This week we welcome back Gold Bug Interactive’s CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Paul Darvasi, for an episode that illustrates how Gold Bug is designing creative learning experiences on an international scale. Throughout the pod, Paul shares about numerous projects, each with a very different aim. Despite their differences, every example has a common goal of seeking to understand and engage the learner in experiential opportunities for personal growth and to acquire new knowledge. This conversation offers listeners a chance to think about learning experience design from a lens that is outside of the traditional way we might think about education, and that perspective shift can incite new ideas and innovations in the way in which we support students and educators alike.

To learn more about Gold Bug Interactive, access https://www.goldbuginteractive.com/

To learn more about the iNaturalist app mentioned on the show, access https://www.inaturalist.org/

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On February 8th, 2023 US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited ESU 3 in Omaha, Nebraska to learn more about the innovative work being done in the state to support student and educator mental health. This episode of the pod features Dr. Dan Schnoes, CEO at ESU 3, whose advocacy led to the Secretary’s visit. We also welcome several Nebraska education leaders including Dr. Kraig Lofquist, Dr. John Skretta, Dr. Scott Blum, and Dr. McKayla LaBorde who all provide their own personal insights about this event. Additionally, Dr. Joan Wade, the Executive Director of AESA, joins us to provide some national context regarding the significance of this historic visit, the first where an acting US Secretary of Education has visited a service agency.

For more on the story of Secretary Cardona’s visit, access ESU 3’s press release: February 8, 2023 ESU #3 Visit with Secretary Cardona

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In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, ESU administrators Dr. Dan Schnoes, Dr. Larianne Polk, and Dr. John Skretta join the pod to inform our audience about Nebraska’s legislative process and provide insights into several key education-related bills.

Continue to follow our show as this won’t be our last update from the 2023 session!

In the show notes below, you will find several links referenced in the podcast.

• Visit the Nebraska Legislature Main Page
• Watch live sessions at the Nebraska Public Media Page
• Access the Unicameral Updates
• Bills Referenced in the Episode
  • LB48
  • LB153
  • LB324
  • LB516
  • LB527
  • LB583
  • LB638
  • LB753
  • LR24CA

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In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, Shara Johnson of ESU 2, Matthew Burg, a business teacher at Freemont High School, and Jess Bland, superintendent at Oakland-Craig Public Schools, join us for a conversation that speaks to the impact that the learning management system, Canvas, has had in their building.

On the pod, Shara notes that schools only have until February 28th, 2023, to join the Canvas Consortium this spring to have their implementation costs covered by NDE.

To learn more, visit: Canvas Statewide Consortium – Nebraska Department of Education

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In this episode of The Good Life EDU podcast, we are joined by the ESU 2’s own Mike Feit, Brad Hoffman, and Aryn Halsey for a conversation about their YouTube show, “Behavior Bites.” Our conversation delves into the backstory, creative process, and content that these three educators have experienced during their efforts to deliver concise, relevant, and practical strategies through this effort. Listeners should expect to learn, laugh, and hopefully derive some inspiration from the “Behavior Bites” Team as they strive to enhance their support of educators as they work with and serve students.

To access the episodes, follow this link to the ESU 2 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@educationalserviceunit2788.

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This week on The Good Life EDU podcast, LaRaesha Kugel of ESU 9 joins us for a conversation about supporting students who are on the autism spectrum. On the pod, LaRaesha advocates from various lenses; she’s a former teacher, an ESU instructional coach and MTSS facilitator, and the mother of a son on the spectrum. As such, LaRaesha has an intimate understanding of the numerous roles that collectively serve students with autism.

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In this episode of The Good Life EDU podcast, we are joined by educator, author, and consultant, Michael Matera for a conversation about learner engagement. Michael is a master teacher whose creativity and passion for gamification have fostered his unique perspective and approach to learning experience design. On the pod, Michael also delves into his work leading adult learning and his vision for the support he and John Meehan have built for on-demand and ongoing support for the schools and educators they support with their efforts with EMC2 Learning.

To learn more from Michael, access https://mrmatera.com/

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

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The 2022 legislative session in Nebraska saw LB1112 pass, which led to the Computer Science and Technology Education Act. As the 2022 fall semester drew to a close, the Nebraska Department of Education released its guidance in support of districts as they ensure that all students have exposure to computer science at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In this episode of The Good Life EDU podcast, we are joined by Katie Graham (State Director for Career and Tech Ed), John Skretta (administrator of ESU 6), and Guy Trainin (professor of education at UNL) for an insightful dialogue regarding the backstory, the guidance, and the implications resulting from the Computer Science and Technology Education Act.

For more information, access Computer Science & Technology Act Guidance – Nebraska Department of Education

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This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, we learn more about teaching learners with low-incidence disabilities and the unique educator training programs and supports in place for anyone interested in becoming certified to teach students who are deaf or hard of hearing. This conversation features insights from a panel of experts that includes Darsha Pelland the Director of Low Incidence Disabilities with the Nebraska Department of Education, Dr. Julie Delkamiller the Associate Professor of Special Education & Communication Disorders at UNO, and Anne Thomas the Assistant Professor of Practice for Special Education & Communication Disorders at UNL.

For more information, access Special Education – Nebraska Department of Education

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In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, we are joined by Danna Thomas, founder and CEO of the Baltimore-born, international movement The Happy Teacher Revolution. On the pod, Danna provides insight into the causes contributing to teacher burnout and its prevalence at this time. She goes on to share how both individual educators, as well as entire teams and/or school systems, can make space for teachers to “feel, deal, and be real” in support of educator wellness.

To learn more from Danna and The Happy Teacher Revolution, access https://www.happyteacherrevolution.com/

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