The Good Life EDU Podcast

In this episode, Kim Snyder and Ryan Ricenbaw of the NDE SEED Team invite school attorney and education advocate Bobby Truhe to join them for a discussion on teacher and principal evaluation practices. This conversation encourages a mindset shift when it comes to evaluation, emphasizing educator support and development over mere compliance to a prescribed checklist of basic standards.

In this episode, educator, author, and speaker John Spencer joins us to preview his upcoming keynote message and afternoon workshop that he will deliver at this year's Future Ready Nebraska Conference on June 13th and 14th, 2022. John shares on the topic of choice and voice along with advocating for frameworks such as project-based learning and genius hour. If you're interested in participating in the Future Ready Nebraska Conference, you can register to join in-person or remotely at https://nefutureready.com/ For additional info, resources, blogs, and more from John Spencer check out https://spencerauthor.com/blog/

This episode is the third of five pods we are hosting with the NDE SEED Team on their work with the Nebraska Teacher and Principal Performace Standards (NTPPS). Julie Downing, Kim Snyder, and Ryan Ricenbaw join us this week to discuss the upcoming Educator Effectiveness Summit on June 16 & 17, 2022.

In this episode, we feature ESU 9's efforts to support the mental health and wellness of the students in their region through their special services, specifically discussing their LIMHP and LMHP supports. Joe Haney, the Director of Special Services at ESU 9, along with Liesel Hogan, a licensed independent mental health practitioner at ESU 9, speak to their experiences serving and supporting schools in this critical area of education.

In this week's episode, Dr. John Skretta, administrator of ESU 6 and all-around ed advocate in our state, joins the show to provide a detailed summary of the education-related legislation that was passed into law during the 2022 session in Nebraska. For information specific to each bill, you can follow the timestamps associated with each in the notes below. Legislative Bill #: Time in the Episode LB 852: 20:18 LB 1112: 22:25 LB 1143 & 1146: 27:45 LB 1034: 29:52 LB 1218: 32:14 LB 945: 35:47 LR 374: 38:51 LR 397: 40:40 LR 401: 41:10

What a fun episode this week as Alison Smith of ESU 16 and Mellissa Donohoe of Mullen Public Schools joined us to share their story of how our ESUs support professional learning in Nebraska with personalized professional learning. In this episode, Mellissa explains how she capitalized upon her PLC's learning and implemented strategies that enhanced engagement, learner motivation, and the culture in her business class.

In this episode, Julie Downing and Kim Snyder of the NDE SEED Team discuss how school leaders can take action to retain teachers and recruit the best new hires by focusing on fostering for their staff a sense of belonging, having a voice, feeling supported, and receiving excellent professional development. Julie and Kim speak from their lens as a part of the educator effectiveness team, a group charged with developing the teacher and principal standards in Nebraska. To learn more about the NDE SEED Team and/or to contact its members directly, please visit https://cdn.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Educator-Effectiveness.Utilizing-Supporting-Educator-Effectiveness-through-Development-S.E.E.D.-to-Grow-Systems.pdf

This week, Julie Downing of ESU 13 kicks off a five-part pod series that communicates the various aspects of the NDE SEED Team's work. In this episode, she is joined by Kellen Conroy, our SDA chair from ESU 1, and Brooke Kavan of ESU 7. Together, they share how our ESU staff developers are able to integrate the educator effectiveness lens into their conversations and cognitive coaching when those individuals meet with and support schools and teachers in their respective regions of Nebraska.

ESU 3's Aaron Bredenkamp joins The Good Life EDU this week for a conversation on the MTSS work being done in region 3 and across the state of Nebraska. This is an insightful and fun conversation that explores how the MTSS umbrella can unify a school or district and its various initiatives under a mindset of continuous improvement across all facets that support learner growth and achievement.

This week, immersive learning enthusiast, Jaime Donally, joins us again for an episode on the impact of augmented reality and virtual reality in education today. We also devote some time to discussing the metaverse and the future potential learning opportunities that technology might provide. To learn more from Jaime through her collective works and the #31DaysofARVRinEDU initiative, visit her website at https://www.arvrinedu.com/

This week, Scott Butler of Project Harmony in Omaha, Nebraska speaks to the powerful role that hope plays in the learning process, both for the learner and the educator alike. The pod shares research, first-hand experiences, and practical examples of the process from which educators can begin to implement this layer of learning into the educational experiences they design. For more on Project Harmony visit https://projectharmony.com/

Katie Novak joins us for a great conversation on Universal Design for Learning and the role those practices can play in the MTSS model in this episode of The Good Life EDU podcast! For more on UDL and the work Katie has elevated, check out her site at https://www.novakeducation.com/

This week, Dr. James Rickabaugh, the Former Director and now Senior Advisor for the Institute for Personalized Learning, joins us for a fascinating conversation that takes a deep look at personalization and its place in education today and moving forward. In this episode, Dr. Rickabaugh also entertains the future impact of virtual reality and artificial intelligence on education as technology continues to advance.

In this episode, Dorann Avey, the Digitial Learning Director with NDE, and Shara Johnson, Digital Learning Coordinator at ESU 2, join us to share the history, current work, and vision for the future of the Canvas Consortium in Nebraska. Learn how Canvas is having a profound impact on learning in our state and how you can get your local school, district, or institution involved. Show Resources To learn more about the Canvas Consortium, visit https://www.education.ne.gov/educational-technology/canvas-statewide-consortium/ and for questions, please contact [email protected]

In this episode of The Good Life EDU podcast, we are joined by author and educator Rachelle Dene Poth for a conversation about her latest book, "Things I Wish ... Knew." On the pod, Rachelle shares the backstory of this project and advocates for the importance of being a connected educator with a growth mindset. If you are interested in more information about the book, you can find it on Amazon or through Rachelle's site at https://rdene915.com/.

This week, the great games-in-education guru, Dr. Paul Darvasi, is back on the show to discuss the topic of participatory culture and its impact on education today. The conversation delves into how educators might leverage engagement strategies and techniques found in social media and games to engage students and enhance the learning experience design for our Gen Z learners. Paul also shares about his recent venture, Gold Bug Interactive, which you can learn more about at https://goldbuginteractive.com/.