Author Archive: Andrew Easton

ESU Federal Level Advocacy for Nebraska Education

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This episode features two return guests to our show, Dr. Dan Schnoes of ESU 3 and Dr. Larianne Polk of ESU 7. Dan and Larianne each serve their respective ESUs as the Chief Administrator, and this past October, they had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to meet with Congressmen and women and advocate for Nebraska education. In this episode, they highlight the six main topics from those collective conversations.

To learn more about the national efforts and opportunities for service agency advocacy at the federal level, visit AESA’s page: Federal Advocacy – Association of Educational Service Agencies | AESA

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Media Literacy in the Era of Generative A.I.

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Media Literacy speaker, author, and evangelist, Julie N. Smith, joins The Good Life EDU Podcast this week to talk about the impact generative artificial intelligence is having on media literacy efforts in education. On the pod, Julie highlights examples of how AI is being used to create content and what consumers (like educators, learners, and the general public) can do to keep from being misled by fake news and misinformation.

To connect with Julie, visit Julie Smith – Media Literacy Education since 1997 (heyjuliesmith.com)

For access to resources mentioned in the episode, visit:

AI Tools from Julie Smith

Julie Smith Misinformation Resources

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Highlighting the Important Role of ESUs in NDE Educator Pipeline Grants

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This week The Good Life EDU Podcast features the work of five Nebraska ESUs that received an Educator Pipeline Grant from the Nebraska Department of Education. John Skretta, Molly Aschoff, and Drew Harris join the pod to speak to the unique models that each ESU designed as a way to meet the specific local needs of the districts that they respectively serve. The conversation spans opportunities for education administrators, new-to-the-profession classroom practitioner support, Educator Rising pipeline efforts, fostering substitute teacher pools, and more.

For more information on the ESU in your area of Nebraska, visit our page: ESU Coordinating Council (ESUCC)

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How Distance Learning Is Addressing Teacher Shortages

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Dr. Nicholas Ziegler, World Languages Coordinator at ESU 5, is back on the show this week to give an update on Distance Learning in Nebraska. On the pod, Dr. Ziegler also speaks specifically about the Distance Learning World Languages Program at ESU 5 and the tremendous successes that students are experiencing through those DL courses. Listeners can expect to learn about the content area of World Languages, Distance Education, and how 76 districts across the state are turning to distance learning as an effective avenue for staffing courses when an in-person instructor is not available.

To learn more about the ESU5 World Language Program, visit: Distance Learning | ESU 5 – Serving Educational Needs in Southeast Nebraska

To learn more about the Nebraska OER Commons, visit: Self-Evaluation Checklists | OER Commons

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What Educators Need to Know About Generative AI Prompting, AI Literacy, and What’s Next

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Amanda Bickerstaff, CEO and co-founder of AI for Education, joins The Good Life EDU this week to share how teachers can take a more nuanced approach to prompting generative AI chatbots to save time during the lesson design process and enhance learning opportunities for students. Our conversation builds from there to include insights on generative AI for student use, AI literacy, and the next wave of AI tech tools that are closer to the classroom than one might think.

To connect and continue learning from Amanda, visit: AI for Education

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Nebraska Schools Working Together to Tell Their Stories

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This week, we welcome Dr. John Schwartz, Superintendent of Millard Public Schools, to The Good Life EDU to share how schools across Nebraska are telling their stories through the Rooted in Nebraska campaign. Dr. Schwartz is one of a number of leaders in our state who are committed to this effort to highlight how we are “Rooted in Academics and Grown for Success” in Nebraska.

Rooted in Nebraska

To learn more about the Rooted in Nebraska campaign and access available resources, visit https://www.rootedinnebraska.org/

Also, be sure to check out the hashtag #RootedNE

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How One District Has Embraced Artificial Intelligence

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This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Rob Dickson and Dyane Smokorowski from Wichita Public Schools. They take us through their district’s venture into generative AI, which kicked off with the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022. In our conversation, Rob and “Smoke” delve into the motivations behind their initiative, the implementation process, and the significant shifts they’ve witnessed since then, impacting their dedication to advancing teaching and learning.

To learn more about technology at Wichita Public Schools, visit: Technology / Who We Are (usd259.org)

To read the Edweek article about this effort, visit: ChatGPT Is Everywhere in This District. Here’s What It Looks Like (edweek.org)

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Playful Solutions for Serious Learning with John Meehan

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This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, John Meehan of EMC2 Learning joins us for a conversation on student engagement, playful learning, and how educators can get connected to the resources and support that he and Michael Matera provide through their company. John will be in Nebraska for two days of fun and professional learning in November as he works with our ESU PDO TLT affiliate, and this episode previews the ideas, energy, and thoughtful approach to lesson design that educators can expect from that experience.

To learn more about EMC2 Learning, visit https://emc2learning.com/

To register your entire staff for a subscription to EMC2 Learning’s resources, contact the ESUCC Coop Purchasing at https://www.esucc.org/cooperative-purchasing/

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The NE ESUCC Digital Citizenship Symposium: A Statewide Event That’s Part of an International Community

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In this episode, we welcome Peg Coover of ESU 10, co-leader of the Digital Citizenship Symposium effort statewide, to preview the upcoming live and in-person DigCit event on October 16th. We are also joined by this year’s keynote speaker Dr. Marialice BFX Curran, who shares her heart for this important topic and what attendees can expect from the event.

To learn more and/or register for this event, visit bit.ly/NEDigCit

To learn more from the DigCit Institute and Dr. Marialice BFX Curran, visit https://digcitinstitute.com/

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Bold Gratitude Ideas for Cultivating a Grateful Disposition

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Education speaker and author Lainie Rowell joins The Good Life EDU Podcast this week with an uplifting message and a number of great ideas for fostering and maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Lainie recently released Bold Gratitude, an interactive journal that serves as a practical companion to her book, Evolving with Gratitude: Small Practices in Learning Communities That Make a Big Difference with Kids, Peers, and the World, and she shares insights and examples from that project on the pod. We ourselves are grateful to Lainie for sharing on the show as there’s no time like the start of a school year to effectively integrate new strategies into the rhythms of the day!

To learn more from Lainie, visit https://www.lainierowell.com/

 

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