The Good Life EDU Podcast

In this episode, we welcome Justin Knight, an attorney with Perry Law Firm, to discuss several AI-related topics and potential concerns that school districts and their educators should look to address as they establish policies and practices for the use of AI. Justin brings a great perspective and a wealth of experience with education law to this conversation. We focus on generative AI and how thi...

The National Rural Education Association is a strong and respected organization of rural school administrators, teachers, board members, regional service agency personnel, researchers, business and industry representatives, and others who are interested in maintaining the vitality of rural school systems across the country. In this episode, NREA's executive director, Dr. Allen Pratt, joins the pod...

In this episode, Dr. Chris Haeffner with Lincoln Public Schools shares how LPS Library Services are connecting with students and their families to tell their stories through the video series, "The Seat Beside You." This conversation illustrates Chris' heart for helping students feel seen and understood. We also discuss how these brief windows into the lives of LPS learners can enhance the level of...

In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, Cody Talarico of NDE and Anne Alston of the Nebraska Arts Council for discussion about the Fine Arts in Nebraska and a unique grant opportunity for public schools statewide to receive funding for materials. This conversation highlights the collaborative efforts of NDE and the Nebraska Arts Council toward ensuring that learners have the resources they n...

In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, Heather Brantley of Pine Tree ISD in Longview, Texas joins us to share her experiences and insights about utilizing artificial intelligence as an educator and teaching her students about AI and generative AI. Heather's energy and passion for this work are contagious. On the pod, she advocates for all educators to connect and collaborate with one anothe...

Julie Downing and Ryan Ricenbaw of the NDE SEED Team are back again this week with an update on their efforts with the Nebraska Teacher and Principal Performance standards. This episode highlights educator effectiveness as the "connective tissue" supporting a variety of education initiatives in Nebraska. In this NDE Admin Days preview, Julie and Ryan identify those connections that they will be pr...

This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, Scottsbluff High School principal Justin Shaddick joins us to share about their unique approach to career academies and how that programming has enhanced student learning and fostered a career pipeline between their school and local businesses. While Justin is quick to point out that programs like this need to evolve to fit a local context, anyone can listen...

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 Fol...

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...

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 potent...

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...

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...

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...

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 cad...

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 source...

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...

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 effort...

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 "tomo...

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...

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....

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 a...

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...

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 A...

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...