Speaker, author, and all-around edu-rockstar, Allyson Apsey, joins The Good Life EDU Podcast this week to share ideas for school leaders who are looking to take their staff meetings to a whole new level this school year. Allyson explains the structure of her most recent book, Lead with Collaboration: A Complete Guide to Transforming Staff Meetings, and details easily implemented, practical strategies for each main section of the text. This episode is a must-listen for all educators who facilitate staff meetings and professional learning throughout the year.

For more info and resources on Lead with Collaboration, visit https://leadwithcollaboration.net/

In this episode, we welcome Justin Knight, an attorney with Perry Law Firm, to discuss several AI-related topics and potential concerns that school districts and their educators should look to address as they establish policies and practices for the use of AI. Justin brings a great perspective and a wealth of experience with education law to this conversation. We focus on generative AI and how things like intellectual property rights, copyright law, and the crafting of a school plagiarism policy are all being challenged as this technology continues to evolve.

For more on how to cite a generative AI site as a source, visit https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/

If you are looking to extend your learning on AI, here's an article that points to five free courses you can take to learn more about artificial intelligence: https://fortune.com/education/articles/here-are-5-free-ai-classes-you-can-take-online-from-top-tech-firms-universities/

The National Rural Education Association is a strong and respected organization of rural school administrators, teachers, board members, regional service agency personnel, researchers, business and industry representatives, and others who are interested in maintaining the vitality of rural school systems across the country. In this episode, NREA's executive director, Dr. Allen Pratt, joins the podcast to talk about the NREA's current work, the present challenges facing rural education in America, and the innovative and collaborative efforts being made to address them. We also chat about the myriad of ways in which NREA helps keep rural educators connected and informed.

To learn more about NREA (and to register for their annual conference), visit https://www.nrea.net/

In this episode, Dr. Chris Haeffner with Lincoln Public Schools shares how LPS Library Services are connecting with students and their families to tell their stories through the video series, "The Seat Beside You." This conversation illustrates Chris' heart for helping students feel seen and understood. We also discuss how these brief windows into the lives of LPS learners can enhance the level of empathy and understanding that educators and students alike feel toward others in their school community.

To learn more, access LPS Library Services' "The Seat Beside You" site at https://home.lps.org/seatbesideyou/

In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, Cody Talarico of NDE and Anne Alston of the Nebraska Arts Council for discussion about the Fine Arts in Nebraska and a unique grant opportunity for public schools statewide to receive funding for materials. This conversation highlights the collaborative efforts of NDE and the Nebraska Arts Council toward ensuring that learners have the resources they need to learn and grow in the Fine Arts.

For more information about the grant, visit https://www.education.ne.gov/finearts/ or reach out via email to [email protected]

Cody Talarico can be reached via email at [email protected] 

Anne Alston can be reached via email at [email protected]

Visit the Nebraska Arts Council's site at https://www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/ to learn more about their work and for information on additional grant opportunities.

In this episode of The Good Life EDU Podcast, Heather Brantley of Pine Tree ISD in Longview, Texas joins us to share her experiences and insights about utilizing artificial intelligence as an educator and teaching her students about AI and generative AI. Heather's energy and passion for this work are contagious. On the pod, she advocates for all educators to connect and collaborate with one another in our shared effort to support learners with the new landscape for learning that AI provides.

To learn more from Heather, visit https://www.heathertechedu.com/ or follow her on Twitter @HeatherTechEDU

Julie Downing and Ryan Ricenbaw of the NDE SEED Team are back again this week with an update on their efforts with the Nebraska Teacher and Principal Performance standards. This episode highlights educator effectiveness as the "connective tissue" supporting a variety of education initiatives in Nebraska. In this NDE Admin Days preview, Julie and Ryan identify those connections that they will be presenting on across six sessions at our statewide conference later this month.

To learn more about the NDE SEED Team, visit https://www.education.ne.gov/educatoreffectiveness/

This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, Scottsbluff High School principal Justin Shaddick joins us to share about their unique approach to career academies and how that programming has enhanced student learning and fostered a career pipeline between their school and local businesses. While Justin is quick to point out that programs like this need to evolve to fit a local context, anyone can listen in and learn from the episode as he shares insights from over a decade invested in this work.

For more information on the Career Academies at Scottsbluff HS, visit https://www.sbps.net/families_and_students/students/career_academies

This week on The Good Life EDU Podcast, the global connector behind the DigCit Institute, Dr. Marialice B.F.X. Curran, joins us to talk about Digital Citizenship and how we can support learners in these ever-changing, tech-forward times.

To learn more about the DigCit Institute, visit https://digcitinstitute.com/

List of resources mentioned in this episode...

Follow Jaime Donally @jaimedonally

Follow Heather Brantley @HeatherTechEdu

Follow Mrs. Jalland @ellieprimary1

Follow Noa Daniel @iamnoadaniel

This week we have the pleasure of welcoming NDE's new commissioner, Dr. Brian Maher, to The Good Life EDU! In this episode, Commissioner Maher shares his backstory in education and provides his vision and aspirations for his overall impact in this role. He also delves into some of what he hopes to accomplish in his first 100 days. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Maher on the pod and look forward to our continued collaboration with NDE in support of education in our state.