This week Holly Todd, the Project Aware Coordinator for Jordan School District, joins Homeroom today to share ideas on social and emotional learning in schools. We discuss the need to help students understand their emotions, how to provide self-care for teachers, and the need to teach kids "soft skills" that can prepare them for real life.

UEN Homeroom hits the road for this episode as Dani visits with Kelly Witkowski's students at Newbridge Elementary in Ogden School District. These students are the producers and hosts of a brand new podcast, Bookcast, in which they provide summaries and reviews of the books they are reading.

In this episode of UEN Homeroom, Dani and Matt are celebrating Human Rights Month with refugee and entrepreneur Ashis Dhakal and Associate Director Of Educational Equity at Granite School District, Rebecca Ibarra. With Ashis they discuss his business endeavors and how he wants to help other refugees. Rebecca discusses what the Tumaini Welcome and Transition Center provides refugees.

In honor of International Podcast Day, Jared and Dani kick off season three of UEN Homeroom with a discussion on innovation during COVID. They discuss topics such as: the innovative ways in which Utah teachers are instructing students, what innovation looks like in our current classrooms, and how to help struggling teachers to adapt the "new now" they are facing in schools.

In this episode of UEN Homeroom,Jami Gardner - UEN's Utah Futures guru, drops in to share her insights on the Utah Futures program, how Utah students can prepare for their careers, and what the job market in Utah will be for our students.

Dani Sloan and Katie Blunt unveil and show us the new Utah's Online Library product page! They tell us about essential resources available and how easy it is to find what you need using this page. See the page at uen.org/UOL

On this episode of UEN Homeroom,things feel a bit different. Jared Covili joins this episode, no longer as a host, but as a guest! Jared left UEN to join Jordan School District. In this episode he speaks on his experience with the changing world of EdTech and what it will look like in the near future.

Jared Fawson moves from UEN Homeroom SuperSub into our featured expert this episode as we discuss professional learning. In this discussion we look at how learning has changed for educators, the need to have more diverse opportunities for professional growth, how tech plays a role in the changes, and golf.

This week in UEN Homeroom we are pleased to welcome Jason Eyre, Technology Department Coordinator for Murray School District. Our conversation this week includes topics such as: how Murray district has created a wireless LTE network for students to use at home for schoolwork, the impact of the digital divide in rural and urban school districts, the role the district can provide in overcoming the digital divide for students, and providing a model to help other district provide more access to homes.

Dani and Jared welcome Jeff Van Hulten, Director of Public Affairs for the Utah State Board of Education, to UEN Homeroom this week. Our discussion focuses on the 2021 Utah Legislative Session and how teachers can get involved. Some of our topics include: what all educators in Utah should know about the legislative process, the need to communicate with your local law makers, bills specific to education in 2021, and the need for teachers to be advocates for education.

This week UEN Homeroom is pleased to welcome Jenny Nicholas and Holly Reynolds, Social Studies teachers from West High School, to the podcast. Our discussion centers on the role teachers can play in talking with students about the recent protests and political unrest at the U.S. Capitol. We covered topics such as: how teachers can talk about the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol, the role teachers play in addressing sensitive and passionate subjects, advice for teachers who don’t teach social studies or are elementary teachers in discussing current events, and how to help students to rebuild confidence in our democracy.

In our latest Learn @ Home episode, Jared Covili and Jared Fawson (Homeroom Super Sub) check in with Joe B. Wright, Executive Director of the Southwest Educational Service Center (SEDC) to learn more about the impact that distance learning is having on the students and faculties of Southern Utah. In our discussion we cover topics like: how rural Utah is helping all students receive broadband internet service, the need to balance work and home life for educators, and how to help school districts connect with their communities.

UEN Homeroom is pleased to welcome John Kelly, principal of Washington Elementary in Salt Lake School District, into our Learn @ Home series. During this episode we discuss the important role schools play in providing for the needs of the community, how to connect with your faculty and students while distancing, and the importance of communicating with your stakeholders.

This week Jared and Dani connect with Justin Anderson, an educational technology team lead from the Canyons School District. As part of the episode they explore what digital citizenship looks like for today's students. We discussion issues such as: What it means to be a good digital citizen. Beyond cyberbullying, what else does digital citizenship entail. How digital citizenship has changed in 2020. How teachers can model digital citizenship and more...

This week Jared and Dani meet with Karen Sterling, Director of Student Advocacy in Canyons School District, as we continue with our Learn@Home series. We focus this episode on the equity issues brought up through the switch to distance learning. Our topics this week include: how to maintain relationships with parents and students while separated (including old school mail), how is the digital divide being addressed for those families who don't have access to technology, helping students with special needs cope with all the changes to their learning environments/schedules, and the importance to meet the social, emotional, and physical needs of students during times away from in-person education.

Kaite Blunt, Educational Technology Specialist from Canyon School District, drops by the Homeroom to share her insights from a recent educational tour of China. During this episode we discuss the impact of learning about culture through travel, the difference between classrooms in the US and China, and the need to expand your PLN globally.

On this episode of UEN Homeroom,Jared and Dani welcome SGEN host Katie Blunt to highlight how higher ed has been impacted this past year. We get to hear her interview with four student body presidents: Sione Siaki from USU Eastern, Penny Mills from Utah Tech University, Nouman Kante from Southern Utah University and Matt Griffin from Snow College.

In the next installment of our Back to School series, Jared and Dani talk with Katie Dewey Hill, an educator development specialist from the Utah State Board of Education. To help teachers get ready for a new school year, we discuss the impact the instructional coaching can have on improving teaching. Our conversation also addresses the relationship between an educator and their instructional coach, how teaching will be different this year, and Katie shares some resources to help teachers prepare for school.

In this episode of UEN Homeroom,we turn in house to talk with Kelleigh Cole, Sr. Manager of Strategic Initiatives at UETN. We discuss the need to extend internet to all students throughout Utah, the educational and social impact of lack of internet, and how to partner schools with local telecom providers to help strengthen connectivity.

Dani and Jared Fawson (Homeroom Super Sub) are joined by, Kelly Dumont from the Canyons School District to chat about personal growth as an educator. They share insights into how to stay relevant as a teacher, the importance of constantly learning, and how to pay it forward.