Science & Tech News

November is here, bringing new opportunities to learn, create, and celebrate innovation! As we enter this season of gratitude, we’re especially thankful for the educators, support staff, and students who make learning meaningful every day. This month’s newsletter highlights resources and events designed to inspire curiosity—from hands-on STEM exploration to professional learning that empowers educators and support staff. Take a moment to explore what’s happening and discover tools to spark engagement in YOUR classroom!

Last month, we kicked off our Assistive Eats and Ed Tech Treats series with 3Dux Design. This company uses cardboard modeling systems and community-centered design projects to help students think practically through solutions to real-world problems. Weren't able to join us? Check out the video HERE. It's not too late to sign up for additional sessions to - register at this LINK to join us for any of our upcoming VIRTUAL sessions (11:00 - 11:30 am):

Nov 25 - Befitting You Medical Supply

Jan 27 - Square One Education Network

Feb 24 - Novel Effect Read Aloud Books

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Celebrate National STEM Day on November 8 by sparking curiosity and creativity in your classroom! Our very own REMC 6 offers a wide range of Maker materials available for checkout—like Dash and Sphero robots, KEVA Planks, Makey Makey kits, Clixos, and green screen tools—to bring hands-on learning to life. Whether students are coding, building, or engineering their next invention, these resources make it easy to explore STEM in exciting, meaningful ways. Visit the REMC 6 webpage

to request a Maker kit and let students explore, invent, and tinker their way to discovery!

Get ready to level up your Google Admin skills with the Google Amplified Admin Certification Training, offered by REMC 6 in partnership with CDW Amplified! This free in-person session, held at the BAISD on November 12th, will guide IT staff through educational best practices and key Google Workspace for Education Admin Console tools and techniques. Ideal for technical support personnel with access to their district’s Google Admin Panel, this training is a great way to boost confidence and expertise in managing your Google environment. For more information and to register, check out this flyer.

Byte-Sized Learning continues this month! Register to attend and explore Canva for Educators on November 13th from 4:00 - 6:00 pm at W.H. Ales in Bay City. Snacks and SCHECHs provided! Click HERE for more information and to register today!

November 13 - Canva for Educators

January 27 - Digital Citizenship

May 14 - Artificial Intelligence Tools for Everyone

We are excited to offer another day of in-person Desmos training with Andy Malbouef at the BAISD. The training offers 6th-12th grade educators time to explore Desmos and the tools that the program uses to support math classrooms. Desmos has also partnered with College Board and is used exclusively as the digital calculator for the SAT/PSAT. This FREE training will take place on Nov 14th from 9:00 am - 2:30 pm at the BAISD, with lunch provided. Check out the Flyer for additional information and to register for this amazing opportunity!

The Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative has been building pathways for educators across the region to have access to training, resources, and support networks to support place-based teaching and learning. The National Place-Based Education Conference will be held at Eastern Michigan University on Nov 12-14, 2025. MiSTEM Region 10 has funding available to support conference registration costs for K-12 teachers who are passionate about place based education and growing their 3P connections and projects around the state. Please email Dr. Betsy Diegel at bldiegel@svsu.edu if you are interested in attending the PBE Conference.

The Great Lakes Bay Region Access and Equity mini-grant application deadline is being extended to November 14th. These small ($1,000) grants should support activities using educational technology to increase STEM/digital literacy skills for a minimum of 20 students from schools with 51% or more F& R lunch. Grantees can use funding to purchase technology, provide transportation, purchase supplies/materials, and/or support staff costs/staff training. Grantees must give the GLBRA STEM survey to students at the end of the experience and complete the project by Sept. 30, 2026. To apply, print this FORM, complete it, and send to Lori Flippin at lflippin@greatlakesbay.org

Have a PDF or other file that you need to update, but don't want to resend a link or manage multiple versions? Right-click on the file name, choose Manage Versions, and upload the new file—your link stays the same!

This image was created by Canva AI.

Join us for an engaging webinar series that brings the 21 Things 4 Students curriculum to life! Whether you’re seeking a full digital literacy program or a single Quest to enhance your lessons, this series will show how flexible and powerful these resources are for grades 5–9. Each session invites you to explore a Thing, try out featured tools and concepts, and leave with ready-to-use ideas and examples to engage your students. This series offers practical, inspiring ways to build essential skills and make technology integration seamless. Click HERE for a full list of webinar dates (Nov - May) and to register to attend any or all sessions!

Join the Catalyst ’25 conference — a one-day, hands-on event hosted by Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals on Thursday, December 11th in Lansing, Michigan. Teams of educators and students will collaborate to explore the promise, power, and responsibility of AI in schools — and leave with a custom-built action plan tailored to their building or district. It’s your chance to move from awareness to action with AI-driven leadership, student voice, and meaningful change. More information, including registration, can be found HERE.

The Presidential AI Challenge seeks to inspire young people and educators to create AI-based innovative solutions to community challenges while fostering AI interest and competency. Student participants will complete a project that involves the study, development, or use of an AI method or tool to address community challenges, while educators will focus on creative approaches to teaching or using AI technologies in K-12 learning. Project deadline is January 20, 2026 and more information can be found HERE.

Are you interested in using authentic NASA Earth/Environmental data to help students unravel Earth's complexity? Do you need resources to support lessons that engage students with science practices and enhance their data literacy? Come learn about Earth System phenomena using My NASA Data and explore practical ways to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. More details and registration can be found by exploring the fall 2025 webinar series:

• Exploring Lesson Plans: November 4, 7 pm

• A Deep Dive into Data Visualization: November 18, 7 pm

Check out additional MDE Science Updates and Opportunities HERE.