership guests on telling school stories.

ADVERTISING

Podcasts on educational leadership:

  • Principally Speaking: Focuses on education leadership and the transition from assistant principal to building leader.
  • The School Leadership Show: Wide range of topics on education administration, including productivity hacks and lifestyle
  • NAESP Radio: Covering the hot topics in elementary education—from the principal’s perspective.
  • Rock Star Principals: Humor and “real talk” from two principals’ perspective
  • PrincipalPLN: A weekly podcast focused on providing current and aspiring school leaders with advice, support, and ideas.

Administrators are so busy that they can start to feel isolated from their peers. These blogs and podcasts are a great way to feel connected, all while keeping up with the best practices and current trends in education leadership.

—

Copyright © 2015. National Association of Elementary School Principals. No part of the articles in NAESP magazines, newsletters, or website may be reproduced in any medium without the permission of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. For more information, view NAESP’s reprint policy.