This week we talk Special Ed and SRS with McKayla LaBorde, Director of Student Services at ESU #3, and Stuart Clark, Director of Special Education at ESU #1. In this episode, McKayla and Stuart share about the work being done to update the website and forms within SRS to improve the collaborative conversations taking place when educators and their learners create and modify IEPs. We also touch upon the impact that LB 527 is having as the age to begin post-secondary goal setting conversations and transition plans shifts from 16 years of age to 14 years old.

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In this episode of The Good Life EDU podcast, we are joined by Christine Haeffner of Lincoln Public Schools and Sara Churchill of the University of Nebraska Omaha for an insightful look at the impact school librarians have on learning in the contemporary school setting. The role of the school librarian has expanded significantly over the past twenty years, and in this conversation, we discuss the breadth of support that this vital position plays on behalf students, teachers, and learning in schools today.

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In this episode, Tara Martin joins us once again for a conversation on how the very things that help us recharge during the summer can be the key ingredients to professional growth in the year to come. In a summer where many educators are burnt out and in need of a break, this episode considers how personal growth can be some of the best and most applicable PD an educator experiences in the summer.

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This is the third pod in our three-part series previewing the Future Ready Nebraska Conference that will take place from 9am-1pmCT on June 14 and 15th. In this episode, we are joined by Melissa Pilakowski, ELA teacher from Valentine High School and Mike Mohammad, physics teacher from Brookfield Central High School in Wisconsin. In this chat, Melissa and Mike reflect on their experiences over the past year, highlight their takeaways, and look optimistically to the future of education in the post-pandemic classroom.

Register for the Future Ready NE Conference at nefutureready.com

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Dr. Cory Epler of the Nebraska Department of Education joins us this week for a conversation on the work being done around High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIMs) in Nebraska. This episode is a Future Ready Conference preview of Dr. Epler’s breakout session, #MaterialsMatter, which will be delivered at 11:35amCT on June 14th.

Resources Referenced in the Pod

The Future Ready Nebraska Registration Link: https://nefutureready.com/

The Nebraska Instructional Materials Collaborative: https://nematerialsmatter.org/

The Nebraska OER: https://www.oercommons.org/hubs/nebraska

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This week, Matt Miller, author of Ditch That Textbook and Tech Like a Pirate, joins the pod as a Future Ready Nebraska Conference preview. Matt will be keynoting and leading a breakout session at that FREE virtual event on June 14. In this episode, our conversation focuses on how the pandemic era of learning has accelerated tech integration in education, and we discuss the promise this shift holds for the future of education as a result. Additionally, Matt delves into his work supporting teachers, TikTok for professional development, ideas from his latest book, and more.

Register (It’s FREE) for the Future Ready Nebraska Conference: https://nefutureready.com/

Access Matt Miller’s Ditch That Textbook Site: https://ditchthattextbook.com/

Link to Resources Matt Mentioned in the Pod: https://ditchthattextbook.com/101

For ESU staff in network, these books are available for checkout in the PD Library:

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In this episode, Brooke Kavan (ESU 7) and I visit Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska to chat with Brooke’s 17-year-old cousin, Camille O’Neill. Camille, a junior at MWHS, navigates her school day with significantly limited vision due to a condition called retinopathy of prematurity. In the pod, Camille shares about the challenges she faces on a daily basis and her ability to persevere, learn, and succeed with the support of her physics teacher, Mr. Tyler Berzina.

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