Podcasts to Which I Subscribe

It is summer, which means that I can get outside and get a walk in early in the morning before getting on with the rest of the day, something which is a real blessing for me. As I walk I have learned to either A) listen to a baseball game, something I cannot due as the sun rises, or B) use the time for professional development. for this second activity,  I have turned to using podcast subscriptions through my Apple devices as a way to gather programs of interest.

The podcast app on Apple devices works well. Simply search for content of interest. Choices will appear, and subscriptions may be added from these choices. By subscribing one has access to the list of titles for each podcast. You can then decide which podcasts you would like to review. Podcasts may be automatically downloaded or can be selected individually for download. These files may also be deleted at any time so that they do not continue to hoard storage space.

There are four podcasts to which I subscribe that reflect my varied interests. Here are my top choices for podcasts:

• The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-partisan public affairs organization that hosts events throughout the year -- meetings with speakers and panels that address a variety of topics. These conversations are always thought-provoking and insightful. Recent titles include Presidents and the Cult of Celebrity, What's the Value of a College Education?, How Google Works, The Japanese-American relationship, and Reviving Citizen Engagement. Each episode is an hour long, or about the same time frame as a hearty walk for me.
• Stuff You Missed in History Class is filled with quirky stories that fail to make mainstream history books but which cause us to think more deeply about the world in which we live.
• WELSTech is a weekly podcast that reviews the intersection of faith, ministry, education, and technology -- obviously a topic that is dear to my heart. Created by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, WELSTech now has nearly 400 different podcasts -- one of the longest running regular shows on the Internet. Each week the podcast looks at current technology news from an educational and ministry perspective. New tools and services are reviewed, podcast leaders share their picks of the week, and community feedback and questions are addressed. Their companion website captures all of the different resources that are shared so that one does not need to frantically record these ideas while listening. Educators in any setting would benefit from these podcasts or by simply going to their site each week to preview the content of new posts.
• No list of my podcast subscriptions would be complete without one connected to my favorite leisure pastime of baseball. Fangraphs is a baseball analysis organization that deeply delves into the statistical data of baseball to provide unique commentary as to what is happening in the game. The weekly episodes are entertaining and informative.

So there you have it -- four podcast subscriptions that help me learn and grow in new and interesting ways. To find your own podcasts of interest, use the app on your Apple devices to run a search. Or create a Google search using adding keywords to the word podcast.

What will you listen to?