NETA 2025: Full Schedule

The NETA Board is excited to welcome you to a dynamic learning experience on May 1-2, 2025, at the Younes Conference Center North in Kearney, Nebraska.

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7:15am CDT

Learning Adventures with Canva

Friday May 2, 2025 7:15am - 8:00am CDT

Silver 7

Do you love Canva and are ready to use it with your students? Discover how to bring your lessons to life! In this session, you’ll learn to create lessons and classes in Canva, use templates as digital assignments, design fun and engaging presentations, provide effective feedback, and leverage Canva’s AI tools to elevate student engagement. Whether you’re a Canva beginner or a seasoned pro, this session will equip you with the tools to design learning adventures your students will love.

Speakers

Jennifer Davis

Technology Integration Specialist, Educational Service Unit #1

Jennifer has twenty-one years of experience as an educator and has taught biology, chemistry, physics, physical science, computer science, and undergraduate education courses. She is the Technology Integration Specialist at ESU 1.Jennifer completed her Doctor of Education (Ed.D... Read More →

Friday May 2, 2025 7:15am - 8:00am CDT
Silver 7

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Elementary, Teaching & Learning
Tags Artificial Intelligence (AI), Assessment, Canva, Creation/Design Tools
Grade Level Elementary, Middle, Secondary
Target Audience All

10:15am CDT

Tech Tools to Assist and Enhance the Secondary ELA Classroom

Friday May 2, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am CDT

Silver 10

This session will center on providing secondary ELA educators with tech ideas, websites, and apps to help make their instruction more effective, engaging, and even save planning time. From creating user-friendly tools in Diffit, to narrowing the focus of Chat GPT to provide better answers for every teacher, educators can walk away with new tools and ideas to use in their classrooms the very next day.

Speakers

Trysta Asche

Middle School English Teacher, Cozad Middle School

Friday May 2, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning
Tags Creation/Design Tools, Language Arts, Middle Grades (6th-8th), Secondary (9th-12th)
Grade Level Middle, Secondary
Target Audience All

11:15am CDT

Digital Well-Being: Tackling Social Media’s Impact on Mental Health

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Bronze 1

With social media's prevalence and documented impact on youth well-being, students are more vulnerable than ever to the effects of constant digital connectivity. Educators are critical in helping students navigate these challenges and develop healthier tech habits. We will explore lessons designed to support teens in building self-agency and practicing mindfulness around tech use. Join us as we learn practical strategies that empower students to thrive in today's digital world.

Speakers

Adam Vinter

Education Outreach Manager, Common Sense Education

Adam is an Education Outreach Manager at Omaha Public Schools in Omaha, Nebraska. He collaborates with Common Sense Media to help regional educators, students, and families approach media and technology thoughtfully while building healthy habits at school and home. By providing trustworthy... Read More →

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Bronze 1

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning, Tech Integration Specialist
Tags Digital Citizenship, Social Emotional Learning
Grade Level Middle, Secondary
Target Audience All

11:15am CDT

“That’s Me in the Spotlight”—Creating Audience for Students

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Silver 10

A student of mine said, “When it's actually published and other people are reading it, everyone kind of puts in more time and effort and just want it to be better." Yet research shows that most writing assignments are still for an audience of one—the teacher. How can we expand our students’ audiences with the use of technology? In this session, we’ll play with technologies, strategies, and activities that can expand students’ audiences, from simple formative writing to major final projects.

Speakers

Melissa Pilakowski

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Elementary, Teaching & Learning
Tags Classroom Management, Conversation, Distance/Online Learning, Google Suite
Grade Level Elementary, Middle, Secondary, Higher Education
Target Audience All

11:15am CDT

An Interactive Gym for All? Yoga, Mental Health, Group Activities

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Bronze 3

"Transform your gym into an interactive learning environment with Lü

Technology can play a major role in all classes! In this session, discover the educational potential of Lü, an interactive, engaging technology tool designed for school gyms. This innovative technology and its many applications (games and utilities) can assist teachers in various tasks, and contribute to enhancing the students' experience in PE. Hear how West Lawn in Grand Island are using their new Lü. The future of gyms!"

Speakers

Frédéric Morin-Beland

Lü

Maggie Mintken

Assistant Principal, Grand Island Senior High

Brooke Wentzlaff

Grecia SanRoman

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Bronze 3

Exhibitor Session

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning, Tech Integration Specialist
Tags Creation/Design Tools, Emerging Technology, Intermediate Elementary (3rd-5th), Primary Elementary (Pre K-2nd)
Grade Level Early Childhood/Pre-Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle
Target Audience All

11:15am CDT

Digital Curation for Year Round Library Success

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Silver 5

Discover how digital curation can transform your library into a dynamic, year-round resource for your school community. Attendees will explore practical tools and strategies to keep libraries accessible and relevant throughout the year.

Speakers

Betsy Thomas

1:15pm CDT

Modern Digital Literacy Skills for Students & Staff

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT

Silver 11

Have you ever said a website is reliable because it comes from a .org site? Did you know that actually almost anyone can create a website with a .org domain? Thus, this is no longer a recommended method for determining source reliability. Come to this session to learn modern digital literacy strategies to help you and your students select relevant and reliable resources using the Stanford History Education Group Civic Online Reasoning curriculum and resources from the News Literacy Project.

Speakers

Stefanie Green

School Librarian, Kearney Public Schools

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT
Silver 11

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Tags Digital Citizenship, Library Media, Middle Grades (6th-8th), Secondary (9th-12th)
Grade Level Middle, Secondary
Target Audience Novice

1:15pm CDT

Movie Magic: Building an Effective Video Production Course

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT

Silver 9

This session reflects on lessons learned since Gretna High School began offering a Video Production course 14 years ago. The session will focus on: 1. Curriculum and pacing, 2. Student content creation and promotion, 3. Software and hardware used. The emphasis is on how teachers might build a course from the ground up. Samples of student products will be shown and discussed. Time will be allotted for Q&A at the end of the session.

Session Resource

Speakers

Bret Kohles

Special Education Teacher, Gretna Public Schools

Kelly McVey

David Stastny

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT
Silver 9

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Higher Education, Teaching & Learning
Tags Creation/Design Tools, Digital Citizenship, Multimedia
Grade Level Middle, Secondary
Target Audience All

1:15pm CDT

The Need for Password Management Tools in Schools

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT

Silver 3

Adults and students alike have created a habit of reusing the same password for every account simply because they don't have access to a password manager. This habit leads to identity theft among other issues.

Come learn the current cyber security threats and how ESU 7 is helping schools deploy Lastpass statewide to overcome this issue.

Session Resource

Speakers

Dan Ellsworth

Network Operations Director, ESU 7

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT
Silver 3

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Computer Science, Tech Integration Specialist
Tags Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Digital Citizenship, Information Technology (IT)
Grade Level Middle, Secondary, Higher Education
Target Audience Novice

1:15pm CDT

Parent Power Up: Creative Ways to Communicate with Families

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT

Silver 5

Build stronger connections between your school library and the families in your community. This session will explore creative strategies for engaging families with library programs and resources, from sharing read-aloud plans to leveraging digital tools. Learn how to communicate effectively, promote transparency, and extend library learning beyond the classroom.

Speakers