NewTech High--It is Personal!

NewTech High Podcast October 21, 2026 REMINDER: The last day to sign up for the Learning Omnivores conference in Sartell next Friday is on Wednesday, October 28. Please get your group or team registered as soon as possible.  NOTE: All NewTech High podcasts are now on Spotify. If you use Spotify, you can just search NewTech and it will be the first thing that comes up. We are working on getting the podcast on YouTube as well. There is one on our YouTube Channel right now, Ric Dressen and Quantum Bridge Solutions. Search NewTech High Podcast w/Patrick Walsh Today, we welcomed Paul Neubauer, a Senior Consultant from Teamworks on the NewTech High podcast.  Paul started by talking about how his entry into education was influenced by a childhood of frequent moves (13 times during K-12) and a desire to help students who, because of their experiences, may not be as well-connected to school. Paul served as an English/German teacher for 16 years in Mandan and Devils Lake, ND and then i...

NewTech High Podcast October 19, 2026 Mark Jansen Podcast We were pleased to host Mark Jansen, Director of Knights Academy ALP in St. Michael-Albertville this afternoon. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs (MAAP). He has spent his entire 24-year career in alternative education including: Social studies teacher and lead teacher at MERC Alternative in South Minneapolis Teacher at Fairview Alternative in Roseville Dean of students at Forest Lake ALC We discussed many aspects of alternative education that I will summarize below.  Why alternative schools work Alternative programs give students a fresh start, with classes of about 15–16 students. Mark sees relationships as the core of the work: students who connect with a teacher want to succeed for them. At a recent staff meeting, teachers initialed every student they had a relationship with, a version of the “dots” exercise Mark Scharenbroich  "Nice Bike" taught in worksho...

NewTech High Blog October 10, 2026 Good morning. I have some loose ends to tie up from recent NewTech High activity. This past month has likely been the busiest month we have had in our short existence. This school year shows the growth we have made on this initiative in the past year. Thank all of you for reading, discussing, acting and promoting innovations at the high school level in Minnesota through NTH.  The Learning Omnivores Conference  (link) All NewTech High schools are reminded of an opportunity to bring four leaders each to the Learning Omnivores Conference at Resource Training & Solutions on October 30, 2026. We will begin at 8:30am and conclude at 3:30pm. There is a continental breakfast sponsored by the Central Minnesota Manufacturing Association (CMMA), as well as a lunch served on-site. It is also being sponsored and promoted by Learning Omnivores and NewTech High.  Our Headliners:  Stevie Ray, Improv -- "Own Your Space" Luke Greiner, MN DEED w...

NewTech High October 7, 2026 Joey Cienian Podcast In this episode, we had a discussion with Joey Cienian, Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS). We were also joined by EdVisions Executive Director Steven Rippe.  Joey is a Wisconsin graduate in Political Science and Public Policy. He certainly has "a lot of gas in the tank". I was deeply impressed with his ability to think strategically and . (He certainly seems like a "learning omnivore" to me.😉 He first worked for Greenpeace as a Field Organizer and then drifted back into education. His most significant experience in education prior to his current role was his long association working as a teacher and Director of the High School of Recording Arts (HSRA). Talking with Joey just kept opening up questions like the definitions of what charter schools are and the unfortunate separation of two kinds of public schools--district oriented or chartered. The more he spoke, the more I could...

NewTech High Podcast October 1, 2026 We had a truly splendid afternoon with Art Maxwell, Territory Manager from YouScience . YouScience is a career-connected learning platform that is anchored by BrightPath, their student-centered platform to do a number of inventories and tools that get you to know your students layer-by-layer better than we are doing before. Jerry Robicheau and the MRVED team of Misty Riebel and Dan Hovland joined us during this session. Maxwell is a burst of enthusiasm and certainly provides us with an incentive to look at products that seem to be next-generation for what our mission may become.  YouScience Podcast w/Art Maxwell  We are working to form a partnership for NewTech High schools very soon. Please stay tuned. Right now, there are several products in this category including Pathways to Careers , World Savvy , Headrush Learning and YouScience. Please contact me if you are thinking of adding these products or to participate in some of the pilot eff...