Ed-Ventures at MACUL: Lisa & Kyleigh’s 50th Anniversary Expedition

Lisa Bohaty and Kyleigh Kumm have officially touched down after an intensive “ed-venture” to Grand Rapids, Michigan. This wasn’t just a standard conference; it was a 50-year milestone marking a half-century of educational exploration. As your guides to this professional journey, we’ve condensed our itinerary into the essential highlights.

Every great adventure needs a visionary guide. The MACUL 50th stage featured navigators who redefined the boundaries of the classroom.

• Jordyn Zimmerman: The opening leg of the journey was led by Jordyn, who challenged every traveler to rethink “inclusion.” Her session provided a roadmap for using technology not just as a tool, but as a fundamental human right for communication and agency.
• The AI Navigators: Throughout the week, various experts served as scouts for the “AI Frontier.” They moved the conversation past the initial “discovery phase” and into practical navigation—showing Lisa and Kyleigh how to use AI as a high-speed engine for lesson design and student feedback.

The highlight of the “after-hours” itinerary was the MACUL Social at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

This wasn’t just a rest stop; it was a multi-level networking “expedition.” Lisa and Kyleigh connected with fellow educators and vendors among the mastodon bones and vintage storefronts. Exchanging ideas while riding the 1928 carousel proved that the best collaborative souvenirs are often found outside the formal session halls. Some of these faces will be joining us for NETA 2026 in Kearney in a few short weeks.

Lisa and Kyleigh returned with “suitcases” packed with actionable strategies and new professional connections. From the high-energy atmosphere of the DeVos Place to the historic halls of the museum, the MACUL 50th provided a clear compass for the next year of teaching.

Our top five technology souvenirs included:

• Chrome Secrets – When sharing Google Slides with your students, share the presentation in “Preview.” This allows your students to have a pen option, which is awesome for creating notes and marking up slideshows without editing items. To enable the pen, click the three dots on the bottom left corner of the slide deck and select “Turn on the Pen.”

• Iorad – A digital tool made to help execute all your “how-to” documents and interactive tutorials. This tool was new to both Kyleigh and Lisa. It was utilized by many speakers and showcased in a few of the tech tool showdowns!
• Gemini Gems-These are reusable assistants embedded into Google Gemini.  They save time for any learner and educator. Need assistance in creating your first Gem? Check out NETA Featured Speaker, Eric Curts’ EduGems. Eric will be hosting a session on Google Gemini on Thursday of NETA 2026.
• Video Frame – Did you know that if you double right-click on a YouTube video, you can save the frame/image? This takes away from editing screenshots and/or confusion when referring to maps or images in a video you show in class. Double right-click and select “Copy Video Frame” or “Save Video Frame As.” For our Mac users, Control + Two Clicks.
• Looker Studio – Have you heard of Looker Studio? This Google tool allows you to visualize data. This tool works well with Canva to create eye-catching visualizations of your testing data, attendance, and so much more.

We may be back from our Ed-Venture, but the fun does not stop there! We look forward to sharing many of these resources in our sessions at NETA 2026! See you soon in Kearney!