The Social Studies Shifts and Remote Learning

In this episode, Lori Broady of ESU 4 speaks as the ESU Social Studies cadre co-chair and shares her insights regarding the new shifts in the social studies standards, making sure to relay resources and remote learning ideas along the way. Lori is incredibly knowledgable and passionate about this content area, and that truly shines through in this fantastic conversation.

Fostering Relationships with Learners During Hybrid or Remote Learning

As the saying goes, no significant learning occurs without a significant relationship, and finding ways to foster and maintain those relationships may prove to be more challenging than ever this fall as more and more learning moves online. In this episode, Kindergarten teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator Dustin Carlson and high school ELA teacher Melissa Pilakowski share their ideas for how we might stay connected with our learners during a hybrid and/or remote learning setting.

Great Ideas for Remote Learning

Catlin Tucker is a bestselling author, international trainer, and a keynote speaker who is at the forefront of the blended learning movement. In this episode, Catlin shares her perspective and ideas for how educators can enhance their effectiveness when teaching remotely, so join us for a conversation full of useful insights and great ideas for how to take the next step forward in your remote teaching practices.

Let’s Talk Math and Remote Learning

What a fun conversation this was with ESU 2’s Kelly Georgius. Kelly also serves as the current math cadre leader for our ESUs statewide, and so in this episode she shares her philosophy on math along with some resources and strategies that educators should look into for both at-school and remote learning.

75,000 Gallons of Hand Sanitizer for Nebraska Schools

In mid-March, while schools were closing and the country was shutting down, Dr. Hunter Flodman, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Jan tenBensel, chair of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, were just getting started with their plan to help create what became 200,000 gallons of hand sanitizer for essential institutions across the state. In this episode, Dr. Flodman and the ESUCC’s own Craig Peterson tell this incredible story of statewide collaboration in an effort that truly showcases the type of hard work, determination, and selflessness that typifies what it means to be a Nebraskan. This pod is a must listen, and on behalf of the ESUCC and educators everywhere, we certainly want to express our appreciation to everyone involved with bringing this effort to fruition.

The SIMPL Approach to ESU Support

This week’s pod features two of ESU 7’s finest, administrator Larianne Polk and profession development director Marci Ostmeyer, for an episode that details how our ESUs collaborate with the districts in their region towards developing strategic, data-driven plans for the services they provide/utilize and implement. Their collaboration follows the SIMPL program (Service Implementation Matrix Process & Log), which ESU 7 developed.

Learning Space Design in a Hybrid Educational Environment

This week, we welcome Dr. Robert Dillon to the pod for a practical conversation on how educators might think through designing our classroom spaces given the social distancing measures that have come with the pandemic. We also take time to discuss ideas for supporting learners in a remote setting. Listeners will leave this conversation with several new ideas to consider implementing within their learning environment that will help make the space more conducive to optimizing student learning.

Being a R.E.A.L. Mirror Holder

In this week’s episode, Tara M Martin reminds us to be “R.E.A.L.” as educators, even in a remote setting, by putting our relationships first. We discuss the need for and applicability of this message across all levels of our educational system, particularly in the present moment, so join us as we discuss strategies such as humble inquiry, #Booksnaps, being the mirror holder, and more.

 

You can access many of the coaching resources Tara mentions in the pod, including her #Booksnaps idea, by accessing her blog at http://www.tarammartin.com/

 

Games in Learning

In this episode, games in learning guru Paul Darvasi joins the show to chat about the concept of utilizing games to enhance the learning experience for students. This pod covers everything from terminology to alternate reality games to video games as texts to the potential role of games and gamification in a remote setting.

 

You can follow Paul on Twitter at @PaulDarvasi or read about The Ward Game on his blog at http://www.ludiclearning.org/.

For more on utilizing video games as a central text of a unit, check out iThrive Games’ Museum of Me curriculum over the video game “What Remains of Edith Finch” at https://ithrivegames.org/

Mystery Guests and More with Remote Learning at the Primary Level

The Good Life EDU podcast is proud to bring you this episode with educator Lisa Hermann who has found a number of ways to be innovative and build/maintain positive and supportive relationships with her students despite the challenges she has faced teaching remotely. In this episode, Lisa shares about tools such as Seesaw and Zoom and how she used her new tech savvy to create innovative learning experiences for her students.