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.)

We are excited to announce that we are awarding MACUL Scholarships for 517 Ed Tech educators thanks to REMCSave! Any educator in a REMC 13 district can apply. More detailed information about our evaluating criteria is available on the grant application. We will be accepting applications from October 1st until October 30th.

The 517 Ed Tech School Library Network will be assembled to connect librarians/media specialists/edtechs/educators who lead and work within the school library. The overall mission is to reclaim the school library space and find ways to maximize its value.

The fall session will be held on November 12th at Okemos High School. The fall meeting will be an initial collaboration of folks working in library spaces and they will talk about what kinds of structure, ideas, projects they are going to take on and make progress this year. The fall meeting will set the tone and goal for the year since this is a brand new group and will be further developed by its participants within the REMC 13 region.

Please contact Allison Remington or Andrew Shauver (ashauver@inghamisd.org) if you have any interest in joining this network group.

The 517 EdTech Leadership Team is in year two of the 517 EdTech Innovators Network, a dedicated group of K-12 teachers and coaches committed to advancing educational practices through meaningful collaboration. This network meets three times per year and consist of a small group of educators across Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties.

Our network aims to:

• Cultivate innovative teaching strategies
• Share emerging educational technologies
• Create a supportive professional learning community
• Connect educators across our three-county region
• Provide a collaborative forum for members to engage in problem-solving and support, addressing real-time challenges in educational settings and instructional practices.
  

Our winter session will be held on January 28, 2027 at the Ingham Early Childhood Center. If you have any questions or have interest in joining, please contact Allison Remington for details.

Check out the 517 EdTech professional development lineup, network groups, and scholarship opportunities that are coming up in the 2026-2027 school year.

An Exploration of A.I. for Educators: Part 4 is a full-day professional development opportunity being held on October 29th at CCRESA. Join us as we unpack the latest tools, refine our strategies, and navigate the rapid shifts in today’s tech landscape together.

The theme of this year's session focuses on moving past simple AI efficiency to cultivate intentional, human-centered learning experiences. It encourages educators to move beyond screen-bound tasks by leveraging AI for rich student thinking, authentic conversation, and meaningful connections.

Registration is still open!

Check out these Halloween inspired activities from Eric Curts. This collection of festive, tech-infused classroom resources uses popular Google tools to engage students across creative writing, poetry, and math with the following interactive templates:

• Build a Jack-O-Lantern with Google Slides

• Halloween Rebus Stories with Emojis and Google Docs

• Halloween Drag and Drop Poetry with Google Drawings

• Skittles and Google Sheets Math Activities

Discover how to replace traditional paper cut-and-paste activities with dynamic, multimedia-rich digital notebooks using Google Slides. This comprehensive guide from Ditch That Textbook includes 20 ready-to-use activity ideas and a free, customizable template to help students creatively demonstrate their learning. You can download a copy of the digital interactive notebook template here.

Check out a recent topic from my Tech Tip Tuesday YouTube Channel that covers how to turn Google Slides into interactive video summaries using Google Vids.

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

Showcase your students' innovative, purposeful uses of classroom technology directly to Michigan legislators and state leaders at the Michigan State Capitol. Participating school teams of four students and one adult will receive a $1,000 stipend to help offset travel costs while giving students a powerful platform to elevate their voices and leadership skills. Check out the registration form here.

REMC is hosting a series of free, 30-minute interactive webinars designed to help school staff make websites and slide decks accessible in accordance with upcoming ADA guidelines. Running from September through October, these sessions offer practical strategies and step-by-step guidance, with both morning and afternoon time slots available for each topic.

REMC is offering two new virtual webinars to help Michigan K-12 educators integrate board games into their classrooms to promote critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world skills. Registered participants will receive a free board game to use during the training sessions, with options available on October 26, 2026, and February 23, 2027.

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 (https://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
• Remote Teaching & Learning
• Tech Tip Tuesday

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