Podcasts are the new radio.
They’re the on-demand, downloadable, take-it-where-you-want-to solution to hearing your favorite people talk about your favorite topics.
For the purposes of this blog, that means educators!
In this blog, we’ll cover the 32 best podcasts that are by teachers, for teachers, and / or about teachers so you can find your ideal source of up-to-date education information.
Some of these podcasts specialize in one of our overarching blog topics. Some of them are for administrators. Others may just be educational — but still important to know!
Regardless of the podcast’s purpose, they all do the same thing.
They all teach you something.
Let’s start by looking at podcasts for health science teachers!
Podcasts for Health Science Teachers
Health science is a super-specific career track in career and technical education (CTE).
But that doesn’t mean it’s unpopular!
In fact, there are dozens of podcasts out there about health science, health science education, and more.
Here are a few of our favorites.
1. Ausmed
The Ausmed Podcast is a corporate-sponsored examination of American issues in health care, specifically as they relate to nurses and nursing.
The podcast episodes feature interviews, current event discussions, and conversations about practices.
In general, this is one of the best podcasts to stay up-to-date on topics related to nursing and nursing education.
2. Keep Going, Student Nurse!
Keep Going, Student Nurse! is made specifically for health science students.
While the podcast only has five episodes and comes from the UK, the difficulties discussed in this podcast are universal to all nursing students.
It may have been short-lived — but it has fans in the UK, New Zealand, and the United States. Give it a listen!
3. Lab Values Podcast
Lab Values Podcast bills itself as an ultra-fast discussion of medical laboratory procedures — something many nursing students don’t consider when they start their education in health science.
The host(s) talk about a huge range of medical lab methods in no particular order.
If they haven’t covered the lab procedure you want them to discuss, you can be sure they’re getting to it.
4. MedMaster Podcast
MedMaster Podcast is a pharmaceutical-focused series that discusses a different medication in every episode.
In the past, the hosts have discussed the impacts, needs, and side-effects of a huge variety of drugs, including methadone, lithium, and more.
That makes this a useful podcast for teaching pharmacology in addition to keeping up with the latest in nurse-prescribed medications.
5. The Nursing Assistant Podcast
The Nursing Assistant Podcast is exactly what it says on the tin. This podcast is hosted by Patricia Laramee, a professional CNA trainer and 25-year registered nurse.
She dedicates her expert insight into helping new nursing assistants (and nursing assistant students) adjust to a fresh career, excel in their position, and keep a positive outlook all at the same time.
6. Straight A Nursing
As the name implies, Straight A Nursing is a student-focused podcast that talks about how to get the most out of a nursing education.
It covers a lot — and because it’s focused on students, it’s a great resource for your students too!
7. Within the Trenches
Within the Trenches isn’t your typical education podcast.
Each episode features a story and discussion about being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, complete with what individuals can expect from a life as an emergency responder.
This is a great podcast for getting ideas on how to approach EMT or EMR education, specifically.
Now that we’ve shown seven podcasts for health science instructors, let’s take a look at podcasts for business education teachers!
Podcasts for Business Education Teachers
Business education is a thriving sector of primary, secondary, and CTE education.
With its popularity, a horde of teachers have started their own podcasts to interview other teachers, talk about the latest technology, and share their experiences.
Here are four of our favorites.
8. EdSurge on Air
EdSurge on Air is a cross-subject podcast that covers business and business education.
This makes it a prime candidate for your listening list if you teach business, entrepreneurship, marketing, management, or any other part of the business track in career and technical education.
9. The John Maxwell Leadership Podcast
The John Maxwell Leadership Podcast is an in-depth examination of what it means to be a transformative leader.
While leadership isn’t necessarily a part of business education curriculum, it’s still a valuable skill to teach students.
Besides, you’re a leader too! John Maxwell may talk mostly about business leadership, but some principles transfer from business to teaching — and others are helpful for everyday life!
10. Stanford Innovation Lab
Stanford Innovation Lab is a higher education podcast hosted by Tina Seelig with excellent lessons for business students in any grade.
Concepts like “unlocking creativity,” “frame-storming,” and “healing broken teams” all play to the valuable lessons that students will need to pursue a successful career in business.
11. The Tim Ferriss Show
The Tim Ferriss Show features host Tim Ferriss interviewing a huge variety of people and their experiences in leadership.
Not only does this make Ferriss’s show a strong fit for teachers — it’s also a great education supplement for students interested in business.
With a rolodex of impressive guests like Malcolm Gladwell, Jon Favreau, Whitney Cummings, and more, The Tim Ferriss Show has established itself as a thorough investigation of leadership no matter the background of the guest.
With all of this said and done, we know that business education isn’t always about business.
Sometimes, it’s about computer applications.
That’s why we’re looking at those podcasts next!
Podcasts for Computer Applications Teachers
Podcasts about computer applications education are a little harder to find than business or health science.
But once you find one, you can be all but certain that you’ve found a good one.
The three below are some of the best available now — even though one is no longer in production!
12. Google Teacher Tribe Podcast
The Google Teacher Tribe Podcast is a G-Suite specific series that talks about all of the different ways you can use Google applications in the classroom.
With episodes dedicated to ultra-specific ideas, you have an abundance of classroom ideas to pursue from hosts Matt Miller and Kasey Bell.
13. The STEM Read Podcast
This podcast is for K-12 educators who want to connect STEM education with storytelling, writing, and other ideas.
It’s produced by Northern Illinois University and published by NPR. Overall, this podcast is a great way to get new ideas for just about any classroom in a primary or secondary school.
14. The Teachers’ Podcast
The Teachers’ Podcast is focused on educational technology and how it’s changed.
Unfortunately, this podcast concluded in 2010, making it very dated compared to other podcasts.
Still, it’s helpful to hear the timeless ideas and concepts that hosts Dr. Kathy Kinga and Mark Gura discuss.
We don’t recommend using this as your primary source of ed tech ideas. But this podcast can provide some strong historical context for where technical education has been and why it is where it is today.
Now that we’ve covered computer applications, let’s take a look at podcasts for career readiness teachers.
Podcasts for Career Readiness Teachers
Career readiness is becoming a standard part of primary and secondary education throughout the United States.
It’s a tricky subject, though. A lot of the time, the educators who are told to teach career readiness don’t have any background with it.
So where can you start? And how do you know what to do next?
Check out these four podcasts to get some ideas!
15. The College Info Geek Podcast
The College Info Geek Podcast deals exclusively with higher education.
But it approaches higher education from the perspective of how to balance education with a job, how to study, the importance of a GPA, and adapting to a new social circle.
As a result, this is a great podcast for career and college readiness teachers who want to double-down on the “college” part of their teaching responsibilities.
16. Critical Reasoning for Beginners
Critical Reasoning for Beginners is a 13-episode series on how to form and execute arguments.
It’s absolutely essential for any student who needs to learn 21st Century skills — particularly the “critical thinking” portion.
17. Philosophy for Beginners
Philosophy for Beginners is a seven-episode podcast that discusses the basics of philosophy, along with all of the critical thinking that goes along with it.
From Oxford University, this podcast provides excellent content to spur creative thinking in 11th or 12th graders.
18. The Pondering Education Podcast
The Pondering Education Podcast discusses 21st Century skills in every episode.
As a result, it’s ideal for any career readiness teacher who wants to prep their students for the workforce of the future.
Now that we’ve talked about podcasts for four different kinds of teachers, let’s take a look at another crucial role in education.
Administrators.
Podcasts for Administrators
Administrators need new ideas too!
With administrator-focused podcasts, the entire educational faculty in a school can benefit from new ideas.
There aren’t too many podcasts for administrators out there in the world.
But there are two very good ones!
19. Educate
Educate is a current event podcasts that discusses occurrences in education throughout the United States.
Sometimes that includes politics. Other times it includes fresh thoughts from experts.
No matter the topic, you’re bound to hear something you didn’t know in every episode.
20. K-12 Greatest Hits
K-12 Greatest Hits is a high-level examination of education ideas from the leaders of America’s 14 leading education associations, including the American Association of School Administrators.
If you’ve ever wanted a podcast with hosts who understand what it means to be an administrator, this is it!
We’ve covered five big areas of education so far. All of the podcasts above are hyper-specific.
But what about podcasts that aren’t specific?
What about podcasts that discuss education in general?
Podcasts on Education in General
Ever wanted to keep up with the latest in education without finding an ultra-niche resource?
These 10 podcasts are your solution!
The podcasts below are all great references for education as a whole topic — not necessarily the subjects within education.
As a result, you can hear from a wide range of education experts and teachers who want to share their thoughts, experiences, and evidence for the latest and greatest in teaching.
21. The 10-Minute Teacher Show
The 10-Minute Teacher Show is a short-and-sweet condensing of teacher interviews from around the world.
This is one of the few podcasts on the planet to publish five times per week, which is an incredible pace for anyone.
Host Vicki Davis publishes a new episode every weekday according to this schedule:
- Motivation Mondays
- Tech Tool Tuesdays
- Wildcard Wednesdays
- Thought Leader Thursdays
- Five Idea Fridays
Even if only one of those days interests you, this podcast presents a one-of-a-kind opportunity for you to hear tons of new ideas every week.
22. The Cult of Pedagogy
The Cult of Pedagogy is one of the best-known podcasts one education in the country.
It’s an insightful, engaging, and compelling look at educational issues complete with thoughts on how to teach difficult topics.
If you’re not listening to this podcast, you’re missing out on an outstanding professional development resource!
23. The Edtech Podcast
The Edtech Podcast is an interview-heavy, news-based, and international account of the role of technology in education.
All in all, this podcast is a solid resource for anyone in education from first-year teachers to superintendents. Its scope and breadth may mean that some episodes won’t apply to your specific role in education, but it’s always a great way to keep up on the latest in educational technology.
24. House of #EdTech
House of #EdTech is a podcast that is exactly what you’d expect from the title.
This podcast covers everything that has to do with educational technology, from podcasting to ISTE standards and beyond.
Want to figure out the best tech resources to use in your classroom? This is the place to start!
25. MindShift Podcast
Mindshift Podcast is a K-12 focused investigation into a variety of different topics that impact the lives of young students.
Sometimes its hosts discuss creative writing, other times they talk about approaching education in general, and sometimes they tell stories about weird moments in school (like April Fool’s Day).
Still, if you teach primary or secondary classes, you’ll be able to take something away from this podcast.
26. The Mindvalley Podcast
The Mindvalley Podcast is a collection of interviews featuring some of the greatest minds in education today.
It’s hard to discuss exactly what this podcast covers because it really talks about anything and everything, from teaching to administration.
As a result, it’s a strong candidate for any educator’s listening list, regardless of your exact position in a school.
27. Mixed Mental Arts
Mixed Mental Arts is dedicated to Bruce Lee’s famous quote “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
With that background, the podcast’s hosts interview experts in ultra-specific fields that discuss experience, influence, and how to keep on keepin’ on.
Often, this podcast’s episodes deal with education-specific issues, including teaching creativity, science, music, and more.
28. School Sucks
School Sucks has an eye-catching title designed to engage you right off the bat.
This podcast covers education outside of conventional K-12 American schools. It includes thoughts on Internet education, homeschooling, indoctrination, and more.
School Sucks is also a prominent brand on YouTube with plenty of videos and community members interested in unconventional child education.
29. Smart People Podcast
The Smart People Podcast is an interview-based series with more than 300 episodes. It features educators, businesspeople, creative thinkers, and more from all nationalities and walks of life.
If you’re interested in looking at an issue from every conceivable angle — complete with the evidence to reinforce those views — then you can easily get lost in this one-of-a-kind podcast and come out with dozens of new ideas for your classroom.
Please note: This podcast sometimes features polarizing figures in world politics and culture.
30. StateImpact Ohio
StateImpact Ohio is 100% focused on the education news that comes out of (and deals with) the state of Ohio. (Sorry to the other 49 states.)
The hosts cover everything from kindergarten through post-secondary complete with expert interviews, opinions, predictions, and historical context.
Up until this point in the blog post, we’ve talked about podcasts that apply directly to education.
But there’s a small problem with this — we’re not accounting for the podcasts that are educational!
Podcasts That Are Educational, But Not about Education
Educational podcasts are some of the most popular “radio” shows out in the world today.
They teach you new ways to do things, think about things, or look at things — sometimes all at the same time!
Other times, they may just be an interesting account of why something happened in history or how something got invented.
Regardless, this information is always fascinating, and depending on the episode, it can even be a good resource for you to use in your classroom.
Check out the two podcasts below!
31. Shrink Rap Radio Psychology Interviews
Shrink Rap Radio is an episodic podcast that interviews prominent psychologists, neuroscientists, leaders, and more.
The goal is to explore how successful individuals think and what others can learn from their success.
With more than 600 episodes at the time this blog post has been published, Shrink Rap Radio is a must-listen for anyone interested in the inner-workings of the mind.
32. Stuff You Should Know
Stuff You Should Know is the flagship podcast published by How Stuff Works.
This podcast is especially good for STEM teachers who want to show students how anything works in the world, from pencil erasers to heavy-duty mining equipment.
Finally, with those 32 podcasts now on your listening list, we have one final question for you.
What Education Podcasts Do You Enjoy?
What education podcasts do you like?
We’ve mentioned 32 here that we believe are the best. But there are way more than 32 education podcasts out there!
So which ones do you like? Why do you like them? And who would you recommend to listen to them?
Let me know in the comments!