#BRESA Tech Tips

February 2025

A glowing pink heart-shaped circuit design with intricate patterns on a dark background.

Love what you do💜

Now that January (the seemingly longest month of the year) is over, and new semesters are in full swing, take a moment to reflect on all that is going on. Are you utilizing tools that are making your job a little easier? Are you enjoying what you are working on each day? What would make it better? Check out some of the tools and tricks later in this newsletter to take a little off your plate and get back some time to love yourself and your job just a little more!

John & Megan

Poll

How do you feel about the use of AI in schools?

AI has no place in schools

Teachers/staff can use, but not students

Staff and students can use it depending on the task

Staff and students should be using it all day everyday

date_range Voting ends in 15 days

remove_red_eye Votes are anonymous but results are public

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STEM Resource Highlight

Sphero Indi Robots

We have so many great resources that are available to be checked out from REMC 11!

This month we highlight Sphero Indi Robots!

Using color mats, students can learn how to code and drive the Indi robot without the need for a device. Using a sensor on the bottom, the robot will know what to do just by "seeing" what color mat it drives over. Each color tells the robot to perform different actions including: go, fast, slow, stop, turn 90 degrees, turn 45 degrees, and celebrate! Students as young as four can utilize Sphero Indi Robots. Click for more information about Sphero Indis!

To check out items, you MUST sign up as a member on the new platform (only once). Additionally, items will only be delivered via REMC truck once per week OR you can come pick them up if needed sooner.

Visit the platform today!

SWMI Esports

Let the battles begin!

Teams from all over SWMI have begun to represent their schools in online gaming competitions. Watch this space for updates as we move through the season. Be sure to check out the standings.

Contact John today if you would like more information.

Photo of men holding a championship belt

Fennville Rocket League Champs

Photo of people holding a championship belt

St. Joseph Valorant Champs

MACUL Conference Registration Is Still Open

The MACUL Conference is coming to Detroit March 19-21, 2025. This year's theme is Humanizing Learning in the Digital Age. We hope to see you there!

Register for MACUL 2025

Just for Fun

Check out the fun clip below that illustrates how AI is used on the internet to autofill your search queries!

The Latest Tech Tools/Tricks

Sembl

Looking for Elementary math tasks that are interactive and FREE? Sembl is where you can find fun math tasks that have been developed by teachers for teachers. Start your journey with Sembl today!

Snorkl

Snorkl AI is an educational platform that uses artificial intelligence to provide students with immediate, personalized feedback on their responses to questions or prompts, allowing them to record their voice explanations and receive AI-powered analysis on the strength of their reasoning and understanding, giving teachers insights into individual student thinking processes. Give Snorkl a go today!

Re-open Closed tabs

If you accidently close a tab in Google Chrome (or a student hurridly does so when you walk towards them), you can reopen that tab easily! Just click Shift+Ctrl+T (on PC) or Command+Shift+T (on Mac) to re-open the last tab.

Winter Professional Learning Opportunities

Digital Citizenship - Practical Implementation

In a digitally connected world, students need guidance to navigate the world safely and professionally. Learn the International Society for Technology in Education indicators for Digital Citizenship to build a knowledge foundation. Present practical applications for students. Guide students in developing plans to navigate high-speed communication, job opportunities, social media, personal security and more.

Register for Digital Citizenship- Practical Implementation by February 27.

Khanmigo for Educators

Khanmigo for Teachers helps generate fresh lesson ideas, personalizes student assignments, and provides resources for educators to enhance their knowledge and stay current on content area topics.

Interested in learning how Khanmigo works and how to utilize it in your teaching? You can do a self-paced training to learn all about it.

OER to Support Michigan’s Literacy Essentials

The Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy (aka Literacy Essentials) aim to improve children’s literacy in Michigan. Open Educational Resources (OER) are free, openly licensed, high-quality collaborative tools that allow users to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute them for educational purposes. Combining these powerful practices provides educators with the resources needed to enhance literacy skills for school-aged youth. Participants will explore various OERs and build a plan to support one or more of the Literacy Essentials in their classroom or school context. Register by February 27!

How can we help?

We would love to hear your suggestions on how we can best support you. Please complete this form if you have some ideas regarding content you would like to see in our newsletter or specific needs in your district. Also, please feel free to share this newsletter with others and if you are interested in subscribing, simply email info@berrienresa.org with the subject line "Tech Tips".

Finally, as always, feel free to contact John Phillips or Megan Roth directly for all of your educational technology needs.

The District shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, religion, height, weight, marital or family status, disability, military status, genetic information, or any other legally protected category in its programs and activities, including employment.