Science & Tech News
January 2025
Join us for a visit to SK Siltron (Feb 20), engage in Professional Learning (March 13), and showcase your learning experience in May! Educators completing all components of the externship can earn SCECHs and will be awarded a $250.00 stipend; funds are also available to purchase materials for learning activities. If you teach Computer Science, Electronics, Engineering, Drafting, or Precision Machining in either Arenac or Bay county and are interested in this opportunity, complete the application no later than January 24, 2025. Please contact Adrianne Cole (colea@baisd.net) or Kathy Dardas (dardask@baisd.net) with any questions.
The ChompSaw is a kid-safe power tool for bringing ideas to life and transforming ordinary cardboard into extraordinary projects. The Chomp Saw could be used on its own or in combination with our Makedo Cardboard Construction Tools. Both are available through our REMC 6 Maker Checkout. Let your students design and build creations of all kinds - all you need to do is provide the cardboard! Check out a ChompSaw, Makedo classroom set, or any of our other maker materials for your classroom by filling out this form.
It's not too late to join us for our next REMC 6 meeting! Any PreK-12 educational staff, teacher leaders, administrators, and coaches/consultants are welcome to register and attend; Lunch and SCECHs provided each day. Come collaborate with other educators that are implementing technology in their classrooms! Meetings are from 9 am - 2 pm on February 26 and May 8. Register today!
We had a fantastic time at our Byte-Sized Learning event last month, held at W.H. Ales in Bay City. Participants enjoyed free food and fun while learning more about chatbots and AI teacher assistant tools! There’s still time to sign up for our next session on January 23rd (4 - 6 pm) and dive into creating better prompts with your favorite AI tools. Appetizers and SCECHs provided! Click HERE for more information and to register for any of our upcoming sessions.
January 23 - Generative AI Prompt Engineering at W.H. Ales
February 20 - Integrating Generative AI into the Classroom
April 15 - Tech Tools You Should Know
The BAISD has partnered with REMC 6 to bring a full day of Desmos training, in-person, with Andy Malbouef to our area. 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 March 5th from 9 am - 2:30 pm at the BAISD, with lunch provided. Check out this flyer for more information and to register today!
The Michigan Department of Education is offering a competitive grant open to local education agencies (LEAs), both traditional and public school academies (PSAs). Awardees may receive up to $50,000 to develop and implement teacher professional development programs for computer science courses and content that will reach new and existing teachers with little to no computer science background. Please be sure to read the 99b Grant Overview. For more information, please refer to the MDE OSET Grant webpage. A technical assistance webinar recording will be posted after December 5 on the MDE OSET Grants webpage. Questions can be emailed to MDE-EdTech@michigan.gov. The application window will close on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at Noon ET.
This year’s theme is Humanizing Learning in the Digital Age. Get access to cutting edge tools, classroom resources and learning strategies for today’s technology-driven schools. Attendees will learn, get inspired, and grow from sessions by EdTech Leaders that are passionate about students and share the same experiences as you! The conference takes place in Detroit on March 19-21, 2025. Learn more and register at https://maculconference.org/
Discover innovative teaching strategies, network with like-minded professionals, and recharge your passion for science education at the 2025 MSTA Annual Conference! The conference takes place March 7 - 8, 2025 in Lansing and will feature keynote speakers and interactive workshops.
Career Connect is now available to all current users of Discovery Education Experience. This service is at no additional cost and will remain a part of the Experience subscription moving forward. Career Connect does not automatically appear on your DE Homepage, but current DE educators can go to Career Connect | Discovery Education to get started. Once you connect your DE account to Career Connect, a tile will appear on your homepage in Experience (just like Coding or Mystery Science). Career Connect allows educators to select guest speakers from across industries to share their career journey virtually with their classrooms. Access industry volunteers representing Animal Sciences, Meteorology, Microbiology, Space Sciences, Engineering, and more!
STEM@SVSU and the GLBR East Chief Science Officers are excited to offer a FREE Teen Science Café focused on Computer Science on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. Teen Science Café events allow teens and STEM professionals to engage in meaningful conversations and explore advances in science and technology. This event is open to any student in 6th - 12th grade in the Great Lakes Bay Region (Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland, Saginaw counties), as well as Huron and Tuscola counties. Teen Science Cafés are always Free, Fun, and have Food! Pizza will be provided for dinner. Space is limited so RSVP today!
Applications are now open for the 2025-26 Sustainability Teacher Fellowship. The Fellowship supports K-12 educators across content areas in designing and engaging students in a place-based, sustainability-focused unit. Fellows will develop, implement, and share a place-based instructional experience and student action project around a local climate change issue. Benefits for educators include a $2000 stipend, mini-grant opportunities, high-quality professional development, curriculum design support, and connections to community partners.
This opportunity is open to educators working in Arenac, Bay, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland, Saginaw, and surrounding districts. For more details, guidelines, and to submit your application, visit ditfellows.org. Rolling acceptances begin January 26th. Applications are due March 30, 2025.
Calling all educators and students! The Dow STAARS (Students + Technology + Astronomy + Arts = Reflections on Space Science) initiative is your ticket to the stars. This project invites K-12 teachers and students across the Great Lakes Bay Region to join SVSU Professors Bill Williamson and Anne Tapp Jaksa in an innovative program combining space science, technology, and podcasting. Students will work with educators and experts to craft engaging podcast episodes on timely space topics—solar eclipses, NASA careers, and NASA missions such as Europa Clipper. Podcasts will feature student-curated questions answered by space scientists, engineers, and astronauts, offering a real-world peek into STEAM careers and sparking curiosity about the cosmos. With state-of-the-art technology and collaborations with institutions like NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Delta Planetarium, this initiative doesn’t just teach—it connects, inspires, and prepares students for tomorrow’s space careers. Contact SVSU Professors Dr. Bill Williamson wwilliam@svsu.edu or Dr. Anne Tapp Jaksa artapp@svsu.edu to participate or for more information.
The Orion's Quest (OQ) program is an internet-based, education program for upper elementary, middle and high school students. OQ employs current NASA research to reach and inspire “the next generation of explorers.” As current and former teachers, the OQ staff does all the work to make it easy for you. For details about each of a dozen different mission options and to enroll your students, please go to www.orionsquest.org. For more information or to ask questions, please email Tom Drummond at tdrummond@orionsquest.org.
You can see more K-12 science updates from the Michigan Department of Education HERE.