This isn’t my first time to this rodeo (of trying to narrow down my favorite podcasts). I wrote up lists in 2018, 2017, 2014, and also published an article about podcasting in the University of Austin’s Flow Journal.

Each time I start a new, annual list, I avoid looking at the prior year’s lists. I want to avoid being influenced by prior year’s posts and start with fresh eyes. Here are the shows that came to mind for this year’s list, by category.

I still marvel at how amazing it is that we can have all these learning opportunities for free – on our smart devices – wherever we are. If you haven’t ever listened to a podcast, it is easy to do. Once you start, I suspect you won’t ever turn back…

Teaching and Higher Ed

Gettin’ Air with Terry Greene – Terry prepares for each interview with care and asks authentic questions about open education.

Teach Better – Doug and Edward bring on superb guests who help to challenge us to be better at teaching.

The Black Goat – These psychologists help others in their field to navigate higher education. Even though my discipline isn’t in psychology, I learn a lot from every episode.

Leading Lines – “…a podcast on educational technology in higher education” from the expert podcasters at Vanderbilt.

Tea for Teaching – “a series of informal discussions of innovative and effective practices in teaching and learning. Hosted by John and Rebecca, who run the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at the State University of New York at Oswego.”

EdSurge On Air – “A weekly podcast about the future of education, featuring insightful conversations with educators, tech innovators and scholars, hosted by EdSurge's Jeffrey R. Young and Sydney Johnson.”

News and Politics

Amicus, with Dalia Lithwick – smart conversation about the law.

The Gist, with Mike Pesca – Mike cracks me up on a regular basis and challenges my mind.

Skimm This – Concise, engaging overview of what’s happening in the news. Recommended by my students.

Pod Save America – “A no-bullshit conversation about politics hosted by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor that breaks down the week’s news and helps people figure out what matters and how to help.”

Political Gabfest – Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the week’s politics in an entertaining and informative way.

The Daily – “Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, hosted by Michael Barbaro and powered by New York Times journalism.”

Pod Save the People – “Organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics through deep conversations with influencers and experts, and the weekly news with fellow activists Brittany Packnett and Sam Sinyangwe, and writer Clint Smith.”

On the Media – “WNYC’s weekly investigation into how the media shapes our worldview.”

Technology and Science

Automators – “Automation makes your life easier and everyone can do it. We tell you how.” (Mac-centric, though also covers web services that enable automation).

Mac Power Users – “L earn about getting the most from your Apple technology with focused topics and workflow guests. Creating Mac Power Users, one geek at a time since 2009.”

Reply All – “A podcast about the internet’ that is actually an unfailingly original exploration of modern life and how to survive it.” – The Guardian

Radio Lab – “Radiolab, with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, is a radio show and podcast weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries.”

Parsing Science – “The unpublished stories behind the world’s most compelling science, as told by the researchers themselves.”

Mind-expanding Shows

Hidden Brain – “Hidden Brain Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.” (Thanks for recommending it such a long time ago, Isabeau Iqbal.

Armchair Expert – “celebrates the messiness of being human.” Hosted by Dax Shepard. Recommended by John Warner on Teaching in Higher Ed episode 233 (he warned us, though…).

This American Life – “This American Life is a weekly public radio program and podcast. Each week we choose a theme and put together different kinds of stories on that theme.” (One of the all-time greatest!)

On Being – “A Peabody Award-winning public radio show and podcast. What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other? Each week a new discovery about the immensity of our lives. Hosted by Krista Tippett.”

Code Switch – “Code Switch is a race and culture outlet and a weekly podcast from American public radio network NPR.” Recommended by Rob Parke on Teaching in Higher Ed episode 126.

Business, Marketing, and Economics

Planet Money – “The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, “Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy.” Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.”

Marketplace – “…helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. ”

Akimbo – “A Podcast from Seth Godin. Akimbo is an ancient word, from the bend in the river or the bend in an archer's bow. … Akimbo's a podcast about our culture and about how we can change it. About seeing what's happening and choosing to do something.”

Coaching for Leaders – “Leaders Aren't Born, They're Made. It's a myth that leadership skills can't be learned. Almost nobody is a born leader. Most leaders I know learned how to lead through the school of hard knocks, good training, years of hard work, effective coaching, and great mentors.” (Hosted by this guy I know – who I happen to be married to – Dave Stachowiak.)

Work and Life

Radical Self Trust Podcast Channel from Katie Linder – “The Radical Self-Trust (RST) podcast channel is a collection of content dedicated to helping you seek self-knowledge, nurture your superpowers, playfully experiment, live your core values with intention, practice loving kindness toward yourself and others, and settle into your life's purpose.”

Women at Work – Produced by Harvard Business Review. It was on hiatus for a while – and is now back. Excellent interviews to helps us all fulfill our potential with excellence and joy!

Worklife, with Adam Grant – “Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work not suck. From learning how to love criticism to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again.”

GTD – “Our GTD podcasts are here to support you at every stage of your GTD practice. … The podcasts include personal and professional stories, as well as practical tips about GTD systems for desktop and mobile, using apps and paper. Start listening now and you'll be well on your way to stress-free productivity.”

Focused – Great productivity show, hosted by David Sparks and Mike Schmitz.

The Productivity Show – The team from Asian Efficiency helps us up our game on this practical podcast.

Look and Sound of Leadership with Tom Henshel – Tom is a former actor turned executive coach – and he gives us superb advice on how to be better leaders in this concise and thoughtful podcast.

Your Turn

What are your favorite podcasts lately and what makes them so good?

This column was originally posted on EdSurge. It is reposted here with permission. The following is the latest installment of the Toward Better Teaching advice column. You can pose a question for a future column here.

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Dear Bonni, My question is how to prepare yourself for a doctorate in leadership in higher ed, even when you are over 50! I am a former high-tech executive with an MBA, turned severe special needs elementary educator, mother of 7 (4 in college, 3 in high school) who is looking at that next step in my career. I am entering a doctorate in Leadership in Higher Ed program in the fall and am working hard at preparing myself. I have created what I’m calling my “prep syllabus” and hope to set a solid foundation for myself. I’ve filled my podcast app with 5 plus podcasts to learn about various challenges, trends and best practices. I would love to get your feedback on what should be in my “prep syllabus” and how to make that transition. Thanks so much!

—Maureen McLaughlin, returning student

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While this column typically is focused on teaching, it is great to get to have it shift to learning for this question. How wonderful that you are taking these steps to be ready for this big transition. Here is some guidance on how to approach this season of preparation.

Conduct a Tools Audit

When I teach a course to doctoral students, I begin by inviting them to perform an audit on their technical skills. This process helps them discern the most essential features within the various applications that will best help them through their coursework and completing a dissertation.

The document I created for the doctoral students specifically identifies those applications that they will use most in pursuing their doctorates with that institution. Download this sample tools audit and customize it to meet your needs. Below are some links to help strengthen your capabilities in some of the fundamental applications I mention in the tools audit:

• Master Microsoft Word using courses from Hoonuit or Lynda
• Format more effectively and efficiently using tips from LifeHacker
• Maximize the Capabilities of Zotero through these videos from Nicholas Cifuentes-Goodbody

If possible, correspond with someone at the institution where you will be attending to see if they have requirements about what word processor or references manager you need to use and be sure you maximize the time you spend learning those.

Develop Your Knowledge of Structures, Research and Writing Styles

In a doctoral program, the structures of your written work will be similar. You will develop many literature reviews and will regularly need to create similar structures for research papers. I have found the following people and organizations essential to growing my research writing skills over the years.

Purdue Online Writing Lab: this website is one I keep open on a regular basis when writing in a formal, academic style. It features guidance on various citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, and more) and on how to list references properly. There are also exercises to practice the art of the academic citation. This video (by Nicholas Cifuentes-Goodbody) on developing outlines for larger writing projects is another great way to prepare for the kind of writing you will be doing.

Raul Pacheco-Vega’s website: This assistant professor in the Public Administration Division of the Center for Economic Teaching and Research in Mexico has written extensively on his website about academic writing. I suggest exploring the entire resources section here, including the advice on writing literature reviews, guidance for graduate students, and approaches for writing a research paper, book chapter or dissertation.

Oregon State University Research in Action podcast: one to consider adding to your queue, if it is not already there. Katie Linder, the host, has gathered together scholars who share about all different types of research methods, as well as how to deal with common challenges that occur (such as writer’s block, choosing a dissertation topic, setting research goals, and keeping yourself organized).

Acquire a ‘Good Enough’ Mindset

I used to travel to instruct in the doctoral program I teach in a couple of times a year. Once, I did not set boundaries well enough and found myself in a conversation with a doctoral student about her final paper, at the same time as I was supposed to be returning to the airport to fly back home that evening. I had told the class that I would not be able to stay after class, but that I would be available to answer any questions they had, once I returned home. But I did not stick to my word, and 45 minutes later, was frustrated at what had happened.

The student was unhappy with her grade and kept flipping through all the pages she had printed out with her highlights marking the discrepancies between my perceptions and her own. Flying home, without having had enough time to grab lunch on my way to the airport, I was angry with myself for not having left after the class was over.

Once I was back in our house and able to access wifi, I took a look at her situation. It turned out that the small number of points she was missing from the assignment had absolutely zero impact on her overall grade. She was still at well over the range of what was required to earn an A in the course. This was already evident to her through the grade book. The entire time we had been talking, I was assuming her goal was to earn a higher grade in the class. Instead, it was regarding a single paper and her wanting to have earned 100 percent in the class. To be clear, this fact would never have shown up on her transcripts or anywhere outside the LMS.

That example is a bit more extreme than what I typically witness. However, we can all struggle with knowing what is “good enough” on something and knowing when we should move on to other priorities. As harsh as it may sound, there are times when we need to do that with our families and friends. Being fully present for our loved ones is essential, but during this season of your life, it may be more helpful to think in terms of quality over quantity.

I came into my doctoral program thinking I was going to read every word that was assigned (I didn’t). While I did maintain my desired GPA, I had to think more transactionally than I would have liked to about finishing papers and working collaboratively with other students.

One of my doctoral professors used to tell us that he wanted us to be “famous by Friday,” in reference to writing our dissertations. His use of the word ‘famous’ was delivered dripping with sarcasm. Most people’s dissertations won’t wind up being highly cited. Once we finish them, however, we are freed up to have the time to do the work that may be more meaningful to us and potentially be more visible. The goal is not to try to change the world with our research. The aim is to be done.

As you prepare to begin this journey, equip yourself with the tools you’ll need to support you in the process, re-orient yourself with the kinds of writing you will be doing and be ready for good enough to be good enough.

Sara asked on the Teaching in Higher Ed Facebook group:

“What’s on your summer reading list?”

At first, it felt like she was asking just me, but I realized that she was probably asking everyone in the group. I think I got overly excited, initially, for two reasons:

1. It has been a while since I felt giddy about writing a blog post and writing about the books I have been reading inspired me.
2. I have always loved summer reading programs and posts and thought it would be fun to contribute to conversations like that.

When I was a kid, I used to sign up for every reading group I had access to in the summers. At the Carlsbad library, I remember we got to have some sort of paper creatures (fish, animals, etc.) that would appear with our names on them each time we read a book and shared it with the library. It was so fun for me to see evidence of the stories that had so captured my imagination during that season in such a visible and colorful way.

In this post, I’ll share some recent books that I think should be on your summer list. Finally, I will let you know what I am hoping to read this summer.

Recent Reads

I have enjoyed many of the books I have read recently. Any of these would make for great summer reading for those in higher education.

• Educated, a Memoir – by Tara Westover
• On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century – by Timothy Snyder
• The Hate U Give – by Angie Thomas
• The College Classroom Assessment Compendium – by Jay Parkes and Dawn Zimaro
• Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved – by Kate Bowler
• iPhone Field Guide (only on Apple iBooks or via PDF) – by David Sparks

The books listed above are all excellent and are highly recommended. There was only really one book that I read recently that left me wanting more. The Year of Less really fits more into the memoir category and doesn’t really provide any practical advice to someone wanting to live with less. I suppose it could be said that I don’t have as much in common with her and therefore couldn’t find ways to take her experience and make it fit my own aspirations.

Summer Reads

I didn’t realize this until just now when writing this post, but all of these books are already in my Kindle app and just waiting for me to read or finish them.

Agile Faculty: Practical Strategies for Managing Research, Service, and Teaching – by Robecca Pope-Ruark – I have already started reading this one and am starting to get my head around ways we might take inspiration from the programming world’s practices and use them to make progress on multiple goals at once and with complex projects.

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – by Austin Channing Brown – I began reading this book a few days ago and am already captivated. Channing puts into words her experience of growing up as a black child in predominantly white schools and churches and then navigating the changes when spending summers in a mostly-black community. Her stories of transitioning into the workplace are full of stark reminders of the ways we make it challenging for people of color to thrive and have a voice in our white-dominated schools, churches, and workplaces.

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy – by Ta-Nehisi Coates – I’m realizing as I type this how many of my summer reads I have already started. I love reading Coates’ writing, yet this one isn’t grabbing me as much. I find I would rather read present-Coates’ versus the articles he wrote during those eight years. It is still a wonderful book; I am just feeling even more captivated by some of the other books I have started and more of his recent articles and find I am not opening this book up as much.

Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play – by Mitchel Resnick – I think I saw someone mention this on Twitter and it looks wonderful. The more I see how our young kids’ teachers approach learning, the more I wish these techniques could carry across to teaching college and beyond.

Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism – by Safiya Umoia Noble – George Woodbury regularly comes through with great Teaching in Higher Ed podcast guest recommendations, including his idea to invite Safiya Umoia Noble onto the show to talk about her book. I left a message on her website a couple of months ago and haven’t heard back. Maybe I will try other methods to see if I can reach her and get her interested in coming on to talk about this important work.

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City – by Matthew Desmon – I bought this book for my Mom for Christmas last year and she said it was very powerful. I have seen many news stories where Desmon is cited, but haven’t taken the plunge yet on his book. My understanding is that he tells stories of specific individuals who are in poverty to help us confront our misinformed beliefs about what it means to be poor in America.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel – by Mark Sullivan – I don’t remember how I came across this book suggestion, but maybe because I had liked Unbroken and All the Light We Cannot See. From Amazon: “Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, the USA Today and #1 Amazon Charts bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.”

The End of Violence: A Novel – by Tom Drury – This one was recommended by John Warner on episode #172. From Amazon: “Welcome to Grouse County — a fictional Midwest that is at once familiar and amusingly eccentric — where a thief vacuums the church before stealing the chalice, a lonely woman paints her toenails in a drafty farmhouse, and a sleepless man watches his restless bride scatter their bills beneath the stars. At the heart of The End of Vandalism is an unforgettable love triangle set off by a crime: Sheriff Dan Norman arrests Tiny Darling for vandalizing an anti–vandalism dance and then marries the culprit's ex-wife Louise. So Tiny loses Louise, Louise loses her sense of self, and the three find themselves on an epic journey.”

I will also be doing a bunch of reading this summer to support my partnership with West Virginia University Press’ Teaching and Learning in Higher Education book series.

As you may recall, they provided financial support for the first 200 episodes’ transcripts of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. In exchange, I get the opportunity to talk with many of the authors of the series and read their books. Pretty fortunate, aren’t I? It’s like sending me straight into the briar patch.

How Humans Learn – by Joshua R. Eyler

Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education – by Thomas J. Tobin and Kiesten T. Behling

Teaching the Literature Survey Course – Edited by Gwynn Dujardin, James M. Lang, and John A. Staunton

I had already read and truly enjoyed Sarah Rose Cavanagh’s The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion. Watch for a forthcoming blog post about it and check out the two episodes that Sarah has done with me about this book:

• Episode 135: The Spark of Learning with Sarah Rose Cavanaugh
• Episode 204: The Spark of Learning Reprise with Sarah Rose Cavanaugh

All of these authors are superb educators and I appreciate the opportunity to learn from all of them and pass as much as I can on to the Teaching in Higher Ed community.

Your Turn

What are you planning on reading this summer? Any recommendations for those looking for something good to read?

When people hear that I have a podcast, they often ask me what podcasts I like to listen to… It is a harder question to answer, since it is like asking what books one has enjoyed reading. I find myself first wanting to ask, “How much time do you have?”

This post will already take hours for me to write. I won’t allow myself to consult my older Podcast Greats posts, lest I find myself changing my mind from their influence. However, you may want to have a look at them, or at some others’ lists of favorite podcasts.

My Past Podcast Posts

• Podcast Greats for 2017
• Podcasts’ Contribution to My Personal Knowledge Management System (2014)
• Top Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast Episodes and Recommended Resources in 2017
• The Transformative Power of Podcasts in the University of Texas at Austin’s FlowJournal

Others’ Favorite Podcast Posts

• Bryan Alexander's Some Podcasts I'm Listening to This Month (2018)
• Bryan Alexander’s Podcasts I’m listening to This Month (2017)
• Katie Linder’s Current Favorite Podcasts (on her home page)
• Listen and Learn: A Guide to Digital Learning Podcasts in Inside Higher Ed
• The 2017 Dean’s List: EdTech’s 50 Must-Read Higher Ed Blogs in EdTech Magazine

My 2018 Podcast Greats

I listen to podcasts for an average of an hour a day. It varies greatly, depending on whether I have a long drive in store that day, or a large amount of dishes to do or laundry to fold.

Higher Education

The majority of the higher education podcasts I listen to are related to teaching. I also enjoy those podcasts that can help me be more effective at pursuing my goals and just having more joy in my life, overall.

You’ve Got This with Dr. Katie Linder – Such an uplifting an encouraging podcast – we can do this – with Katie’s help.

The Black Goat – “Three psychologists talk about doing science.” Great hosts (Sanjay Srivastava, Alexa Tullett, and Simine Vazire), talking through important issues in higher education (recent episodes were on finding a job in higher ed and starting out in a new job)

EdSurge On Air – They find terrific guests to interview about what’s happening in higher ed. I was even on an episode in Feb 2018.

Educate: APM Reports – Not restricted to higher ed, but high quality content about education at large

Leading Lines – “A podcast on educational technology, produced out of Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, the Vanderbilt Institute for Digital Learning, and Office of Scholarly Communications at the Vanderbilt University Library.”

Teach Better – Doug and Edward (the hosts) find such gifted educators to inspire us toward better teaching. I enjoy the end of each episode, where the guest shares a failure that provided a great learning experience. 

Tea for Teaching – Discovered this one very recently and have been enjoying it. Hosted by the individuals who lead the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at the State University of New York at Oswego

AcademiGig with Drs. Katie Linder and Sara Langworthy – These two are so much fun to listen to and are encouraging for those exploring “gigs” outside of the traditional academic track. “A podcast for current and aspiring academic creatives, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.”

Ask the Flipped Learning Network – “A podcast for and about the Flipped Learning Network”

The Contrafabulists Podcast – with Audrey Watters and Kin Lane – “discussion of the latest technology (and politics of technology) news.” They regularly challenge me to think more critically about educational technology.

The Deeper Learning Podcast – There haven’t been many episodes, but check out #1 for an incredible, lesser known court case that “shattered many of the legal justifications for segregating public schools and laid the foundation for the famous Brown v. Board of Education decision.”

Student Caring – A current colleague of mine (David) and a former one (Daniel) encourage us to thrive in our teaching and better serve our students.

HybridPod – “Explores conversations of critical digital pedagogy, listening for ways to empower students and champion learning.” It’s been a year or so since I saw a new episode, but as soon as I do see one, I know it will be wonderful.

Context

I have become obsessed with the idea of context and how most of my failings as a teacher have involved my lack of it in some way. I try to regularly digest content that helps me expand my understanding of other people’s contexts. I’m thankful for friendships that help me do that, as well.

Code Switch – Conversations about race and identity

Pod Save the People – “Organizer and activist DeRay McKesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics through deep conversations with influencers and experts, and the weekly news with fellow activists Brittany Packnett and Sam Sinyangwe, and writer Clint Smith” – this one goes to the top of my queue every time. Hear about the news from the context of black activists and influencers…

Ear Hustle – Explores a context most of us are unfamiliar with… “Ear Hustle brings you the stories of life inside prison, shared and produced by those living it.”

Politics and News

I’m grateful that podcasts are available for shows that air in other media channels (such as television and radio), as I love the opportunity to listen on my own schedule. These podcasts help inform me on how to vote, how to be a better citizen, and how to engage in some forms of activism to try influence within my community and beyond. They also help me stay informed on what is happening in the business world.

Up First from NPR – Just ten minutes of news to start your day with

Planet Money from NPR – Fascinating look at economics

The Political Gabfest – Three wonderful hosts take on the week’s top three political news topics and then each make a recommendation at the end of the show (a little thing they call “Cocktail Chatter”).

Radiolab Presents: More Perfect – Absolutely brilliant podcast about the Supreme Court. Haven’t seen an episode since January 30, 2018 and am missing them so…

Democracy Now – A podcast of the Democracy Now television show. Independent, global news.

The Economist: Babbage – Podcast on science and technology. I listen when the episode topic is of interest.

The Gist – This one has moved up in my episodes queue. Mike Pesca invites on a guest each time to explore a topic in depth. Then, he performs that he calls “The Spiel” – which is typically a humorous look at a topic related to politics, the news, or something totally unexpected.

Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates – Smart debates about current topics

APM’s Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal – Great way to catch up with the news, using a lens oriented toward business and economics

Pod Save America – “A political podcast for people not yet ready to give up or go insane… Breaks down the week’s news and helps people figure out what matters and how to help.” Hosted by three individuals who worked for the Obama administration: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor.

Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! – Very funny game show done weekly to keep us up on the important and just plain bizarre news. I often skip the two middle segments: One where you try to figure out which story of three is the one that really happened and one with a celebrity guest where they quiz them on random stuff. I enjoy those parts, but there’s only so much podcast listening that’s available to me.

Under the Influence from CBC Radio with Terry O’Reilly – Fascinating stories about marketing. I regularly find episodes that relate to the classes I teach.

Social Sciences

My undergraduate degree was in social sciences and I still quite enjoy learning more in this discipline. In many ways, all the podcasts I listen to probably belong in this category.

Hidden Brain – “Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, and shape our choices and direct our relationships.”

This American Life – It was hard to know where to classify this one – It is a little bit of everything and some of the best storytelling I’ve ever encountered

Very Bad Wizards with Tamler Sommers and David Pizarro – “A philosopher and psychologist ponder human morality (warning: they self admittedly have “a market inability to distinguish sacred from profane”)

Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell – Each episode goes “back and reinterprets something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood.” 

Leadership and Management

My doctoral degree is in organizational leadership, so it probably isn’t too terribly surprising that I have carried my interest in these topics beyond my dissertation.

Coaching for Leaders with Dave Stachowiak – Spoiler alert – I’m married to the host and am on the podcast once a month for our Q&A episodes. In the remaining three weeks, Dave interviews fabulous guests that challenge us to keep developing ourselves as leaders.

The Look and Sound of Leadership with Tom Henschel – Wish it came out even more often – great advice for leaders in every episode

Women at Work from Harvard Business Review – Only lasted for four episodes – but well worth a listen – excellent podcast

Lead to Win with Michael Hyatt – Solid leadership advice with effective storytelling throughout

WorkLife with Adam Grant – Only recently started listening and am enjoying every episode

HBR IdeaCast – Weekly podcast “featuring the leading thinkers in business and management”

Productivity and Personal Effectiveness

Another unsurprising area of interest is in productivity. In fact, I even wrote a book on the topic.

The 1-3-20 Podcast with Daniel Pink – 1 book, 3 questions, and it all takes less than 20 minutes

Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin – “A podcast about culture and how we can change it. About seeing what’s happening and choosing to do something.” I find much of his content to relate to marketing, which isn’t surprising, given what he is known for…

Better Off with Jill Schlesinger – Terrific financial literacy podcast, sponsored by Betterment (a forward-thinking investment company)

The Productivity Show by Asian Efficiency – I don’t listen to every episode, but the topics that are of interest to me always contain excellent advice and resources

Getting Things Done – It doesn’t come out very often, but when it does, they take content from their paid membership and make it available to those of us who are waiting for the table scraps of productivity advice

Technology and Science

I worked for eleven years for a computer training company, right after graduating with my BA degree. My passion for technology started at that organization – and hasn’t ended. Only in recent years have I found more interest in science and am grateful for the podcasts that help me cultivate that curiosity.

Note to Self with Manoush Zomorodi – Really enjoy their discussion of technology that is more oriented to the ethics side of things and social change

Mac Power Users – Just plain techy fun for Mac users. I was even on an episode back in 2015.

Reply All – “‘A podcast about the internet’ what is actually an unfailingly original exploration of modern life and how to survive it.” – The Guardian

RadioLab – I wish they were my science teachers in my younger days. Who knows what would have happened?

Accidental Tech Podcast – “A tech podcast we accidentally created while trying to do a car show, featuring Marco Arment, Casey List, and John Siracusa. I don’t listen to every episode, but am

Parsing Science – “The unpublished stories behind the world’s most compelling science, as told by the researchers themselves.” Hosted by: Doug Leigh (a former professor of mine and friend) and Ryan Watkins. “Both are professors, at Pepperdine University and George Washington University, respectively. ”

Religion and Spirituality

Thank God for opportunities to reflect on my faith and to hear from people who get me asking even more questions…

On Being with Krista Tippett – On Being is one of my most treasured podcasts. Krista talks with diverse thinkers about “the big questions of meaning in 21st century lives and endeavors – spiritual inquiry, science, social healing, and the arts. What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other?”

St. Mark Presbyterian Church – This is our family’s church community. When we wind up missing a service, it is nice not to have to have missed the sermon. “Our diverse congregation is comprised of people from different religious and non-religious backgrounds who are seeking personally authentic ways to live in faith today. We connect with others who are wrestling with questions about God and religion, who care about taking action on social justice issues and the environment, and how we can be agents of change and reconciliation in a world so in need of compassion and healing.”

God Complex Radio – I can’t recall who first told me about God Complex Radio, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every episode I have ever heard. They talk about race, social justice, non-profits that are doing transformative work, and religion.

House for All Sinners and Saints – My favorite episodes are the ones when Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber is preaching. She’s like if Anne Lamott had a podcast and was also covered in tattoos.

Your Turn

What are some of your favorite podcasts? I’m almost afraid to ask this question, as you can no doubt tell I am behind on my listening queue 100% of the time… But, yet – I can’t resist learning about even more great podcasts.

It’s your turn now.

Each year, I participate in Jane Hart’s Top 100 Tools for Learning survey. In recent years, she broke the list out into three categories:

• Top 100 Tools for Personal and Professional Learning
• Top 100 Tools for Workplace Learning
• Top 100 Tools for Education

My 2017 votes included tools that fit into each of those three categories.

After publishing this year’s list, Jane Hart developed A Modern Professional Learner’s Toolkit for 2018. These are tools that pursue and support lifelong learning, such as social networks, web course platforms, news and curation tools, and communication and collaboration tools.

In this post, I share my professional learner’s toolkit, with links to the tools I use. At the conclusion of this blog, links to others’ posts with their own toolkits will be shared.

My Professional Learner’s Toolkit

Learning is central to my work and sense of purpose. I enjoy finding tools that help me locate resources that will contribute to my growth, synthesize and organize that learning in such a way as to have it be useful to me now and in the future, and then be able to share what I am learning with others.

Trusted Set of Resources for Problem Solving and Inspiration

The majority of my time taking in new information is spent within my preferred podcasting app: Overcast (iOS). I find podcasts to be an ideal way to learn, since I can take them with me wherever I go. My favorite podcasts are ones that I look forward to listening to each chance I get.

Wikipedia, YouTube, and TED Talks are other sources for inspiration.

Social Networks to Build a Diverse Personal Learning Network (PLN)

Twitter represents the majority of my personal learning network (PLN) connections. It is staggering to me how much I have learned from being in community on this platform. I also enjoy the opportunities to keep up with professional connections and former students on LinkedIn. Instagram is great fun for compelling photographs (like these from National Geographic and these that were #shotoniPhone). Pinterest is fun for ideas for our kids, as well as recipes that I never use (#aspirational). Facebook gets less and less valuable for me, though I am glad to be able to reach out to people when I have lost track of their email address.

Web Browser and Search Engine to Make the Most of the Web

I browse primarily on the Google Chrome browser. It tends to be the most compatible with the web tools I use. However, it is worth mentioning that the Apple Safari browser keeps coming out with cool new features that make me wonder if I should check it out. Google meets my needs as far as search goes, though I know this is an area I should explore more.

News and Curation Tools to Discover New Resources, Store, and Share

I have written and spoken extensively about my personal knowledge management (PKM) system. This post describes my PKM tools, including Feedly, Instapaper, and Pinboard. Recently, I have started reading more on Apple News. I am also getting tempted by the RSS reader Innoreader as a possible replacement for Feedly. Since it supports subscribing to students’ blogs and bringing them into a common feed, as described by Laura Gibbs on her Innoreader post.

Smart Devices for Ubiquitous Access to Content and People

Browsing content on my iPad is incredibly easy. I spend about an hour a day reading on the iPad, usually just before bed. My iPhone and Apple Watch are good companions, particularly for listening to podcasts. The AirPods represent one of my all-time favorite gadgets in recent years, as they make listening to content via my iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch even easier.

Blogging and Website Tools to Share Ideas and Thinking

My blog is a self-hosted WordPress site on the FlyWheel web hosting service. Buffer helps me spread out content that I want to share on social media. On “good weeks,” I spend about an hour setting content up to be shared throughout the week.

Productivity Tools to Help Work Effectively

I have also shared quite a bit about my productivity systems over the years. Most essential to my productivity systems are my task manager (OmniFocus), my calendar (Fantastical), and my email “assistant” that moves unimportant emails out of my inbox (SaneBox).

Web Course Platforms to Acquire Knowledge and Skills in a Formal Way

Lynda.com has content for learning software, business, and creative skills. This link will let you try Lynda.com for ten days. If you wind up signing up, we receive a small referral. I am also really enjoying the course I am finishing with CreativeLive on storytelling through podcasting, with Alex Blumberg. You can get $15 off your first class using this link. I’m also taking Katie Linder’s The Academic Book Promotion Toolkit course, which is fantastic.

Personal Information System to Store Web Clippings, Experiences and Ideas, and Track Professional Development

Evernote is my tool of choice for when what I want to save is better being kept private. Otherwise, Pinboard is what I use under the News and Curation Tools (above). Evernote is also where I track my goals, and professional development pursuits.

Office Tools to Create Documents, Presentations, and Spreadsheets

I primarily use Office 365 applications for creating documents (Microsoft Word), presentations (PowerPoint), and spreadsheets (Excel). Most of my blog posts start out in a text-based, Mac writing app called Ulysses. That’s also where each podcast episode’s show notes begin, until they get moved over to WordPress.

Communication an Collaboration Tools to Interact, Share, and Learn with Others

At my recent keynote for the DET/CHE 2017 conference, I asked people what their favorite collaboration tools were. The web conferencing tool, Zoom, was given more than any other answer (by a lot). I’m a huge fan, as well. My second go-to collaboration tool (particularly when it comes to sharing) is Dropbox. However, Google Docs is a stand-out for it’s ease of use when wanting to collaborate on a document.

Other Posts on Professional Learning Toolkits

After Jane Hart's original post about her professional learning toolkit, many others have followed suit. Here are some of the posts that resonated with me and inspired me to share my toolkit:

• My Modern Professional Learners Toolkit – Mike Taylor
• Professional learner’s toolkit – Harold Jarche
• A Modern Professional Learner’s Toolkit for 2018 – Modern Workplace Learning Magazine
• My Modern Professional Learning Toolkit | LearnGeek
• My Modern Professional Learning Kit – Activate Learning Solutions
• LearnletsMy Professional Learner's Toolkit – Learnlets

Your Turn

What tools did I not mention that are stand-outs in supporting your learning?

I had the great pleasure of talking with Bryan Alexander today for this week’s Teaching in Higher Ed podcast episode. “Bryan Alexander is an internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of how technology transforms education.”

As happens more than half of the time that I have interviews scheduled, I was incredibly nervous. It turns out that not only does Bryan Alexander know a lot about a lot of things, he’s also incredibly kind and warm.

After we were finished recording, I told him how much I enjoyed his recent post about his favorite podcasts. He said that he often listens to podcasts while chopping wood, caring for the animals that they raise on their property, or during his often-lengthy commutes.

While we have some podcast listening habits in common, I discovered that there are some shows that are among my favorites that he was unfamiliar with…

Since I last wrote about my favorite podcasts in 2014, there are still some of those same shows that top my listening preferences. It’s time for some updating to my list of podcast greats, inspired by Bryan’s recent post.

This time I've categorized them, those this proved to be a harder task than I anticipated. Many of them fit into multiple categories.

Teaching and Other Higher Ed Podcasts

• Contrafabulists – Audrey Watters and Kin Lane describe their podcast (which has recently been re-named) this way: “Fabulists are fable-spinners and myth-makers. We are storytellers ourselves, but we poke holes in the hype and distortion of new digital technologies and the narratives associated with them. Contrafabulists are, as the name would suggest, against lying.” Each time I listen, I’m challenged to think more critically about the technology tools we use in attempting to facilitate learning, as well as what’s happening in the broader political, educational, and technological realms.
• HybridPod | The Podcast from Hybrid Pedagogy – Host Chris Friend is a delightful guide for this “collection of casual, thoughtful discussions designed to challenge and make us all think carefully about how we work with students.”
• Research in Action Podcast – Ecampus Research Unit | Oregon State University – If you teach any kind of research in higher ed, it’s worth checking out the Research in Action podcast, hosted by Katie Linder. It is also helpful, just to increase one’s knowledge of different types of research methods.
• You've Got This – Katie Linder also hosts the You’ve Got This podcast, which is a short, inspirational look at building our confidence and competence at various aspects of a professor’s life.
• The Teach Better Podcast – Doug McKee and Edward O’Neil are the fabulous hosts of the Teach Better podcast. They interview expert faculty from institutions such as Yale and Cornel. Each episode is a new perspective on becoming a more effective teacher. I’m still not sure how it happened, but they even had me on an episode once.
• Leading Lines: A New Podcast on Educational Technology in Higher Education | Center for Teaching | Vanderbilt University – Derek Bruff, says that the Leading Lines podcast aims to “explore creative, intentional, and effective uses of technology to enhance student learning, uses that point the way to the future of educational technology in college and university settings.  Through interviews with educators, researchers, technologists, and others, we hope to amplify ideas and voices that are (or should be!) shaping how we think about digital learning and digital pedagogy.”
• TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast | Center for Distributed Learning – The Teaching Online (TOP) podcast is an informal conversation between Thomas Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson, with the goal of helping us teach more effectively online. I had the chance to meet them both at an OLC Conference and they’re just as engaging in person as they are on the podcast.

Shows that Stretch my Mind

• Radiolab – I’m so grateful for having come across Radio Lab a few years back. It has helped to make me more curious about science and to feel like it is more accessible to me than I ever realized. One of my favorite episodes was about when things don’t go like you had planned: Be Careful What You Plan For – Radiolab. Useful lessons for when things don't go like we planned in our teaching.
• This American Life – The producers at This American Life are some of the best storytellers I’ve ever witnessed in audio form. I really enjoy their humor on episodes where they share human failures, like what happens when we only have enough knowledge to be dangerous, or about some pretty awful (yet humorous) mistakes
• Democracy Now! – A friend recommended Democracy Now years ago to help me expand my perspective of politics and foreign affairs. It didn’t disappoint and I now listen to episodes almost right after they’re released.
• Very Bad Wizards – Speaking of listening right when episodes come out, Very Bad Wizards is a delight to have show up in my podcasting feed. A philosopher and a psychologist talk about life’s important topics, though I should warn you, in an often-irreverent way.
  My all time favorite episode is their 75th, where they had experts share about something they have changed their mind about in the past five years. I need to cling to the idea that we’re all capable of changing our minds on important issues, or I’m not sure I can bear our current political climate. I also enjoy whenever Paul Bloom is on the show, like this episode where they talked about the movie “Momento” – or this one where they talked about Paul’s book about empathy (with some movies about empathy mixed in to the conversation). Another memorable episode that stretched my thinking was this conversation with Robert Frank about luck. One last fun thing about Very Bad Wizards is the musical talents of one of their hosts, David Pizarro (Peez). Take a listen to some of his beats on SoundCloud.
• Invisibilia : NPR – From their website: “Invisibilia (Latin for invisible things) is about the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions. Co-hosted by Lulu Miller, Hanna Rosin and Alix Spiegel, Invisibilia interweaves narrative storytelling with scientific research that will ultimately make you see your own life differently.” They haven’t had a new episode in a long while, as of this blog post being written and I look forward to when more are to come. The other episodes are evergreen and are worth going back to hear.

Business and Management Podcasts

• Marketplace – for years now, Marketplace has been helping me connect what’s happening in the world to how it relates to my students’ lives. It's stated purpose is to be focused on economics, but they go much deeper than that, in my experience. Anyone who wants to learn more about business would benefit from listening to this podcast.
• Coaching for Leaders – Leaders Aren't Born, They're Made – I’ll admit that I’m married to the host, but this still is a fabulous podcast that helps us all become more effective at leading. If you want to receive a prescription of past episodes, based on your needs at a given time, scroll halfway down the home page and select one of the categories, such as “I feel overwhelmed,”  which includes episodes with David Allen of Getting Things Done, Deep Work with Cal Newport, and a discussion Dave and I have about personal knowledge management (PKM).
• Under The Influence with Terry O'Reilly | CBC Radio – Isabeau Iqbal shared Under the Influence with me a few months ago and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each episode since then. The host, Terry O’Reilly engages us about how marketing has been influencing us through the ages, often without us realizing it.
• Planet Money : NPR – Hardly an episode of Planet Money goes by without me bookmarking it to use in some future class. It talks all about the ways that money is impacting the world. One of my favorite episodes to use in class is this one on How Fake Money Saved Brazil. I like to pause part-way through the episode and have the students predict how they think the experts recommended that Brazil’s leaders fix the problem.
• On the Media Podcast – It isn’t as meta as it sounds – a show about media… But, it is helpful to look at the week’s events through the lens of the media and how it addressed various issues.
• Political Gabfest – This is one of the podcasts that I save up to listen to with my husband, Dave, on our weekend commutes, together. The hosts talk about three different political issues that came up in the past week and then have an eclectic recommendations segment at the end of each show.
• Stephen Explains the News – The premise of this show is that Stephen knows stuff about what's happening in the news  – and much of the time, Kayla doesn't. Stephen is a friend and a colleague, but even if he wasn't, I would be listening regularly to Stephen Explains the News. While it is sometimes a review of what's happening that I have some background on, I find Kayla's questions a good reminder of the topics that our students may also be confused about. Besides, they both have a wonderful sense of humor and their banter is entertaining.

Geeky Podcasts

• Reply All – Gimlet Media – This podcast looks at technology and how it intersects with different parts of our lives. One of my favorite segments is what they call: “Yes, yes, no,” where they challenge each other to interpret something that has happened on the internet that may otherwise go unnoticed by the untrained eye.
• Note to Self | WNYC – I just started listening to this podcast and have really been enjoying it. From the show’s website, “Is your phone watching you? Can wexting make you smarter? Are your kids real? These and other essential quandaries for anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age. Join host Manoush Zomorodi for your weekly reminder to question everything.” I especially like their focus on privacy and how we can all better protect ourselves on the web.
• Mac Power Users – Relay FM – If you use a Mac and you want to leverage it to be more productive, this is a great show for you. Back in 2015, I was on an episode, talking about how I use screencasting to provide richer feedback to my students.

In Community with Others

• Another Round (anotherround) on BuzzFeed – When Peter Newbury was on Teaching in Higher Ed, he stressed the importance of us being connected with people who are like us and people who are different from us. Listening to Another Round, I get reminded not to touch black women’s hair in the funniest way possible. Side note: I didn’t need the reminder, but it was sure funny to hear.
• Code Switch : NPR – another diversity-oriented pursuit comes from listening to Code Switch. From their website: “Ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get…stuck? Code Switch can help. We're all journalists of color, and this isn't just the work we do. It's the lives we lead. Sometimes, we'll make you laugh. Other times, you'll get uncomfortable. But we'll always be unflinchingly honest and empathetic. Come mix it up with us.”
• Revisionist History Podcast – this podcast by Malcolm Gladwell could have fit in any number of the categories I’ve created for this list of podcasts. I decided to leave it among those that help us live better in community with one another, since so many of the ways he presents the complex issues he shares about are toward creating more empathy among people with differing perspectives.
• On Being with Krista Tippett — The Big Questions of Meaning | On Being – When I listed to On Being, I feel like I’m being healed in small ways. Based on others’ reactions to the show, I’m not alone in believing we’re all being healed, collectively, when we listen together in community. This episode with John Listen entitled Love in Action is just one of many inspirational episodes.

Podcasts that are Just Getting Started

These next couple of podcasts don’t have many episodes, but they represent the best of what podcasting has to offer.

• LIFE101 – Real Stories about College Life – Mike Wesch is someone who has inspired me greatly in my teaching. He prescribes regular exposure to learning experiences, for us to remain empathetic to our students. He took this idea to heart with his podcast, LIFE101, by having his students give him assignments to tackle. I spoke with him more about the teacher becoming student on episode 118 of Teaching in Higher Ed.
• The Deeper Learning Podcast – Orange County Department of Education – the first episode is about a little-known court case that paved the way for Brown vs Board of Education. My friend and former colleague, Jeff Hittenberger, is the host. He tells me more episodes are on their way and I have to fight to keep from hitting refresh on my podcast catcher to see if a new one is there yet.

I had no idea that this post was going to turn out so long, or that I listened to so many podcasts. Would you believe that this only represents about 60% of them?

As I started to chip away at this post, I realized I was going to have to be much more discerning in which ones I included, than when I first got started with what was supposed to be a relatively easy post.

What podcasts do you listen to that you recommend? Feel free to reply in the comments to this post, or Tweet with your recommendations under the hashtag #trypod.

This post is written to my #edd703 doctoral students, though the contents apply to all of us who are practicing what Karl Weick coined as sense-making… 

We're starting to get further down the path of establishing a personal knowledge management system (PKM) for ourselves. One part that often gets struggled with the most is the sense-making piece.

I find people often want to spend much more time using Baskin Robbin's taster spoon style approaches to try to find another app that they can add to their PKM mix, or even decide to do away with one of the pieces of PKM, completely.

As Peter Senge and others explain:

Weick likened the process of sensemaking to cartography. What we map depends on where we look, what factors we choose to focus on, and what aspects of the terrain we decide to represent. Since these choices will shape the kind of map we produce, there is no perfect map of a terrain. Therefore, making sense is more than an act of analysis; it’s an act of creativity.”

Previously, I proposed that one way we can rid ourselves of the anxiety around sharing is to think of ourselves as curators. Today, I want to introduce you to a person who prefers not to think of herself as a curator, but whose life's work would fit well with what we have been talking about, in terms of PKM.

Maria Popova started her blog as an experimental email sent to seven of her coworkers. She eventually moved her content online and started Brain Pickings. Popova says that her blog:

…is a cross-disciplinary LEGO treasure chest, full of pieces spanning art, science, psychology, design, philosophy, history, politics, anthropology, and more; pieces that enrich our mental pool of resources and empower combinatorial ideas that are stronger, smarter, richer, deeper and more impactful. Above all, it’s about how these different disciplines illuminate one another to glean some insight, directly or indirectly, into that grand question of how to live, and how to live well.”

Popova is held up as one who is massively “productive,” in terms of the amount of information she consumes, makes sense of, and then shares on a daily basis.

In an interview with Krista Tippet for On Being, she was asked about the ways in which her work has been quantified by others.

Tippet inquires as to whether or not the rumors are true that Popova invests 450 hours on a monthly basis in her work. She also asks if Popova truly reads 15 books on a weekly basis, or writes between three and eight hours a day. Popova responds:

I think it’s actually a gross underestimate. I read and write from the minute I wake up to the moment I go to sleep at night and everything in between. Even those — I get around on bikes, so I commute. And whatever I listen to, that feeds in. That’s part of the reading. And so I would say the hours are probably a lot more.” [laughs]

It's tempting to get caught up in the numbers. I read 23 books in 2016, which felt like it required tremendous effort on my part. It's hard to fathom reading 15 books per week, even if it was what “paid the bills.”

It would be easy to glance at Popova's story and move on, since clearly we could never be her, in terms of her productivity. That's why what Popova says next in the On Being interview is so paramount:

…I want to say something important about that. Even if it’s factually true, I think the framing is a little bit misleading because it’s framed as a sort of productivity thing. Look at how much some random person in the world gets done, you know? And for me, it feels very purposeful. And I think what’s funny is that I used to marvel for a long time why my best ideas — and I don’t mean — by ideas, I don’t mean the ideas that — about what to write or all of that, but just insights on the truths of my experience, of the human experience, whatever.

Those ideas, the best of them came to me at the gym or on my bike or in the shower. And I used to have these elaborate theories that maybe there was something about the movement of the body and the water that magically sparked a deeper consciousness. But I’ve really come to realize the obvious thing, which is that these are simply the most unburdened spaces in my life, the moments in which I have the greatest uninterrupted intimacy with my own mind, with my own experience. And there’s nothing magical, at least not in the mystical sense, about that. It’s just a kind of ordinary magic that’s available to each of us just by default if only we made that deliberate choice to make room for it and to invite it in.”

Those of us who are more achievement-oriented can easily turn PKM into a numbers game. When we look to people like Dave Pell or Maria Popova, it's easy to tell ourselves that we won't ever be able to produce that much content, so this whole process must not be for us.

When I'm able to back away at the quantitative aspects of my own engagement online, there's a rich story being told about the opportunities I have had to be invited in to the human experience. As you continue to refine your own PKM systems, I encourage you to think about doing far less, but to make a “deliberate choice to make room for” the gifts that curiosity and reflection can bring.

I hope you'll carve out some time this week to listen to this conversation between Maria Popova and Krista Tippet for On Being. There's so much more than what I've posted here, in terms of “[Popova's] gleanings on what it means to lead a good life — intellectually, creatively, and spiritually.”

Ultimately, I pray you'll “build pockets of stillness” into your days this week, even if it seems impossible.

The Question

I received this question from one of my doctoral students:

I really have no idea how to create a “brand” or how to create my blog to reflect who I am.  Do you have any suggestions on how to figure out who I am, in the land of technology?”

Her question was so powerful that I wanted to share my thoughts to a broader community and invite others to provide suggestions to her, as well. In my reply to her, I'll consider:

• What is a personal brand and is that the “right way” to talk about our online presence?
• How do our blogs and other social media help to reflect who we are?
• How do we figure out who we are, when we're online?

My Response

Let me start by saying how glad I am that you're asking these questions. Part of what has gone wrong with social media in certain contexts is that others haven't pondered in this way, before engaging online. Those of us who are more present online rarely stop asking these questions. Recent examples of these kinds of reflections include:

• My friend and his husband just adopted a beautiful baby girl. They are reflecting on how much they want to share about her online and in what context.
• A friend from college just announced that after the worst year of her life, that she and her husband were now separated, as of New Year's eve. She shared that she usually prefers to keep all her posts on Facebook positive, but she knew people would want to be aware of this change in her life.
• Many educators pondered how to return to the classroom, after the results of the Presidential election had been announced.

Personal Branding

The first time I remember having someone attempt to convince me that I was needed the same thing that my breakfast cereal did, was in a keynote talk given by Tom Peters in the early 90s. Cheerios needed help being identified and valued in the minds of consumers. And I needed help being identified and valued in the minds of current and future employers.

Tom Peters asserted:

Starting today you are a brand.

You're every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times.”

I was intrigued, but also wasn't sure that I wanted to be some big corporate brand. Peters also wrote about more of us being freelancers, and at that time, that idea scared the heck out of me. The idea of an A-Z guide for my personal brand seemed too inauthentic for whatever it was I might attempt to do online. Yet, I didn't want to leave the results of what happened whenever someone inevitably Googled me in the hands of others.

Blogging and Social Media as Reflections of “Us”

Finding a voice online is difficult in the same way that figuring out who we are and who we are becoming when we're in-person is hard. We can certainly opt to hide all sorts of things about ourselves when we're online, but we can do that when we're face-to-face, as well. Greg McKeown warns us that thinking of ourselves as a multitude of skills is dangerous and that rather, we should consider our one main distinctive that we want others to perceive about us.

For me, that answer took a long time to come by, but I'm a teacher. That's what I do. That's what I'm good at. That's what I think about, constantly. When I blog or participate in social media, my primary focus is going to be on teaching. These days, I often get to be a teacher of other teachers, which brings me great joy.

In one of my doctoral classes, our professor recommended that we think about who our “stick figure is…” That is, who is it that you serve? Who is your audience of one? Rather than thinking about a broad, target market, he proposed that we find one person who we can always consider ourselves “talking to” when we blog, or give voice to our thoughts in other ways.

Adding Value Online

Once we have started thinking about the primary way we might be able to serve others and who one of the people we provide value for might be, we then can think about how to express some of that online. It can be intimidating to do this for a whole host of reasons, including that it's hard to be authentic, because it requires such vulnerability.

• What if I don't have anything to offer?
• What if I'm wrong about something?
• What if I wind up changing my mind about something, but now my old thoughts are still out there?
• What if I wind up being bullied or trolled online, the way so many others have in the past?

One way to get started is to think less about creating original content and instead provide value by seeking out others' content, making sense of it, and then sharing it.

Become a Curator

The most extreme example of being an expert curator is Dave Pell. He makes his whole living reading the news and then synthesizing it for those of us who don't have time to read 75 news sites a day. While I suspect you won't have time to go to that kind of extreme, as you consider your primary distinctive, hopefully you're regularly consuming news, resources, and other information in that area.

Here's a less-extreme examples of curation around a personal brand. Mike Taylor is an expert in the training and development field who I've been following for years now. Mike's LinkedIn profile is reflective of someone who has done the work to articulate and refine the way others come to know him. In his own words, he is:

Exploring the intersection of learning, technology & social media”

As 2016 ended, Mike created a series of curated posts, all around the theme of 12×12. 12 posts that each contained 12 items. Here were a few that caught my eye:

• My favorite learning quotes
• Day 3 – books
• 12 super useful job aids and cheatsheets

Next Steps

None of what I've described above is easy. This journey is best taken in small steps and with the realization that you'll never be done. I wish you the best as you start down the path and hope others will share their advice with you, as well.

Those of us who podcast are regularly told to not get too hung up on our metrics. I started 2016 with a goal to grow the Teaching in Higher Ed community by 50% by October. Once I hit that goal, I stopped going back to review the results quite as often. However, I still know that I am sometimes overly focused on quantity of downloads, over quality of the connections we have been able to build through this community.

Still, it is nice to see more people are listening to podcast episodes each week. Well, to be clear, I don't actually know who listens. I'm only able to tell how many people download each of the shows.

List-making is quite popular this time of year. There's Oprah's Favorite Things of 2016, Wired's 2016 Wish List, Slate P!cks, and both The Sweet Home and The Wire Cutter gift guides.

I've decided to participate in the trend by making a list of the most downloaded episodes of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. I know that each week, new listeners continue to join the community and may have missed some good shows along the way.

Top 10 Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast Episodes

This list of the ten most downloaded episodes of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast is not in any particular order. It's been interesting to see how the most popular episodes have fluctuated during the course of the year. I get so curious when a particular geographic region downloads a significant amount of a particular episode, but have yet to unravel any of those mysteries.

Episode #092 – Small Teaching with James Lang

This was Jim's second visit to the podcast. Our first conversation (on episode #019) was about his book, Cheating Lessons. In the most recent episode (#092), Jim shared about the small changes we can make in our teaching that will provide the biggest leverage toward improved learning.

While I have treasured each opportunity I've had to interview Jim for the podcast, he has also contributed to the community in other ways. He regularly recommends guests (including some that you'll get to hear in early 2017). He also has written the most edifying words that anyone has ever shared about the podcast in Improving My Teaching Via Podcast in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Episode #096 – The Clinical Coach with Dr. Jeffrey Wiese

While listening to an episode of the Teach Better Podcast, I heard Geoff Connors (from the Yale School of Medicine) speak about his mentor, Jeff Wiese. I found Dr. Wiese's teaching portfolio and was instantly captivated. Jeff agreed to come on the show for episode #096 and ever since airing, it has remained popular.

Episode #107 – Engaging Learners with Gardner Campbell

The connection I feel when talking with Gardner is hard to describe. As he described standing with his students listening to Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill, I instantly traveled to a place I have never been, yet somehow felt like home. He reminded us that “great ideas of all kinds come from all kinds of people at all stages of their knowledge.”

Somehow, he can mention authors who I have never heard of before, yet not leave me feeling closed off from the learning. He challenges us to regularly gauge how our students are experiencing their learning.

Episode #089 – The Research on Course Evaluations with Betsy Barry

Our institution switched over to online evaluations this semester. A few times, I found myself wanting to stop the process and ask those leading the effort to first listen to this conversation with Betsy. She provides an overview of six surprising insights about course evaluations, all in a clear, concise, and engaging way.

Episode #087 – What the Best Digital Teachers Do with Sean Michael Morris

Sean has been on the podcast twice now. Each time, he has challenged me to release some of my desire to quantify learning, and to recognize it for the complex process that it is… He reminds us to regularly revisit our courses, as he asserts: “Every time we step into a classroom or design a new course … we have to step back and realize we don’t know anything, that each time it is new.”

After we spoke, Sean sent me such a thoughtful gift. It was an autographed copy of Savvy, a wonderful book that transported me to a wonderful place and taught me about agency and teaching.

Episode #110 – Self-regulated Learning and the Flipped Classroom with Robert Talbert

Getting to know Robert through two podcast interviews and the Teaching in Higher Ed Slack Channel has been rewarding. I have a feeling that after a few more months, Robert's most recent interview on the Getting Things Done methodology will continue to garner multitudes of downloads.

On episode #110, Robert shares about self-regulated learning and the flipped classroom. He states: “You can’t say that you are interested in teaching students how to learn and then spoon-feed them everything.” Robert has already agreed to come back in 2017 to share about his new book on the flipped classroom.

Episode #114 – Engage the Heart and Mind Through the Connected Classroom with Ken Bauer

Like Robert, Ken Bauer has engaged through both being interviewed on the show, but also on the Slack channel. I'm grateful to be in community with him and for his generosity as a teacher of us all. He encourages us to connect with our students and consider how our fear keeps us back from innovating in our teaching.

The number one difficulty for faculty in innovating in their practice is … fear.”  – Ken Bauer

Episode #098 – The Skillful Teacher with Stephen Brookfield

Like many of the other guests who have been on the show more than once, Stephen Brookfield's episodes continue to be popular among listeners. I was excited to read Stephen's revised edition of The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom this past year. It is now among my top recommendations for new and experienced faculty, alike.

Stephen is transparent in his writing and his interviews as he shares about his own struggles with imposter syndrome and working toward talking less. He also reminds us to continually take risks in our teaching and recognize that there's no magic formula for teaching effectiveness.

Skillful teaching is whatever helps students learn.”  – Stephen Brookfield

Episode #088 – Top Five Gadgets for Teaching with Bonni & Dave Stachowiak

Lest we think that our community is above the click-bait nature of numbered posts and podcasts, this episode about the top five gadgets for teaching has continued to top the charts, since it was first released. Dave and I enjoyed talking about the gadgets we get the most value from in our teaching.

There was a complaint in the comments section that the episode was too Apple-centric, given that three of the five recommendations were specific to that ecosystem. However, given the number of downloads, at least we know there is an interest in this kind of information. We'll continue to work at being considerate of all computer / smartphone / device users in future episodes, while still recognizing that Apple has a commanding market share in some of these spaces.

Episode #112 – Radical Hope – A Teaching Manifesto with Kevin Gannon

As I mentioned at the top of this post, this list is not in any particular order. However, this episode is turning out to regularly being among the top three episodes, depending on the time I look. This is likely since so many of us in this community need the hope that what we are working toward makes a difference.

Kevin reminds us of the vulnerability required to teach effectively:

If I want my students to take risks and not be afraid to fail, then I need to take risks and not be afraid to fail.”  – Kevin Gannon

Contribute to the Upcoming 2017 Episodes

Your ideas about show topics and guests are always welcome. As I looked back at the list of the top ten, I found it somewhat concerning that 80% of the episodes that have been downloaded the most were with male guests. I did a quick count and found that 59 episodes of the podcast have been with male guests, while 53 of them have been with women. I didn't count the episodes when it was both Dave and I together. Also, I counted each episode guest's gender, meaning that people (including solo episodes with me) who have been on multiple times were tallied more than once.

My head hurts from speculating about why more downloads occurred with male guests… Perhaps it is as simple an explanation as that more than half of the guests represented on this list have been on the show multiple times?

I welcome any ideas you have about amplifying some of the more diverse voices of former guests. I started this particular post, thinking that I would link to the top ten and also list some that I think are not listened to as frequently, but are worth hearing. However, now that I'm at a much longer post than I thought this would be, I think I'll hold off on that idea for future blog posts.

Thanks to all of you for listening to the podcasts and giving potential guests even more of a reason to accept the invitations to be on the show.

This Saturday, I begin a doctoral class that I teach a couple of times each year. One of the topics we explore is personal knowledge management (PKM).

Over the eight weeks we'll learn together, the doctoral students will create and refine their own PKM processes. They will then be able to regularly seek out new knowledge, make sense of that knowledge, and then share their own perspectives on it in community.

As I prepare for the course to start, I realize that some of my own PKM system has changed, since I first started teaching the course back in 2014. This post provides a current description of my approach and tools and hopefully gives anyone reading this post some inspiration for getting started with your own PKM system.

Personal Knowledge Management Defined

Instead of being at the mercy of all the information that flies at us on a given day, we can take charge of the process, and discover ways to seek our credible and relevant information, transform it into knowledge (information that serves a purpose), and share it with others in our networked communities. Harold Jarche defines PKM as:

… a set of processes, individually constructed, to help each of us make sense of our world and work more effectively.”

This graphic illustrates the tools that work in concert to make my PKM system efficient and effective.

Seek

Kris Shaffer emphasizes the need to combat misinformation in Truthy Lies and Surreal Truths: A Plea for Critical Digital Literacies. Where we go looking for information will certainly impact whether what we find is trustworthy and also if it is connected with our individual learning pursuits.

I try to keep the tools I use for seeking to a bare minimum (primarily Twitter, Feedly, and my podcast client – Overcast). I also regularly consider whether the people and sources I follow are worthy of my attention. To avoid being a information hoarder, I design a system that feeds me regularly and keeps me in a continual state of learning.

Twitter (Microblogging service)

Twitter is the most timely of my seek tools. My list for getting started on twitter for education doctoral students provides a small list of possibilities. Generally speaking, I advise following more individuals than you do organizations (there are exceptions to that guidance). Twitter is about relationship, for me. Peter Newbury also gave my Teaching in Higher Ed podcast listeners such good advice when he advocated that we follow people who are like us, and follow people who are not like us on Twitter.

Feedly (RSS reader)

Feedly connects me with articles, blogs, and other information from all sorts of areas of interest. Whether Seth Godin is filling my mind with wisdom, or I'm finding out about the latest geeky Apple news from Daring Fireball, I can be assured that valuable information is at the ready, each time I visit.

There's an option to mark-all-as-read on Feedly, too, which I can't recommend highly enough. Being able to press the reset buttons on our PKM systems is a vital option to keep in mind. We'll never be able to “keep up” with everything that is going on in our various social networks, but we can “tap in” when we're ready to engage.

Overcast (Podcast app)

Probably the easiest component for me to get behind in with my PKM system is with podcasting. There are so many phenomenal podcasts out there and not enough hours in the day to enjoy each of them. Malcolm Gladwell is doing some innovative storytelling with his Revisionist History podcast. Mike Wesch gives a tremendous look into college students' lives in the first episode of his Life101 podcast. This American Life tells stories about what happens when school kids from two very different contexts come together.

Sense

When people are first introduced to PKM, they usually get super energized and excited by the seek part. It's like getting to eat at a magnificent information buffet, with so many options to choose from… It's the sense part that is harder to digest.

Information in isolation does us no good. We must, instead, make sense of what we are taking in…

Social Bookmarking

We can use social bookmarking tools to keep our information categorized (through tagging) and make it easier to draw from it in the future.

I use a bookmarking service called Pinboard.in. As I view my tags, I can see which ones have the most bookmarks within them, because they show up as larger in my tag cloud. My three most popular tags are:

• EDD703 (relevant information for the class I've been referring to in this post)
• EdTech (lots of duplicates from EDD703 and EdTech, since they both address similar topics)
• HigherEd (the industry I work in)

Share

This is the part of the process that often makes people the most nervous. There's a feeling of inadequacy that arises. What we share doesn't have to be an original creation. In fact, it is often through networked learning that we are able to discover places we might not have ventured on our own…

Curation

One way we can provide value to our networks is through curation. Curators are becoming increasingly popular in our knowledge-hungry society. This video talks about the benefits of curation and presents some popular curators from different disciplines.

We can also recognize the value of “working out loud.” As we document our failures, we're not the only ones who get to learn from those mistakes.

Original Content

I share original content weekly through releasing a podcast episode, a blog post, and tweeting out links to content I've created, as well as curated.

Scheduled Sharing

I use a service called Buffer that lets me tweet on whatever schedule best serves my network's needs, instead of whenever I happen to be in front of a computer.

Getting Started

While this post articulates my PKM system in its entirety, I suggest you don't try to follow it like it was a recipe. Instead, just dive in and start setting up a system to help you seek, sense, and share.

Find 4-5 people to follow on Twitter and start checking in on what they have to say daily. Set up a bookmarking service (EDD 703 students will be using Diigo, so we can share our bookmarks, together). And start retweeting some of the great things you read about on Twitter, with a few words of why you found what they had to say so important.

For more information on setting up a PKM, check out my Introduction to Personal Knowledge Management module.

 

Linked In used to provide a way for us to visualize our network connections in a graphical format. After talking with Bonnie Stewart, recently, about networked pedagogy, I keep wondering how my map has changed since I first wrote this reflection on my network visualization more than five years ago.

Certainly, more of my connections initiate from social media now. I have found more of what Seth Godin calls a tribe through virtual connections, than I ever do in my local community.

When I want to lament about race relations in the United States, I'm just as likely to reach out to my Egyptian friend, Maha Bali, than I am to people I see face-to-face. I find far more challenging and creative teaching ideas through the blogs I subscribe to, than I do in hallway conversations.

I was honored to be interviewed by Lina Gomez for a forthcoming episode of Utopistica a couple of weeks ago. She asked me one question that was incredibly difficult to answer. She wanted to know which Teaching in Higher Ed interview has impacted me the most, in terms of it being challenging and encouraging. I wanted to go with the safe answer and say that I just couldn't narrow it down.

Instead, I shared that it was probably the episode with Ken Bain, since I'm still thinking about how to capture the essence of my courses through a compelling question. His precise challenge to us was to think of the following as we design (and redesign) each of our courses:

Ask engaging questions that spark people’s curiosity and fascination that people find intriguing… – Ken Bain

Also, I made a complete idiot out of myself on the episode, when I read, verbatim, the autocorrected version of The Minerva Prize as “The Manure Prize.”

I decided to create an actual Manure Award that we award annually, to professors who share their failures with the community. The first Manure Award was presented to Maha Bali on episode #100 of the podcast. Others shared their failure stories that encourage us to continue to take risks in our teaching and never settle for safe.

There are so many other episodes that continue to “speak” to me daily in my work. If I would have thought it was appropriate during the Utopistica interview, I probably would have tried to squeeze at least ten episodes into the conversation, that continue to shape me and challenge me today.

Ten Episodes that Shape My Teaching Daily

1. Episode 19: Cheating Lessons, with James Lang
2. Episode 30: Teaching Naked, with Jose Bowen
3. Episode 23: Teaching with Twitter with Jesse Stommel (and more so from what he says about kindness on the episode than even the other magnificent things he had to say about Twitter)
4. Episode 71: Flipping Out with Derek Bruff (he competely changed my thinking about the best approach for the flipped classroom / blended learning)
5. Episode 72: How to Use Cognitive Psychology to Enhance Learning with Robert Bjork (the most observable differences in my teaching from before learning about retrieval practice to after come from this conversation with Robert Bjork, when I was first introduced to the approach)
6. Episode 92: Small Teaching, with James Lang (currently, the most listened to episode)
7. Episode 87: What the Best Digital Teachers Do, with Sean Michael Morris
8. Episode 118: Teacher Becomes Student Through LIFE101, with Mike Wesch (even though it is a recent one, I already know this conversation is going to continue to shape my teaching for years to come)
9. Episode 112: Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, with Kevin Gannon
10. Episode 107: Engaging Learners, with Gardner Campbell

The list, above, is not in any particular order. Let's just say I had about 10-15 other tabs open in my browser for consideration. I tried to keep this list as episodes that have observably changed my teaching, versus ones that I think are full of tremendous ideas that I haven't been able to act on just yet.

I am so thankful for all the people who have accepted the invitation to be on the podcast. It is humbling to get to talk to such phenomenal teachers each week.

How about you? What episode(s) has most shaped your teaching?

 

This is a multi-part post in which I practice my curation skills and share what I'll be taking in to 2016 from the past year's podcasting efforts.

You may want to start with part 1, if you want to get all 15 lessons.

Lesson #6

It takes daily discipline to demonstrate the respect our students deserve.

While I have always cringed when colleagues at my institution have gone on a social media rampage to vent about their students, I will admit to having chuckled at some learners' version of historical events.

Kevin Gannon has been the “voice in my head” that ensures I only poke fun of myself on social media, instead of my students. There's plenty of material to draw from there.

http://teachinginhighered.com/52

Lesson #7

People who are not like me are crucial to my lifelong learning.

On episode #053 Peter Newbury stressed the importance of having people who aren't like us in our personal learning network (PLN). I've thought, often, about the need to strengthen that aspect of my network and have benefitted from those times when I attempted to integrate someone who is unlike me into my personal knowledge management system.

http://teachinginhighered.com/53

Lesson #8

Kindness matters

While I like to think that I have worked at not being rude to my students in the past, I certainly didn't contemplate ways I could be more kind. Jesse Stommel stated that kindness is a centerpiece of his teaching. He has challenged me to think more about what that might look like if it were the case with me, too.

http://teachinginhighered.com/57

Lesson #9

It's gonna get messy

I've been surprised at how much messiness comes up on the podcast. Ainissa Ramirez spoke about learning happening after things get messy.

Amy Collier also introduced the term ‘not yet-ness' to me and helped me be more willing to take risks in my teaching.

http://teachinginhighered.com/70

Lesson #10

Creating “times for telling” is more important than adhering to a consistent schedule/format in hybrid classes

Derek Bruff shared about his flipped learning model, which is quite different from how I've been approaching hybrid classes. He has continued to challenge me as I consider ways that I can create more “times for telling” in my classes and not stick so rigidly to my schedule/format of introducing concepts online before bringing them into the classroom.

http://teachinginhighered.com/71

Part 3 – coming soon

Stay tuned for next week's post with part 3 of lessons learned from podcasting in 2015.

[reminder]What is a lesson you're taking from the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast into 2016? [/reminder]

This is a multi-part post in which I practice my curation skills and share what I'll be taking in to 2016 from the past year's podcasting efforts.

You may want to start with part 1, if you want to get all 15 lessons.

Lesson #6

It takes daily discipline to demonstrate the respect our students deserve.

While I have always cringed when colleagues at my institution have gone on a social media rampage to vent about their students, I will admit to having chuckled at some learners' version of historical events.

Kevin Gannon has been the “voice in my head” that ensures I only poke fun of myself on social media, instead of my students. There's plenty of material to draw from there.

http://teachinginhighered.com/52

Lesson #7

People who are not like me are crucial to my lifelong learning.

On episode #053 Peter Newbury stressed the importance of having people who aren't like us in our personal learning network (PLN). I've thought, often, about the need to strengthen that aspect of my network and have benefitted from those times when I attempted to integrate someone who is unlike me into my personal knowledge management system.

http://teachinginhighered.com/53

Lesson #8

Kindness matters

While I like to think that I have worked at not being rude to my students in the past, I certainly didn't contemplate ways I could be more kind. Jesse Stommel stated that kindness is a centerpiece of his teaching. He has challenged me to think more about what that might look like if it were the case with me, too.

http://teachinginhighered.com/57

Lesson #9

It's gonna get messy

I've been surprised at how much messiness comes up on the podcast. Ainissa Ramirez spoke about learning happening after things get messy.

Amy Collier also introduced the term ‘not yet-ness' to me and helped me be more willing to take risks in my teaching.

http://teachinginhighered.com/70

Lesson #10

Creating “times for telling” is more important than adhering to a consistent schedule/format in hybrid classes

Derek Bruff shared about his flipped learning model, which is quite different from how I've been approaching hybrid classes. He has continued to challenge me as I consider ways that I can create more “times for telling” in my classes and not stick so rigidly to my schedule/format of introducing concepts online before bringing them into the classroom.

http://teachinginhighered.com/71

Part 3 – coming soon

Stay tuned for next week's post with part 3 of lessons learned from podcasting in 2015.

[reminder]What is a lesson you're taking from the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast into 2016? [/reminder]