The EdTech Curator's Digest

The newsletter is meant to provide helpful resources, tutorials, edtech tips, and professional development opportunities to support educators and leaders in their unique educational environments.

(Before using any of these resources with students, ensure what and how you use these resources matches the content, privacy, and accessibility guidelines required by your individual district.)

The 2025 MACUL Conference Scholarship application is now open! This year’s conference is in Downtown Detroit at the Devos Place on March 20th and 21st. We’re thankful to the REMC Association of Michigan for making it possible to offer 2 registration scholarships. As a bonus this year, both scholarship winners will also have a two-nights’ hotel stay in Detroit for the conference provided courtesy of REMC Association of Michigan!

What: Registration Scholarship Application to the 2025 MACUL Conference

When: March 20 and 21, 2025

Where: Huntington Place - 1 Washington Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226

The application window closes on November 14th, 2024.

(Winners will be announced by December 1st.)

Registration is now open for 517 Ed Tech Mini Gem Sessions! These sessions are intended to be “mini” - no longer than 60 minutes in length; helpful - walk away with tools and ideas to use the next day; engaging - participation is welcomed. For each session attended, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an iPad 10 or a Chromebook courtesy of REMC SAVE to extend your learning beyond the Mini Gems series. Two Mini Gems attendees will be chosen at the conclusion of the series in December.

Learn more here: bit.ly/MINIGEMS

Registration: bit.ly/MINIGEMS-SIGNUP

Thanks to the generous support of REMCSave, we are excited to announce that for the second year in a row, we are awarding ten Classroom Innovation Grants of up to $500 for 517 Ed Tech educators.

Congratulations to the following educators from Clinton County who have been awarded the grant!

• Sara DeLaCruz - DeWitt
• Joe Matulis - St. Johns
• Britney Nurenberg - Pewamo-Westphalia
• Ashley Tullar - Bath
• Rachael Wenzlick - DeWitt

Check the new Digital Citizenship Lessons through ISTE+ASCD. "These lessons offer age-appropriate activities for each of the five competencies, helping students of all grade levels navigate and flourish in the digital world."

Check out the highlights from Matt Miller's blogpost from Ditch That Textbook the describes 5 effective ways for parents to support students with AI.

"Parents should engage with students about how AI is used, promoting healthy learning habits and critical thinking. Encouraging students to focus on their process rather than just the outcome will help them grow intellectually, ensuring that AI supports their growth rather than doing the work for them.

But how do they do that?

The guide below gives parents 5 easy and effective ways to use AI with their child. Scroll down below for links and a more information about each idea."

Check out ElevenLabs, a text-to-speech (TTS) platform that offers high-quality voice synthesis and customization options including:

• Text-to-speech in 32 languages
• Thousands of unique voices available
• Voice cloning capabilities
• Automatic content translation and dubbing
• Sound effect generation
• Free plan offers 10 minutes of TTS per month

Check out a recent topic from my Tech Tip Tuesday YouTube Channel that covers how to use the new Google Doc Tabs Feature.

You can view my full playlist of Tech Tip Tuesday videos here.

On December 17th, the 2nd annual AI Summit will be held at the Lansing Center. The focus is Advancing AI in Education. Registration is still open and the cost is $179.99.

Computer Science Fundamentals is a Code.org curriculum designed for students in kindergarten through fifth grade (K-5). Each grade-level unit is between 12-20 lessons long and is built for flexible implementation. During the workshop, participants will learn from certified Code.org facilitators, participate in a model lesson, learn the management system, and dive into the lessons.

There are virtual options to choose from throughout the year. Sign up today for a series that works best with your schedule and share this information with your colleagues.

Dates: See Registration Flyer for date options and registration links

Time: 4:30pm - 6:30pm ET

Cost: Registration Covered by MiSTEM Network Advisory Council Grants

What is Provided: Curriculum guide and $150 stipend

For more information about CS Fundamentals Workshops, check out http://www.mi-coding.com/cs-fundamentals-intro-registration-links.html

Check out the free upcoming REMC Virtual Courses that provide an easy, convenient way for teachers to connect and collaborate while reducing time and cost.

• No registration or SCECH fee
• 10 SCECH's offered
• Open to all Michigan school personnel

Each course is open for three weeks and consists of two one-hour “live” webinars that are recorded and available for viewing later and eight hours of resource review, assessment developments, and written reflection.

#517 EdTech ListServ

#517EdTech is powered by REMC13 and is led by Allison Rogers, Andrew Shauver, and Christy Lobdell. We have an email list that we use to share tips and tricks, professional learning opportunities, contests, and opportunities that you may not hear about in other places.

• If you are a REMC 13 educator (Clinton, Ingham, Eaton) and would like to be added to our email list to stay in the loop, please fill out the #517 EdTech ListServ Form.

CCRESA Instructional Services Instructional Technology Site

Remember to check out the CCRESA Instructional Services - Instructional Technology site (www.ccresa.org/departments/instructional-services/instructional-technology/) which includes tutorials, resources, help documents, guidance, and training in the following areas:

• #517 EdTech
• G Suite
• iTECS Conference
• Tech Tip Tuesday
• Ti4E Conference

Questions? Training Needs? Interested in Collaborating?

Feel free to reach out to Allison Remington (Rogers)!

Check out my key resources and websites:

• REMC 13 Classroom Makers
• #517 EdTech Professional Learning Network
• (Request to be added to the #517 EdTech ListServ Here)

• iTECS: Innovating & Transforming Learning in Clinton/Shiawassee
• CCRESA Instructional Services Site - Instructional Technology

Email: aremington@ccresa.org
Location: Clinton County RESA, U.S. 127 Business, Saint Johns, MI, USA
Phone: 989-224-6831
Twitter: @eduAllisonR