Crafting Disney's Stories: Lessons in Communication from Allen Babiarz-Lira In Season 9, Episode 18 of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan Boeckman and Howie DiBlasi welcome special guest Allen Babiarz-Lira, a college professor of communication at Saint Xavier University. With over 10 years of teaching experience, Allen brings a wealth of knowledge to th…

In Season 9, Episode 17 of My Disney Class Podcast, co-hosts Ryan Boeckman and Howie DiBlasi embark on an intriguing exploration of the top ten urban legends about Disney and education. Delving into the realm of myth and mystery, Ryan and Howie uncover fascinating stories and rumors that have circulated within the Disney and educational communities…

In Episode 16 of Season 9, hosts Ryan Boeckman and Howie DiBlasi welcome special guest Professor Bob Abbott to My Disney Class podcast. Professor Abbott brings a wealth of experience as an instructor in Project Management, Visual Thinking, and Business Analysis at McGill University Centre for Continuing Education, with over 15 years of teaching und…

AI Magic: From Disney to the Classroom In the latest installment of Season 9, airing on March 1st hosts Howie and Ryan embark on an intriguing exploration of the role of artificial intelligence (AI) within the Disney company and its potential applications in the field of education. They begin by delving into how Disney has effectively integrated AI…

Cody Havard, Being a Fan of Disney In this special interview episode, hosts Howie DiBlasi and Ryan Boeckman are joined by Dr. Cody Havard, a professor at The University of Memphis. Dr. Havard's diverse creative projects, ranging from comic books to podcasting, are explored, along with the launch of his latest endeavor, "Being a Fan of Disney: The B…

Can You Feel The Love Tonight In this special February episode of My Disney Class, co-hosted by Howie DiBlasi and Ryan Boeckman, the focus is on the captivating ways Walt Disney World cast members demonstrate care towards their guests and how we can apply this to our schools. The discussion unfolds with an exploration of various customer service te…

Inspiring Magic, One Child at a Time with Emily Gathman. 0 Nov 15, 2021 In today’s Replay episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie welcome Emily Gathman again. Emily is a 6th grade Science teacher at Bussey Middle School in Garland Texas. She loves to inspire her students to be creative problem-solvers as they tackle real-world Science an…

Welcome back, educators and Disney enthusiasts, to another exciting episode of My Disney Class! In this episode, hosts Ryan and Howie dive into the latest happenings at Walt Disney World for the new year. Join them as they explore the plusses and minuses of the various changes and share their perspectives. Additionally, the hosts discuss New Year's…

Welcome to another magical episode of My Disney Class! In this episode, co-host Howie DiBlasi's son, Mark DiBlasi, takes the stage to delve into the exciting gaming world in the classroom. Join us as Mark shares his insights on incorporating board games into educational settings and valuable tips on building a cost-effective game library for your s…

Wishes for Education Today, Howie and Ryan are looking at Disney’s newest film “Wish.” The movie unfolds in the kingdom of Rosas, where King Magnifico possesses the ability to grant wishes, collecting and protecting them until the time is right. As 17-year-old Asha aims to become Magnifico's apprentice, she discovers the king's deceptive practices …

Today, Howie and Ryan are diving into the enchanting world of Disney as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company. Ryan and Howie spend the beginning of this episode reflecting on the journey of the Walt Disney Company over the past century. They discuss how Disney has evolved, innovated, and continued to captivate audiences w…

By Dr. Howie & Ryan

Destination D Announcements Today, Howie and Ryan discuss the recent announcements made by the Walt Disney Company at their Destination D event in Orlando. Ryan and Howie look to the future as some of these events that have been announced are currently happening, and some won’t happen for a few months to years. While looking at these announcements,…

Today, we have a very special guest who's making a difference in the world of education, Heidi von Marbod. She's a dedicated special education teacher in the CCPT program in the Cheney School District in Cheney, WA. Heidi works with students who have met all high school graduation requirements and are 18-21 years of age. Her students have or are wo…

In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie continue where they left off looking back at all eight seasons of My Disney Class Podcast and picking some of their favorite episodes that they think would be a good listen at the start of the new school year. Listen as they share which episodes they picked and why listening to them may …

In this heartwarming episode of My Disney Class, Ryan and Howie dive into the world of special education and autism programs. Our guest, Taylor Norton, is a dedicated special education teacher at South Mesa Elementary School in Pueblo, CO. With her expertise and passion, she leads the autism program for students from kindergarten to 5th grade. Join…

In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie and Ryan start to prepare for the new school year. They went back and looked at all the My Disney Class Podcast episodes over the past eight seasons and thought, “Which of these episodes would best prepare teachers as they head back to school?” Listen as they share which episodes they picked and …

Get Me Coding With Fred Aebli In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie are excited to welcome Mr. Fred Aebli! Fred is an instructor and program co-coordinator of internships at Penn State University and is also the creator and owner of GetMeCoding.com. Fred also served as a Major in the United States Marine Corps for 11 years. Fre…

Patriotic Disney In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie embark on an exciting discussion about the most patriotic attractions at Walt Disney World and how they can be utilized in the classroom. Join us as we dive into the magical world of Disney, where history, storytelling, and education come together to inspire students. Ryan …

Transitioning Magic To High School With Kevin Roughton. In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie are excited to welcome back, Kevin Roughton. Kevin is a history teacher at Patriot high school in Jurupa California. He also is an educational speaker, and author of the book Teach With Magic. Use Disney Imagineering Techniques To Make…

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie are again excited to explore Disney's magic through an educational lens. Howie and Ryan, delve into the educational opportunities provided by Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Park which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Ryan and Howie begin by acknowledging the special milestone o…

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome back one of our favorite guests, the always-inspiring Jerry Johnson. Jerry is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Strategic Public Relations at Buena Vista University. Jerry has produced and directed various documentaries, short films, corporate videos, news specials, and pr…

In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie celebrate that special holiday, May 4th. That’s right, May the fourth be with you! Star Wars fans across the globe celebrate May 4th as Star Wars Day and on today’s episode, Howie and Ryan wanted to celebrate too by sharing ways that you can bring Star Wars into your classroom. In a galaxy …

Design Academy-With RyanBy Dr. Howier & Ryan

Remembering Rolly Crump In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie reflect and remember the contributions of the legendary Rolly Crump. At the age of 93, Roland “Rolly” Crump passed away peacefully in his home in Carlsbad CA on March 12, 2023. Most of us Disney fans know Rolly through his contributions to famous classic Disney attra…

By Dr Howie & Ryan

Celebrate Soulfully In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss Black History Month. They look at how it’s celebrated at Walt Disney World and how and how it can be observed in schools. Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, also known as African-American History Month. It has received o…

Edmagineering Education Conference In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan welcome an old friend and a brand new friend to the show. Brian Collins is a former Imagineer who has worked with Ryan and Howie for almost eight years now and the three are uniting forces with an incredible educator named Erin King. Erin was on My Disney …

Best Educational Experiences At WDW In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss some of their favorite educational attractions at Walt Disney World. Most people when they think of Disney, think of a place that is just for fun but it also has many attractions and programs that are geared toward learning about other cultures, t…

Walt's Pilgrimage with Christopher Tremblay In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome Dr. Christopher Tremblay to the show. Christopher currently serves as Director of Admissions & Recruiting for Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. He earned his doctorate of education in educati…

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie talk about the future of Disney now that Iger is back and making changes in the new year! We all make resolutions this time of year and Disney is no different. Howie and Ryan discuss some of these future predictions for the Disney company in 2023 and talk about why these may happen and what…

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome back our favorite former Imagineer and education disruptor, Brian Collins! Brian was a Disney cast member since the early 1990s and helped create magic daily as he worked both on the front line of customer service at the Contemporary Resort and as a Disney Imagineer. During his time…

Iger With Your Nose So Bright! In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss the recent return of Bob Iger in his role as CEO of the Walt Disney CO. Bob Iger returned to The Walt Disney Company as Chief Executive Officer on November 20, 2022, shocking most all of us. He previously served as CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney C…

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan compare two of their recent trips. Howie went to Universal Studios in Orlando, yes you heard us right, Howie went to that place that shouldn't be mentioned! Just kidding, we love Universal too and as you will find out in this episode, Howie is warming up as well. On the other hand, Ryan tra…

Esterland with Maria Esterline. In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome back to the show, Maria Esterline. Maria is a very passionate educator that has been in education for 20 years. She has worked in various roles but is always on the mission to better education for all stakeholders, especially our children. Currently, …

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss the upcoming Halloween season and how Disney and Universal help guests celebrate this spooky season. They also talk about how they celebrate the season personally and Ryan shares his experience with Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. They wrap up by comparing the Disney Dress co…

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie welcome back to the show Jeff Bradbury. Jeff Bradbury is an ISTE Award Winning (2021) and globally-recognized educator, educational broadcaster, public speaker, and entrepreneur whose powerful message has inspired thousands of educators through the TeacherCast Educational Network. Jeff B…

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie and Ryan discuss ways that they and their students stay in the creative idea zone! If you look up the definition of creativity, you will indeed find something that references using your imagination to create a new idea. Most of the time this creation is something artistic in nature. While this is…

Starting The Year The Edmagineering Way! In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie and Ryan welcome back our Disney partner in crime, Brian Collins! Brian has been on the podcast many times and for good reason. He is a former Imagineer, he is an educator, currently works in several fields bringing innovation to a multitude of problems, a…

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie and Ryan are again coming to you from Walt Disney World. Ryan, Howie, and Brian have wrapped up another successful P.D. Magic experiential learning trip with some incredible educators from all over the world. They spent five days visiting all four parks and doing a monorail edu. resort crawl with…

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie are coming to you live, well not really live, but they record this episode on location at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. About halfway through PD Magic, Howie and Ryan ask Brian Collins and Daniel McComb to join them after their third day in the parks and do a round table discus…

In today’s My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan welcome their good friend Brian Collins. As most of you know by now Brian works with us to help bring magic and pixie dust to the world of education. Some of you might not know that Brian continues to branch out into many other areas of education and technology with several different compan…

Looking Forward To Summer Magic! In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie discuss what they are looking forward to this summer. To say that this school year has been a tough one is a major understatement and looking forward to reenergizing and filling the tank back up is not something that an educator should be bashful about. I…

In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie welcome Devan Lewis to the show. Devan is a middle school STEM teacher at McFarland School that really strives to foster the principles and passions found in most Disney Imagineers. Devan shares with us where her passion for Disney and specifically Disney Imagineers comes from and shares…

In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie welcome Lisa Funke to the show. Lisa is currently working for the Glenview Public School District as the LRC Director. LRC Directors are in charge of planning, organizing, and directing all activities for the Learning Resource Center at schools. This is the evolution of what we used to c…

Putting the F back in education In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie are discussing how to put the FUN back in education! This is no April fools joke, these last couple of years have been really tough in the educational world, tougher than are normal challenging years. This is why Howie and Ryan thought on this April fools …

In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Howie is turning the tables on his partner in crime, Ryan. Ryan Boeckman, who started this wild ride of an adventure with Howie almost 8 years ago, is a middle school science teacher in St. Louis Missouri. He has been recognized as an outstanding science and mathematics teacher by the St. Louis Science…

In today’s episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie are discussing various lessons that Howie has created for our P.D. Magic experiential field trip. These lessons were developed to help our participants familiarize themselves with the Disney terminology and some of the systems that Disney uses. This familiarity allows them to get comfort…