NETA 2026 has ended

Create Your Own Event

NETA 2026

The NETA Board is excited to welcome you to a dynamic learning experience on April 30-May 1,2026, at the Younes Conference Center North in Kearney, Nebraska.

10:15am CDT

At the Heart of It All: Library Fun for the Whole School

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT

Make your library the heart of the school with creative programming that draws in students and staff alike. Discover the impact of themed events, whole-school celebrations, and fun passive programs (like Fat Bear Week, book brackets, or kindness challenges) that spark excitement without adding stress. Learn to design engaging, low-prep activities and big community events that build school spirit, highlight learning, and make the library an irresistible hub of curiosity and joy.

Speakers

Leia Rumsey

Media Specialist, Norris 160 Intermediate School

Make your library the heart of the school with creative programming that draws in students and staff alike. Discover the impact of themed events, whole-school celebrations, and fun passive programs (like Fat Bear Week, book brackets, or kindness challenges) that spark excitement without... Read More →

Jessie Andre

At the Heart of it all (1) pdf

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media
Audience Creation/Design Tools, Intermediate Elementary (3rd-5th), Library Media, Middle Grades (6th-8th)
Subject Elementary, Middle
Area Novice

10:15am CDT

Authentic Connection: Building Real Relationships in a Digital World

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT

In an increasingly isolated world, where technology increases quantity but reduces quality, human connection is more vital than ever. As parasocial relationships with online creators and influencers grow, more young people are turning to digital spaces for a sense of belonging and connection. Join us to explore lessons from Common Sense that teach students how to establish healthy digital boundaries and emphasize the importance of real-world relationships and genuine human connections.

Speakers

Adam Vinter

Education Outreach Manager, Common Sense Media

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 →

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Bronze 2

Concurrent Session

Company Computer Science, Elementary
Audience Computer Science, Digital Citizenship, Library Media, Social Emotional Learning
Subject Elementary
Area Novice

10:15am CDT

Novel Ideas: Tech Tools to Help Students Publish Their Stories

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT

Inspire your students to become real authors! Learn how to guide them from that first spark of an idea to holding their published novel in hand. You’ll also hear amazing success stories from middle and high school students who turned their writing dreams into books sold online and in stores.

Speakers

Jen Schneider

High Ability Learner Facilitator, Papillion La Vista Community Schools

Dr. Jen Schneider is a Middle School High Ability Learner facilitator in Papillion, Nebraska and a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska with a PhD in Education with a specialization in Innovative Technologies. She currently serves on the Nebraska Educational... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Bronze 1

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Creation/Design Tools, High Ability/Gifted, Language Arts, Library Media
Subject Elementary, Middle, Secondary
Area All

11:15am CDT

Digital Storytelling in the Primary Grades

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Use a digital approach to promote effective pedagogy and build essential communication skills. Inspire your emerging writers with a multimedia approach that builds essential writing skills by taking advantage of multimodal forms of communication. authentic opportunity to build reading, writing, speaking, and listening literacy skills.

https://www.thecreativeeducator.com/2018/articles/digital-storytelling-in-the-primary-classroom

Speakers

Melinda Kolk

Editor, Creative Educator magazine

Melinda is the Editor of Creative Educator magazine. For the past 25 years, Melinda has led workshops at schools around the world and presentations at education conferences, such as CUE, ASCD and ISTE, on the topics of creativity, project-based learning, and open-ended technologies... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 8

Concurrent Session

Company Elementary, Tech Integration Specialist
Audience Creation/Design Tools, Language Arts, Library Media, Primary Elementary (Pre K-2nd)
Subject Early Childhood/Pre-Kindergarten, Elementary
Area Novice

11:15am CDT

Inside LPS: A Snapshot of Our Accessibility Journey

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

This session offers an inside look at how Lincoln Public Schools is approaching accessibility and ADA-aligned digital practices. While not a full how-to, this presentation gives a concise overview of the structures, decisions, and strategies guiding LPS’s work. Perfect for attendees interested in real examples of district-level implementation of accessibility in digital content to meet Title II requirements.

Session Slides

Speakers

Emily Jacobs

Library Instructional Leader, Lincoln Public Schools

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Bronze 2

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Assistive Technology, Google Suite, Library Media, Staff Development
Subject All Levels
Area Intermediate

11:15am CDT

Lights, Camera, Action: Creating a School News Show with Canva

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Learn to guide students in creating a bi-weekly news show with Canva. This session covers planning, roles, and hands-on production, turning the yearbook into a dynamic media project. You'll get practical tips on using Canva's video tools to teach students real-world skills in journalism and digital media.

Speakers

Lise Wagner

Librarian, Elkhorn Middle School Library

Hi, I’m Lise Wagner! I’m currently the Librarian at Elkhorn Middle School. While I’m in my 4th year as a librarian, I’ve spent 20 years in the world of education. I love finding new ways to spark a love of reading and discovery in middle schoolers and collaborating with fellow educators to make the library the heart of the school... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Canva, Creation/Design Tools, Library Media, Middle Grades (6th-8th)
Subject Middle, Secondary
Area Intermediate

11:15am CDT

A.I. Image Generating

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Discover how to create custom classroom visuals, characters, backgrounds, and game assets in seconds using powerful A.I. image tools.

Speakers

Ryan O'Donnell

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 6

Featured Speaker

Company Teaching & Learning
Audience All, Assistive Technology, High Ability/Gifted, Library Media, Multimedia
Subject All Levels
Area All

11:15am CDT

Hipster Google - Tools You Probably Never Heard Of

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Everyone knows about Google Docs, Gmail, Search, and other common Google tools. But there are also loads of smaller, lesser-known, but powerful tools that can be used for teaching and learning. Learn about 90+ hidden gems such as Emoji Kitchen, Interview Warmup, Timelapse, Lens, AutoDraw, ImageFX, MusicFX, VR/AR Models, Read Along, Semantris, GameSnacks, ChromeOS Flex, Teachable Machine, NotebookLM, Applied Digital Skills and more (List subject to change based on how cool and unknown the tools remain.) For more details see: https://bit.ly/curts-hipster

Speakers

Eric Curts

National Consultant and Speaker, ControlAltAchieve

With over 30 years of experience, Eric works as an EdTech Specialist in Ohio, and provides training to schools and organizations around the world. He shares all his EdTech resources for AI, Google tools, accessibility, and more on his websites at ControlAltAchieve.com and EduGems... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 7

Featured Speaker

Company Teaching & Learning
Audience All, Google Suite, Emerging Technology, Learning Spaces, Library Media
Subject All Levels
Area All

12:00pm CDT

Beyond the Desk: Librarian Lunch, Learn and Sharing

Thursday April 30, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT

Grab your lunch and join us for an interactive session dedicated to the best reads of the year so far. We spend our days connecting readers with their next favorite story—this is the hour to talk about your own! This is a "show and tell" where YOU are the expert! Come prepared to share one "must-read" title that has stayed with you this year and leave with a crowdsourced list of recommendations to refresh your own collection and your readers' advisory toolkit.

Speakers

Rachel Jussel

School librarian/Media Specialist, Elkhorn Grandview Middle School

Thursday April 30, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT
Silver 8

Birds of a feather

Company All Levels
Audience Library Media
Subject All Levels
Area All

1:00pm CDT

Planting the Seeds of Reading: Growing Your Community with Beanstack

Thursday April 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT

Are you tired of chasing wrinkled paper reading logs, deciphering handwriting, and manually tallying minutes? In our district, we faced the same frustrations until we adopted Beanstack.

This 45-minute session is a practical, "from-the-trenches" look at how our school library transformed its reading culture. We'll show you exactly how we use the platform to plant the seeds of reading and grow a vibrant, engaged community.

Speakers

Jessica Breitkreutz

PK-12 Media Specialist/District Technology Integration, Centennial Public School

Thursday April 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media
Audience Library Media
Subject All Levels
Area All

2:00pm CDT

Birds of a Feather- Media Specialists

Thursday April 30, 2026 2:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

Birds of A Feather - Educator’s Remix: A Collaborative Tech Jam Session
-Library trends in technology! What’s your “can’t live without” tech tool?
-Library programming: what cool thing do you need to brag about this year?
-Library Sharing is Caring: Share what concerns you have about your library or upcoming tech.
-Wildcard: let’s go on a world tour of great ideas!

Speakers

Dana Fontaine

Librarian Media Specialist, Fremont Public Schools/Fremont High School

Dana is a 9-12 Librarian in Fremont, NE. She hosts many clubs in the Library, which includes a developing Makerspace. She loves to read. Dana does not believe her job is truly a job because she feels it is much too fun to be a job. She lives with her daughter Luna and a houseful of... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 2:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Bronze 2

Birds of a feather

Audience Library Media
Subject All Levels
Area All

2:45pm CDT

Accessibility IRL: The Six Skills You Gotta Know

Thursday April 30, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm CDT

By attending this session, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the core principles of ADA compliance and why accessibility is essential for websites and digital content. You’ll explore practical strategies for identifying and fixing accessibility issues in Google Docs and Slides, along with techniques to make your digital materials more inclusive such as writing effective alt text, organizing content for screen readers, and ensuring strong color contrast. Resources included!

Session Slides

Speakers

Emily Jacobs

Library Instructional Leader, Lincoln Public Schools

Thursday April 30, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm CDT
Bronze 2

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Assistive Technology, Google Suite, Leadership, Library Media
Subject All Levels
Area Novice

3:45pm CDT

Book Clubs: GAME ON!

Thursday April 30, 2026 3:45pm - 4:30pm CDT

This session will explore innovative strategies for creating engaging and effective book clubs. We will uncover how to transform traditional book discussions into engaging interactive experiences through both physical and digital games. We will delve into the power of game mechanics to increase student engagement. Participants will learn how to incorporate these elements into their book clubs through themed challenges, online games, and mini-games that can be incorporated into any book club.

Speakers

Rachel Jussel

School librarian/Media Specialist, Elkhorn Grandview Middle School

Thursday April 30, 2026 3:45pm - 4:30pm CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Language Arts, Library Media, Middle Grades (6th-8th), Secondary (9th-12th)
Subject Middle, Secondary
Area All

7:15am CDT

AI, AI Captain! Be a Captain of Innovation Using AI at Your Building!

Friday May 1, 2026 7:15am - 8:00am CDT

Argh! Students are using AI irresponsibly! Argh! Teachers aren't buying in to AI! Argh! There isn't an academic integrity policy at your school that includes AI! These are the most "popular" complaints that I hear on the daily. Learn solutions to these problems and more! Learn how to be an AI leader at your school and in your district!

Speakers

Dana Fontaine

Librarian Media Specialist, Fremont Public Schools/Fremont High School

Dana is a 9-12 Librarian in Fremont, NE. She hosts many clubs in the Library, which includes a developing Makerspace. She loves to read. Dana does not believe her job is truly a job because she feels it is much too fun to be a job. She lives with her daughter Luna and a houseful of... Read More →

Friday May 1, 2026 7:15am - 8:00am CDT
Silver 7

Concurrent Session

Company Computer Science, Library Media
Audience Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Citizenship, Leadership, Library Media
Subject All Levels
Area All

10:15am CDT

Google Docs Glow-Up: Designing Dynamic Resources

Friday May 1, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT

Newsflash: your laptop isn’t a typewriter. Bust out of the black-and-white Word Doc and learn to leverage Google Docs’ built-in features to create beautiful, multimodal resources that feel like mini-websites. This follow-along session will guide you through using tables and headings in fresh ways to build dynamic classroom calendars or library resource guides. You’ll walk out with a ready-to-use template and the inspiration to redesign all your newsletters, handouts, and training materials.

Speakers

Michaela Weber

Media Specialist, Elkhorn North Ridge Middle School

Friday May 1, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Silver 8

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Administrative Planning, Creation/Design Tools, Google Suite, Library Media
Subject All Levels
Area All

10:15am CDT

Interactive by Design: Blending Tech, Apps and AI

Friday May 1, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT

Discover how intentional technology integration—enhanced by AI—is transforming teaching and learning across high school classrooms and the library. Explore innovative library programs, cross-platform tools, and interactive classroom apps that boost engagement, accessibility, and collaboration. Learn how our district’s Technology Badging System motivates educators to explore, share, and celebrate digital innovation while expanding their use of AI-enhanced tools to support continuous growth.

Speakers

Elizabeth Harms

Jeremy Mahoney

Technology Integration Specialist, Springfield Platteview Community Schools

Shari Spiehs

Friday May 1, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Silver 10

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Artificial Intelligence (AI), Library Media, Math, Science
Subject Secondary
Area All

11:15am CDT

3D Printing in Elementary

Friday May 1, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

Have a 3D printer or want one? Come see how I integrate 3D printing in my media lessons.

Speakers

Valerie Chmelka

Media Specialist, Grand Island Public Schools, Dodge Elementary

Friday May 1, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Bronze 3

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Tech Integration Specialist
Audience Creation/Design Tools, Library Media, Maker/Makerspace, STEM / STEAM
Subject Elementary
Area Novice

11:15am CDT

Before The Prompt: Foundational Skills for AI-Ready Students

Friday May 1, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT

AI literacy— the ability to understand, question, and thoughtfully engage with AI systems—begins well before students use chatbots. In this session, educators will explore foundational lessons from Common Sense that help students question what's real, evaluate altered media, credit original work, identify credible sources, and understand digital consent. We must build students' critical thinking and ethical awareness to prepare them for an AI-driven world.

Speakers

Adam Vinter

Education Outreach Manager, Common Sense Media

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 1, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
Silver 5

Concurrent Session

Company Library Media, Teaching & Learning
Audience Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Citizenship, Intermediate Elementary (3rd-5th), Library Media
Subject Elementary, Middle
Area Novice

1:00pm CDT

Designing for Accessibility

Friday May 1, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT

In this session you will learn how thoughtful digital design can increase student understanding, improve attention, and meet web content accessibility guidelines. We will explore essential design elements, such as color, contrast, font, and layout, to create engaging, inclusive digital learning environments.

Session Resource

Speakers

Peg Coover

Data Coordinator, ESU 10

I work at ESU 10 in Kearney as the Data Coordinator and this is my 13th year. In addition to my work with collecting data sets and creating data visualizations for our staff, I work with teachers and administrators in the areas of Educational Technology and UDL. Prior to this role... Read More →

Friday May 1, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT
Bronze 2

Concurrent Session

Company Teaching & Learning
Audience Library Media, Multimedia
Subject All Levels
Area All