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.

8:30am CDT

All Write, All Write, All Write: Writing across the Curriculum

Thursday May 1, 2025 8:30am - 9:15am CDT

Silver 10

AI is now writing for our students across most digital platforms. To make up for all those lost reps, we need to embed more writing across the curriculum. How can we do that without creating 2X more work for teachers? In this Matthew McConaughey inspired session (... let me tell you about writin' brother 😏), we’ll attempt to answer that question by demoing 5 strategies and tools that make it easy and fun to embed high-quality (!) writing practice in almost any content area.

Speakers

Melissa Legate

English Language Arts Teacher, Pierce Public Schools

Secondary English teacher of thirteen years at Pierce High School and member of the Nebraska Writing Project advisory board.

Adam Sparks

Short Answer

I taught English and Social Studies for 7 years in Nebraska, China, and Chicago and recently finished my master's in Learning Design and Technology at Stanford. At Stanford, my work focused on the intersection of writing instruction, formative assessment, and peer feedback. I now... Read More →

Thursday May 1, 2025 8:30am - 9:15am CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning, Tech Integration Specialist
Tags Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cross Curriculum, Language Arts
Grade Level Elementary, Middle, Secondary
Target Audience All

11:30am CDT

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks -- My Journey with AI

Thursday May 1, 2025 11:30am - 12:00pm CDT

Silver 10

I was of the firm belief that artificial intelligence was a way to cheat. Lynne Herr of ESU6 came and did a presentation at our school that changed my life as a teacher. At the age of 62 with one or two years to go until retirement I realized that AI helped me work smarter and hot harder and have since embraced every tool I could find and attended every conference I could on the use of AI in the classroom. My presentation would be a simple one. You too can embrace AI, no matter your age.

Speakers

Ken Furstenau

Kay Meysenberg

Thursday May 1, 2025 11:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 10

Mini Session

Strands that Match Elementary, Teaching & Learning
Tags Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Grade Level Middle, Secondary
Target Audience Novice

1:15pm CDT

Inspiring Tech Integration for Young Learners

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

Silver 10

Discover how to empower K-6 educators to embrace technology with confidence and creativity. This session explores the impact of a badging system to boost teacher engagement and shares practical, student-centered strategies like using interactive boards, virtual field trips, and tools like Blooket and Nearpod. Learn how confident teachers drive student success by fostering engagement, critical thinking, and foundational skills in elementary classrooms.

Speakers

Meryl Brown

Dawn Johnson

Jeremy Mahoney

Carey Smith

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

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Elementary, Teaching & Learning
Tags Intermediate Elementary (3rd-5th), Primary Elementary (Pre K-2nd), Staff Development
Grade Level Elementary
Target Audience Intermediate

2:15pm CDT

Immersive Innovation: VR as a Gateway to Global Education

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

Silver 10

In an era where technology is reshaping education, rural school districts often face unique challenges in providing students with the same access to resources and opportunities as their urban counterparts. However, VR is emerging as a powerful tool that can transcend geographical barriers, offering students immersive, hands-on learning experiences that bring the world directly into their classrooms.

Speakers

Kim Henry

Teacher-Secondary, Loup City Public Schools

Melissa Kapustka

Loup City Public Schools

Thursday May 1, 2025 2:15pm - 3:00pm CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning
Tags Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR)
Grade Level Elementary, Middle, Secondary
Target Audience Intermediate

3:15pm CDT

From Nervous to Confident: Making AI Work for You!

Thursday May 1, 2025 3:15pm - 4:00pm CDT

Silver 10

Welcome to the exciting world of AI with a focus on easy-to-use tools and immediate classroom applications. We'll explore AI platforms to add efficiency to your classroom. We will demonstrate how to quickly generate lesson ideas, create engaging activities, differentiate instruction, and generate assessment guides.
We'll work through simple and practical examples of AI prompts and revisions to create ready-to-use materials. You will leave the session ready to use AI tools in your classroom.

Speakers

Laura Sabata

Teacher-Secondary, Fullerton Public Schools

Thursday May 1, 2025 3:15pm - 4:00pm CDT
Silver 10

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

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning
Tags Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Grade Level All Levels
Target Audience Novice

4:15pm CDT

Leveling Up Nebraska: The Rise of Esports in the Cornhusker State

Thursday May 1, 2025 4:15pm - 5:00pm CDT

Silver 10

Learn how the Nebraska Schools Esports Association is driving the growth of esports across the state and transforming education. This session will showcase the benefits of esports for students and provide easy steps for schools to start their own programs. Discover how to join the esports movement and create opportunities that engage and empower students in your community.

Speakers

Matt Hinkel

Digital Media Educator, Grand Island Northwest

Nate Simons

Director of Technology, Louisville Public Schools

Thursday May 1, 2025 4:15pm - 5:00pm CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Teaching & Learning
Tags Conversation, Digital Citizenship, Leadership, Social Emotional Learning
Grade Level Middle, Secondary, Higher Education
Target Audience All

7:15am CDT

Artificial Intelligence and Imagination: DAP for Early Childhood

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

Silver 10

There is nothing more complex and expansive than a young child’s imagination. Educators will learn how to harness the power of AI to help support the development of imagination and play skills by making students’ thinking visual, through a variety of tech modalities, specifically Canva and ChatGPT. AI has the ability to represent fanciful and intricate play schemas, and support the documentation of cognitive development through visual representation. ISTE (2.5a -2.5c; 2.6a-b; 2.6d; 2.7a-b).

Speakers

Emma Bonacci

Omaha Public Schools

Augmented Reality, Equity in Education, Kindergarten, Instagram, iPhonography, Writing Workshop.

Friday May 2, 2025 7:15am - 8:00am CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session (45 minutes where the presenter shares information)

Strands that Match Elementary, Special Education
Tags Artificial Intelligence (AI), Canva, Primary Elementary (Pre K-2nd), Social Emotional Learning
Grade Level Early Childhood/Pre-Kindergarten, Elementary
Target Audience Novice

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

“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

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