In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, we sit down with Mike Kentz, founder and CEO of Zainetek Educational Advisors, to discuss the evolving role of AI in education. Mike shares his journey from being a financial journalist to a middle school writing teacher and eventually becoming an AI education consultant. He unpacks his unique perspective on how AI can amplify the teaching process, emphasizing the importance of depth over efficiency. From guiding teachers through the emotional side of AI adoption to grading chats instead of essays, Mike provides a thoughtful, reflective look at how AI can reshape writing instruction and assessment.

To learn more from Mike Kentz, visit https://zainetek-edu.com/

To watch Mike’s TEDx Talk on the importance of AI Literacy, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRyWDNjRWaw

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In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, we are joined by UDL expert Katie Novak to explore the latest advancements in Universal Design for Learning and how the evolution of UDL is shaping the future of inclusive education. We also delve into the role of AI in enhancing UDL practices and the critical importance of robust professional learning systems in driving meaningful change. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation on how to elevate student learning experiences and outcomes through UDL.

REGISTER TODAY to be a part of the NeMTSS Summit and learn from Katie Novak, live and in-person, on September 26-27 in Kearney, Nebraska!

2024 Nebraska MTSS Summit: Super Systems for Success – (unl.edu)

LEARN MORE FROM KATIE…

• Novak Education
• The Education Table Podcast

SEE ALSO…

• CAST’s UDL Guidelines 3.0 (released on July 30, 2024)
• Tom Gusky on Professional Learning

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Dr. Kristen Mattson joins The Good Life EDU Podcast this week for the third and final installment of our Summer Learning Series featuring speakers who shared at Nebraska education conferences this summer. In this episode, Dr. Mattson provides practical examples of Digital Citizenship in action, delves into AI in education, and makes both topics approachable for all educators in our shared responsibility to create spaces for students to learn and grow as citizens in a digital world.

Links Referenced in the Episode Include:

• Digital Citizenship | Teach DigCit
• Curricular Framework | Teach DigCit
• Must Have Picture Books | Teach DigCit
• 900+ Dig Cit Discussions ideas in 2024 | Pinterest (images for discussion)

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Fresh off of her keynote appearance at the Future Ready Nebraska Conference and following up a busy week at the 2024 ISTE Conference, Jaime Donally revisits The Good Life EDU Podcast to share some of her summer learning and where she sees technology for education trending next. Our conversation spans AI, augmented reality, virtual reality, and more — so don’t miss out on this opportunity to see into the future of ed tech.

To follow Jaime and learn more, visit ARVRinEDU | Jaime Donally | Professional Development

To learn more about Kai’s Clan (mentioned in the episode), visit Kai’s Clan – Adventures in collaborative coding for STEM and computer science (kaisclan.ai)

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Brian Buffington returns to The Good Life EDU Podcast this week to share his recent work with AI in education and his continued commitment to supporting teacher and student creativity. Brian will be presenting at the Future Ready Nebraska Conference, and we encourage listeners to connect with him and others during that FREE learning opportunity on June 10-11, 2024.

Register for the Future Ready Nebraska Conference at nefutureready.com

Subscribe to Brian’s weekly Buff Nuggets newsletter at https://briankbuffington.com/

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This week’s episode featuring Trevor Goertzen from SchoolAI kicks off a series of upcoming episodes previewing sessions at this year’s Future Ready Nebraska Conference. Trevor is joined by Eileen Heller of ESU 3 and Dr. Nicholas Ziegler of ESU 5 for a conversation highlighting the “spaces” feature within SchoolAI where educators can create a safe and student-friendly AI chatbot interaction for learners. In this episode, Trevor explains the power and potential impact of SchoolAI spaces, and Eileen and Nick share their experiences and examples in leveraging this tool in support of UDL, distance learning, and more.

To learn more about SchoolAI, visit schoolai.com/

For more info and to register for the Future Ready Nebraska Conference, visit nefutureready.com

It’s FREE and we hope to see you there in-person or virtually on June 10th-11th, 2024.

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This week, we are joined by Bridget Peterkin and Grace Clausen, the co-founders of Dyslexico. Dyslexico is a Nebraska-based AI tech company that provides spelling and grammar correction tools designed specifically for those with dyslexia. Listeners will learn the origin story of this effort and how it has been built out through the support of the Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska. The pod also discusses current efforts to pilot these supports in schools, and both Bridget and Grace encourage anyone interested in utilizing this technology to reach out to learn more.

Link to the Dyslexico site: https://dyslexi.co/

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