Episodes

This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, the global connector behind the DigCit Institute, Dr. Marialice B.F.X. Curran, joins us to talk about Digital Citizenship and how we can support learners in these ever-changing, tech-forward times. To learn more about the DigCit Institute, visit https://digcitinstitute.com/ List of resources mentioned in this episode... Follow Jaime Donally @jaimedonally Follow Heather Brantley @HeatherTechEdu Follow Mrs. Jalland @ellieprimary1 Follow Noa Daniel @iamnoadan...

This week we have the pleasure of welcoming NDE's new commissioner, Dr. Brian Maher, to The Good Life EDU! In this episode, Commissioner Maher shares his backstory in education and provides his vision and aspirations for his overall impact in this role. He also delves into some of what he hopes to accomplish in his first 100 days. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Maher on the pod and look forward to our continued collaboration with NDE in support of education in our ...

This week's guest, Eirik Hernes Berre, joins us to share all about Curipod, an interactive instructional tool that uses artificial intelligence to save educators design and research time while also promoting a more collaborative and engaging learning experience for all. Eirik is Curipod's co-founder and our conversation delves into his experiences working with schools around the world, some potential implications of AI on the future of education, and his personal love for all things Harry Potter...

This episode is the third of three pods devoted to previewing the keynote/featured speakers for this summer's Future Ready Nebraska Conference! Dr. Paula Kluth joins us to share some of her work with Universal Design for Learning and the UDL Hacks found in her book Universal Design for Learning Daily: 365 Ways to Teach, Support, and Challenge All Learners. Paula will be keynoting day two of the FR Nebraska Conference on June 13th, 2023. To register for the Future Ready Nebraska Conference (it's ...

This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, Dr. Michael Dulaney and Kyle McGowan of NCSA join Jack Moles of NRCSA to share their insights regarding LB705, which has moved to final reading in the Nebraska legislature. This episode explains several of the 20+ measures included in LB705 and explores the potential impact of each across the education landscape in the state. To learn more about Legislative Bill 705, access https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50370

This week the ESUCC's Executive Director Dr. Kraig Lofquist takes over as the host of The Good Life EDU Podcast to interview our usual host, Andrew Easton! Andrew will be keynoting this summer's Future Ready Nebraska Conference, sharing his message from his recently released book, Empowered to Choose: A Practical Guide to Personalized Learning. This episode previews Andrew's various sessions that will be featured at this FREE hybrid professional learning event! To register for the Future Ready N...

In Nebraska, there are so many efforts being made to support teaching and learning in the area of science that we decided to record an episode that showcases the plethora of professional learning and resources available to educators this summer and into the '23-'24 school year! Dianah Steinbrink of ESU 10 and Kristen Slechta of ESU 9 join the pod as representatives of our statewide ESU science cadre to connect listeners with fun educational opportunities to learn and grow together! Here's the li...

This week features the first of three episodes dedicated to previewing featured speakers at this year's Future Ready Nebraska Conference. Tom Bober will present on June 12th, speaking from his role as a school librarian and as a former teacher in residence at the Library of Congress. Tom joins The Good Life EDU Podcast and shares some of his experiences along with insights regarding primary sources and news literacy. For more information and to register for this FREE hybrid conference, visit nef...

ESU 3's team of mental health leaders (Jen Pollock, Sarah Eades Hamilton, Ashlee Houy, and Avery Fleck) join The Good Life EDU podcast this week to share their work under the SAMHSA mental health grant that was awarded to Nebraska Region 6/ESU 3. The grant funds their unique and innovative approach to supporting student mental health in the rural schools in their region, and their collective hope is that this effort can be a model others adopt and build upon across the country. US Secretary of E...

This week, Martha Bruckner, the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Omaha Education Consortium, joins The Good Life EDU to share the history and present work of this unique organization. MOEC's membership is comprised of Omaha-area educators from public schools, higher ed institutions, and service agencies who are collectively committed to enhancing public education through collaborative efforts that support school, teaching, learning, and kids. To learn more about MOEC, access their website ...

Matt Miller joins The Good Life EDU Podcast this week to share his insights and learning from the development of his new book, AI for Educators. The episode advocates that listeners actively seek out conversations about the impact of artificial intelligence on education, as this is a topic that is rapidly evolving. Matt asks educators to see their work through the lens of what he calls their "tomorrow glasses" to acknowledge that our students will be learning and working in an AI-infused environ...

This week, we are joined by Dr. Amy Rhone, NDE's Administrator and State Director for the Office of Special Education, to chat about the department's focus on inclusion practices and how that work aligns with the coherence efforts going on in our state. Dr. Rhone is an inspirational leader who has a big heart for the work that she and others have the opportunity to elevate throughout Nebraska, and that aspect of her character truly shines as she shares about the guidance, pilot groups, and other...

This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, we asked Shelby Aaberg (Scottsbluff HS), Heidi Rethmeier (ESU 8), and Trever Reeh (Omaha Westside HS) to join us for a conversation on Nebraska's new data literacy standards in mathematics. The episode captures everything from the origin story of these standards to how math departments and math teachers might approach embedding them into current coursework. We were also grateful to learn more about the upcoming mathematics conference hosted by the Nebraska...

This week on The Good Life EDU podcast, we are joined by Jaime Donally, an expert at the forefront of augmented and virtual reality in education. Every March, Jaime dedicates herself to blogging daily about the latest and greatest AR/VR tools as part of her #31DaysofARVRinEDU effort. On the pod, she shares a number of the tools, sites, and software highlighted in those blog posts, paying special attention to the impact that generative AI is having on the tech available in that space. Near the en...

This week we are joined by Dr. Helen Crompton who is an Associate Professor of Instructional Technology, the Director of the Virtual Reality Lab, and the Director of the Technology Enhanced Learning Lab (TELL) at Old Dominion University (ODU). Dr. Crompton is on Stanford’s list of the top 2% of scientists in the world, and she is a consultant for various governments and bilateral and multilateral organizations (such as the United Nations and the World Bank) on educational technology topics. She ...

Bill Pulte of ESU #3 and Andy Boell of the NNNC join The Good Life EDU Podcast his week to provide an update on the present efforts to ensure that Nebraska schools, educators, and students are safe from cyber-attacks. This episode highlights the concern, the current collaborations taking place, and the proposed bills being discussed in the legislature to keep information and hardware safe.

This week, we are joined by Brian Buffington who serves as a tech integration specialist at Pioneer RECA in Cleveland, Georgia. This episode focuses on some of the fun stories and innovative practices that Brian has seen and led in his region in an effort to enhance his support of school leaders and teachers. This episode previews the message of an upcoming session that Brian will be leading for AESA's Small Staff Community of Practice titled, Buff Nuggets for Leaders: Empowering Others. For mor...

On this week's episode, Deanna Ingram and Zuzi Sulcova of uBEATS (from UNO and UNMC) join us to point educators and learners alike to the tremendous online materials available for free through the uBEATS program. Listeners will learn about the health science modules uBEATS has available for grades 6-12, and not only is the content vetted by university experts, but it is also aligned with national science standards and is FERPA and COPPA compliant. Additionally, these on-demand, asynchronous mate...

Educators everywhere are turning to Canva as their one-stop-shop for creating any one of a number of things from presentation slides to infographics to video production, editing, and more. For this episode of The Good Life EDU, we are joined by Canva Learning Consultant, Tisha Richmond, who shares her wealth of knowledge on not only what Canva can do but also where those possibilities meet the teaching and learning going on in the classroom setting. And did we mention that - best of all - CANVA ...

Dr. Dan Schnoes of ESU 3 is back again this week to share his insights on a topic that was recently on the front page of the Omaha World-Herald, paying student teachers for their time spent student teaching. On the pod, Dan provides the backstory of this effort, the details of its implementation, and the immediate impact it has already garnered in Nebraska. Our conversation also entertains some of the potential unintended consequences in the future while also noting just how imperative it is for...

Preston Fraizer, Pitsco Education's Advisor for the Midwest Region, joins The Good Life EDU this week to share the story of the GEER-Funded robotics purchase that sent $1.4 million dollars worth of robotics devices into Nebraska schools. In a collaborative effort to support this monumental purchase, Pitsco Education and the ESUCC came together to develop a support site where educators and students can access video tutorials, online resources, and downloadable documents to ensure the successful i...

This week we welcome back Gold Bug Interactive's CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Paul Darvasi, for an episode that illustrates how Gold Bug is designing creative learning experiences on an international scale. Throughout the pod, Paul shares about numerous projects, each with a very different aim. Despite their differences, every example has a common goal of seeking to understand and engage the learner in experiential opportunities for personal growth and to acquire new knowledge. This conversation offe...

On February 8th, 2023 US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited ESU 3 in Omaha, Nebraska to learn more about the innovative work being done in the state to support student and educator mental health. This episode of the pod features Dr. Dan Schnoes, CEO at ESU 3, whose advocacy led to the Secretary's visit. We also welcome several Nebraska education leaders including Dr. Kraig Lofquist, Dr. John Skretta, Dr. Scott Blum, and Dr. McKayla LaBorde who all provide their own personal insights a...

In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, ESU administrators Dr. Dan Schnoes, Dr. Larianne Polk, and Dr. John Skretta join the pod to inform our audience about Nebraska's legislative process and provide insights into several key education-related bills. In the show notes below, you will find several links referenced in the podcast. Continue to follow our show as this won't be our last update from the 2023 session! Nebraska Legislature Main Page: https://nebraskalegislature.gov/ Nebraska Publ...