This episode highlights the amazing efforts and the resulting inquiry units of study developed by thirty Nebraska educators as a part of the ESUCC’s 2022 social studies special project. This initiative brought together personnel from several ESUs, including members of SDA (the staff development affiliate) and TLT (the teaching and learning with technology affiliate) to train, lead, and support this select group of 4th-8th grade teachers as they designed units of study to implement in their own classroom practices and to share with others across our state!

For more information on the SS special project, the inquiry design model, the NE social studies standards and shifts, and to receive access to the resource collection (including the inquiry training itself), access https://www.esucc.org/instructional-materials/social-studies/

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Have a pen and paper ready to take notes because this week we are joined by tech integrationist, Eric Curts of Stark Portage Area Computer Consortium (ESC) who shares a myriad of tech tools, sites, and insights that educators can look to integrate into their lesson design and professional learning in the school year ahead.

In the episode we discuss…

Eric Curts’s Control, Alt, Achieve Blog: https://www.controlaltachieve.com/

Google’s Screencast App for ChromeOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHyPcIHvlxo

Feedly: https://feedly.com/

Steve Wick’s Blog: https://rechargelearning.blogspot.com/

75 Super Ed Tech Blogs to Follow: https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2021/04/edtech-blogs.html

No Sign-Up Tools: https://www.nosignup.tools/

Geo Artwork from Google: https://artsandculture.google.com/experiment/geo-artwork/wgEPVBAUiRVlEQ?hl=en

EmojiMix: https://tikolu.net/emojimix/

Google Educators Group of Ohio: https://sites.google.com/view/geg-ohio/home

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Erica Johnson, Assistant Special Education Director at ESU 10, and Pam Brezenski, Special Education Director at ESU 13, join the pod this week to explain the individualized programming that our 18 to 21 special education learners receive in Nebraska as they work towards completing their IEP goals.

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Dr. Chris Haeffner of Lincoln Public Schools (ESU 18) joins The Good Life EDU this week to share out about the work that their district is doing to create resources to support school librarians in their district and across Nebraska. Those materials include clear identification of learning objectives by grade level bands, an at-a-glance pacing guide, and lesson plans specific to each objective. Best of all, the team at LPS wants this work to be available to all school librarians, so if you are interested in accessing their resources, now and as they develop more, you can access those at https://home.lps.org/libraries/

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In this episode, educator, author, and consultant Lainie Rowell joins us to discuss her latest book, Evolving with Gratitude. Our conversation takes a deep dive into Lainie’s learning on the topic of gratitude, and she shares a myriad of practical practices that educators can implement both personally and professionally for the health and wellness of themselves and the students they serve.

Learn more from Lainie at https://www.lainierowell.com/

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Nebraska’s Educational Service Unit 3 is the only service agency in the country that owns and operates a fully-functioning farm. In this episode of The Good Life EDU podcast, we chat with Troy Glock, the Executive Director of Program Services for ESU 3’s Gifford Farm to learn more about the unique learning opportunities and services this special place is providing students in the Omaha Metro Area and across the state of Nebraska.

For more info on Gifford Farm, access http://www.esu3.org/GF/Home

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This week, we dive into a data dialogue with Amy Trauernicht of ESU 13 and Melissa Engel of ESU 16, the co-chairs of the Data Cadre in our state. In the episode, Amy and Melissa explain all things data related to education from what data is collected, how it is housed, the process for facilitating data dig conversations, and the logistics for how the Data Cadre supports teaching, learning, and other edu-initiatives across Nebraska.

Should you be interested in learning more about the data cadre, accessing their resources, and potentially signing up to become a member of this group, please visit the Nebraska Data Cadre website at https://sites.google.com/esucc.org/data-cadre

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Brandon Mowinkel, principal at Milford Jr/SR High School in Milford, Nebraska, joins us for the pod to preview his message for his keynote and breakout sessions at the upcoming Future Ready Nebraska Conference. In this episode, Brandon shares insights about the culture at Milford and the guiding principles that have led his school, staff, and students through his tenure there.

Register for the #FRNebraska Conference at nefutureready.com

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Andy Boell of the Northeast Network Nebraska Consortium and Gary Needham of ESU 9 join us on the pod this week for a conversation on the topic of cyber security in education. In this episode, Andy and Gary provide insights regarding the current work being done to thwart cyber attacks on Nebraska schools. They also spend some time advocating for where this work could go next to ensure that information stays secure.

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This week, Dr. Dan Schnoes, the chief executive officer of Nebraska’s ESU 3 shares about his new appointment to the Executive Board of AESA, the Association of Educational Service Agencies. In this episode, Dr. Schnoes provides insight into the role ESAs play broadly in the US while also underscoring AESA’s efforts to lead, grow, advocate, and connect agencies to one another and the larger conversations happening in our country.

For more on AESA, check out their website at aesa.us

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