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

7:15am CDT

PD Crate - Learning Outside the Box

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

Silver 11

This session will explore "PD Crate", an innovative professional development model designed for choice, flexibility, and engagement. With PD Crate, teachers get the chance to choose from multiple course options, receive a physical crate with materials, and complete the training at their own pace. This session will lay out the framework, logistics, and ideas behind the creation and implementation of this model.

Session Resource

Speakers

Trina Popple

Technology Integration Specialist, Gretna Public Schools

Friday May 2, 2025 7:15am - 8:00am CDT
Silver 11

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Tech Integration Specialist
Tags Secondary (9th-12th), Staff Development
Grade Level 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

10:15am CDT

Unlocking Purpose and Creativity: The Power of 'Why'

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

Silver 4

In this student-driven session, attendees will explore Golden Circle concepts and their powerful impact on digital media projects. By focusing on the 'Why,' participants will learn how to design projects that spark students’ passion, creativity, and purpose. Attendees will leave with innovative project ideas, practical classroom tools, and strategies for helping students connect and network through digital media, which will foster deeper student engagement.

Speakers

Liliana Macken

Dan Sanborn

Teacher - Digital Media, Nebraska Christian School

I am what I would call a "non-traditional" shop teacher. Although I have a deep love for traditional trade skills like woodworking and metals, I also teach courses in graphic arts, production printing and most recently Digital Media. This course in particular has expanded the... Read More →

Abigail Young

Friday May 2, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Silver 4

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning
Tags Career and Technical Education, Creation/Design Tools, Secondary (9th-12th), Social Networks
Grade Level 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

Mastering School Media: Streamlining Content & Managing Students

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

Silver 4

In this session, I’ll share how I’ve taken on the responsibility of facilitating the creation of and publishing all sports, extracurricular, and educational content for our school’s social media, while also creating dynamic content for our two video boards. I’ll highlight how we use ClickUp to manage projects efficiently for 25 students in multiple class periods, ensuring smooth workflows and timely content creation. Perfect for anyone looking to boost school media presence while involving students in the process!

Speakers

Crystal Hassenstab

Friday May 2, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 4

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information) Mini Session

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning
Tags Classroom Management, Creation/Design Tools, Multimedia, Secondary (9th-12th)
Grade Level Secondary
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

Authentic Dig Cit: Building a Team of Social Media Content Creators

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

Silver 4

Would you like help in telling your school’s story? Do you sometimes wish you could clone yourself and be in two places at once? Dr. Jill will empower you to do this by creating and sustaining a social media team. From recruitment to retainment, learn how to select, train, and inspire the students and adults in your district to take ownership of telling their school’s story. Walk away with some great tips for motivating others to create content for someone other than themselves!

Speakers

Class Intercom - Jill Johnson

President, Class Intercom

Class Intercom is a social media management platform built specifically for schools and school districts. Class Intercom makes it easy for students, staff, and administrators to create, collect, moderate, and share content through a collaborative and secure solution. Backed by powerful... Read More →

Mitchell Roush

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT
Silver 4

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning, Tech Integration Specialist
Tags Career and Technical Education, Digital Citizenship, Social Networks
Grade Level Secondary
Target Audience Intermediate

1:15pm CDT

Education is Elevation—Teaching Media Literacy & Argument Using TikTok

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

Silver 10

This session will provide attendees with the pedagogical tools to equip their students with the skills they need to practice critical analysis, argument deconstruction and formulation, and digital media literacy by simply reaching into their own pockets.

Speakers

Karie Cobb

Friday May 2, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Higher Education, Teaching & Learning
Tags Digital Citizenship, Higher Education, Language Arts, Social Networks
Grade Level Secondary, Higher Education
Target Audience All

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