My Disney Class podcast

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie discuss how Walt motivated his Imagineers and other staff. Of course we all have some experience with either needing motivation, having to motivate, or wishing for believers in our work in education. In our discussion today, let's look at some of the traits that has been reported about Walt Disney and see if we can make some connections...

Celebrate Soulfully              In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss Black History Month. They look at how it's celebrated at Walt Disney World and how and how it can be observed in schools. Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments...

Edmagineering Education Conference              In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan welcome an old friend and a brand new friend to the show. Brian Collins is a former Imagineer who has worked with Ryan and Howie for almost eight years now and the three are uniting forces with an incredible educator named Erin King. Erin was on My Disney Class Podcast last year and she talke...

Best Educational Experiences At WDW   In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss some of their favorite educational attractions at Walt Disney World.  Most people when they think of Disney, think of a place that is just for fun but it also has many attractions and programs that are geared toward learning about other cultures, the arts, and the environment. Not to mention th...

Walt's Pilgrimage with Christopher Tremblay   In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome Dr. Christopher Tremblay to the show. Christopher currently serves as Director of Admissions & Recruiting for Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. He earned his doctorate of education in educational leadership from the University of Michigan...

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie talk about the future of Disney now that Iger is back and making changes in the new year! We all make resolutions this time of year and Disney is no different. Howie and Ryan discuss some of these future predictions for the Disney company in 2023 and talk about why these may happen and what caused the need for the possible change.         ...

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome back our favorite former Imagineer and education disruptor, Brian Collins! Brian was a Disney cast member since the early 1990s and helped create magic daily as he worked both on the front line of customer service at the Contemporary Resort and as a Disney Imagineer. During his time at WDI, Brian was a show writer and worked on cla...

Iger With Your Nose So Bright!             In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss the recent return of Bob Iger in his role as CEO of the Walt Disney CO. Bob Iger returned to The Walt Disney Company as Chief Executive Officer on November 20, 2022, shocking most all of us. He previously served as CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company from 2005 to 2020, then Executi...

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan compare two of their recent trips. Howie went to Universal Studios in Orlando, yes you heard us right, Howie went to that place that shouldn't be mentioned! Just kidding, we love Universal too and as you will find out in this episode, Howie is warming up as well. On the other hand, Ryan traveled to Wisconsin to visit two schools that are i...

Esterland with Maria Esterline.  In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome back to the show, Maria Esterline. Maria is a very passionate educator that has been in education for 20 years. She has worked in various roles but is always on the mission to better education for all stakeholders, especially our children.  Currently, Maria is working for the University of Florida t...

 In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss the upcoming Halloween season and how Disney and Universal help guests celebrate this spooky season. They also talk about how they celebrate the season personally and Ryan shares his experience with Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. They wrap up by comparing the Disney Dress code with various school districts and their dress...

 In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie welcome back to the show Jeff Bradbury. Jeff Bradbury is an ISTE Award Winning (2021) and globally-recognized educator, educational broadcaster, public speaker, and entrepreneur whose powerful message has inspired thousands of educators through the TeacherCast Educational Network. Jeff Bradbury is a Technology Integration Specialist an...

 In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie and Ryan discuss ways that they and their students stay in the creative idea zone!  If you look up the definition of creativity, you will indeed find something that references using your imagination to create a new idea. Most of the time this creation is something artistic in nature. While this is true for artistic endeavors, a definition like...

Starting The Year The Edmagineering Way!  In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie and Ryan welcome back our Disney partner in crime, Brian Collins! Brian has been on the podcast many times and for good reason. He is a former Imagineer, he is an educator, currently works in several fields bringing innovation to a multitude of problems, and well, he's our friend.          On today's sho...

  In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie and Ryan are again coming to you from Walt Disney World. Ryan, Howie, and Brian have wrapped up another successful P.D. Magic experiential learning trip with some incredible educators from all over the world. They spent five days visiting all four parks and doing a monorail edu. resort crawl with the group. They immersed themselves in the magi...

      In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie are coming to you live, well not really live, but they record this episode on location at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. About halfway through PD Magic, Howie and Ryan ask Brian Collins and Daniel McComb to join them after their third day in the parks and do a round table discussion about the day's events. The table will...

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan welcome their good friend Brian Collins. As most of you know by now Brian works with us to help bring magic and pixie dust to the world of education. Some of you might not know that Brian continues to branch out into many other areas of education and technology with several different companies and groups. These groups with Brian are doing...

Looking Forward To Summer Magic! In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie discuss what they are looking forward to this summer. To say that this school year has been a tough one is a major understatement and looking forward to reenergizing and filling the tank back up is not something that an educator should be bashful about. In fact, this time of year for educators is a vital...

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie welcome Devan Lewis to the show. Devan is a middle school STEM teacher at McFarland School that really strives to foster the principles and passions found in most Disney Imagineers.  Devan shares with us where her passion for Disney and specifically Disney Imagineers comes from and shares why she feels this passion is key to create a cl...

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie welcome Lisa Funke to the show. Lisa is currently working for the Glenview Public School District as the LRC Director. LRC Directors are in charge of planning, organizing, and directing all activities for the Learning Resource Center at schools. This is the evolution of what we used to call libraries at schools but now offer our student...

Putting the F back in education In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie are discussing how to put the FUN back in education! This is no April fools joke, these last couple of years have been really tough in the educational world, tougher than are normal challenging years. This is why Howie and Ryan thought on this April fools day it was fitting to discuss the importance of ha...

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie is turning the tables on his partner in crime, Ryan.  Ryan Boeckman, who started this wild ride of an adventure with Howie almost 8 years ago, is a middle school science teacher in St. Louis Missouri. He has been recognized as an outstanding science and mathematics teacher by the St. Louis Science Center and has been teaching in public schools f...

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie are discussing various lessons that Howie has created for our P.D. Magic experiential field trip. These lessons were developed to help our participants familiarize themselves with the Disney terminology and some of the systems that Disney uses. This familiarity allows them to get comfortable with the concepts and educational ties that w...