CONNECTING EDUCATORS

Bring digital design to life for your students with the free Intro to 3D Printing & Design for Educators blended learning course! Learn Tinkercad at your own pace through 4 online modules and connect with local peers during a 1-hour in-person session.

• Virtual Sessions: October 26 – November 23, 2026 (4 online modules)

• In-Person Session: One 1-hour after-school session (held between November 23 and December 11)

• Cost: Free

• Continuing Education: Earn 5 free SCECHs

• Register for Intro to 3D Printing & Design

Have fun learning with Tabletop Games to Boost Brains professional learning experience! Borrow a new game on loan each week for four weeks to play on your own time. Then, connect with local peers during a special game night.

Game Loan Period: January 11 – February 8

In-Person Session: Game Night (Date and location to be determined; Includes game credits, dinner, and more!)

Cost: Free

Continuing Education: Earn free SCECHs + prizes

Note: You must participate every week and attend the Game Night in-person to be eligible for prizes and game credits.

Register for Tabletop Games to Boost Brains

Bring hands-on design and laser cutting to your classroom! This FREE, self-paced 3-SCECH professional learning course covers Glowforge setup, safety, and design software. It ends with an in-person, hands-on session to master the basics and troubleshoot real-world projects.

• Course Start: January 11, 2027 (Virtual)

• In-Person Session: Scheduled by region after online completion

• Credits: Up to 3 FREE SCECHs available

• Register for the Glowforge Educator Course

Our Tech Department has been hard at work keeping our systems running smoothly! This past month, our team successfully resolved and closed 2094 support tickets, ranging from classroom display setups to network troubleshooting.

A huge thank you to our incredible tech team for their dedication behind the scenes! Need assistance or have a tech question? As always, you can reach out anytime by submitting a request through our Support Ticket portal.

We are excited to highlight Damien Cameron, our Region 1 Technician supporting Concord Community Schools and Hanover-Horton School District! Damien works diligently behind the scenes to keep hardware running smoothly, resolve technical issues, and ensure students and educators have reliable access to the technology they need every day. Thank you for all your hard work, Damien!

Google is officially replacing Gemini Gems with Gemini Skills. Skills will allow you to standardize and "stack" custom instructions such as combining a lesson-planning prompt with your district's communications guidelines in a single step.

• What’s Changing: Existing Gems will remain functional for now, but will eventually transition over. Education accounts can expect full retirement of Gems by June 2027, with automatic migration to draft Skills.

• What to Do: You can start manually re-creating your favorite Gems as Skills as the feature rolls out to your account this fall.

For a complete breakdown of key dates and rollout timelines, check out Google's Gems and Skills Transition Guide.

When a user’s account is deleted or suspended, any additional (secondary) calendars they created will now be deleted or suspended too, just like their main calendar.

Action Items for Calendar Owners:

• Review your secondary calendars: Look at any extra calendars you created (e.g., project schedules, team event calendars) and check if you are listed as the owner.

• Identify shared calendars to keep: Pinpoint any calendars that your colleagues will still need if your account is ever deleted or suspended.

• Transfer ownership before leaving: If you are leaving or changing roles, transfer ownership of those calendars to a colleague so they aren't accidentally deleted.

• Remove unneeded calendars: Delete any old secondary calendars you no longer use so they don't clutter up the system.

Google Read Along is a free, web-based reading platform designed to help young learners build literacy skills independently. Guided by an AI reading assistant named Diya, students receive real-time, spoken encouragement and support as they read stories aloud at their own pace.

Key Highlights for Educators:

• Leveled Library: Access a growing library of engaging stories categorized by reading level.

• Gamified Progress: Students earn stars and badges to stay motivated as they practice.

• Accessibility & Language Support: Supports multiple languages to assist English language learners and early readers alike.

• Administrative Requirement: Access requires prior approval from your district superintendent before deployment.
• *Google Read Along requires superintendent approval

Teachers using teacher-led Gemini Notebooks in Google Classroom can now access Gemini-powered Insight Summaries.

What’s New:

• Engagement Summaries: Quickly gauge how your class interacts with assigned notebooks.

• Instructional Themes: See common student questions, strengths, and targeted support areas at a glance.

• Full Transparency: View individual student chat transcripts to verify AI insights and track progress.

Students will see an in-app notice informing them that conversations are visible to their teacher. Administrators can also now enable external sharing across trusted domains for seamless cross-domain assignments.

Looking for a quick way to help your students review key concepts? You can use Gemini to instantly create tailored, question-and-answer flashcards directly from your unit materials!

Try this prompt in Gemini:

"Act as an educational content creator and design interactive flashcards for [grade/subject] students focusing on key vocabulary from the provided class material, structured as question-and-answer flashcards to aid in review and understanding."

Why educators love it:

• Tailored Learning: Grounding the prompt in your uploaded class materials ensures the practice directly aligns with your curriculum.

• Versatile Use: Perfect for quick exam prep, active recall practice, or independent study sessions.

The official 2026 STEM Tool Gift List is here, and it's your guide to finding the perfect present for every innovator. This year's curated list is packed with hands-on gifts for all ages, from preschoolers (Ages 3+) to high schoolers (up to Age 18). Feel free to share this list with your families so everyone can find the ideal gift!

2026 STEM GIFT LIST

Archived Lists

Mr. Page’s students at Northwest Connect designed, built, and coded with LEGO SPIKE Prime kits! These hands-on robotics tools engage students in critical thinking and complex problem-solving as they bring their colorful, interactive creations to life.

Ms. Rentschler's Kindergarteners at Columbia Central Elementary put their STEM skills to the test in a sweet coding adventure! Using Bee-Bots, students programmed sequence commands to navigate spooky mazes, avoiding haunted houses and ghosts to reach the candy. It’s amazing to see our youngest learners mastering problem-solving and foundational robotics hands-on!

A recent TCEA TechNotes article shows that student achievement relies on strong pedagogy. Try these low-prep ideas on any board:

• Data Detectives: Have small groups analyze anonymized class quiz data to spot learning trends and set goals.

• Pattern Circles: Let student pairs use digital markers to circle, connect, and categorize brainstormed ideas visually.

• Quick Tools: Use free platforms like Classroomscreen for openers or Whiteboard.fi for instant live checks.

The takeaway: The best board is one students act on, not just watch!

Looking for a hands-on STEM project for your students? Registration is now open for Ozobot's Design Like an Architect competition! Open to all K–5 educators and students using Evo or Ari robots, this virtual challenge invites student teams to design a community space, map it out, and program their robots to bring it to life. (Borrow the Ozobot Evos or Aris from our checkout library!)

• Who: Teams of 1–4 students (Divisions: Grades K–2 and Grades 3–5)

• When: January – March 2027

• Prizes: Winning designs will be printed into official Ozobot mats, and the winning coach will win a trip to present at ISTE 2027 in Boston!

Register for the Ozobot Design Competition

REMC 15 is offering financial assistance to support local educators who would otherwise be unable to attend.

What’s Included:

• Full conference registration (Thursday & Friday, March 18–19)

• Two nights of hotel accommodations (Wednesday & Thursday nights)

• Valet parking

Requirements & Details:

• Application Deadline: November 15, 2026

• Selection Date: December 2026

• Apply for the 2027 REMC/MACUL Scholarship

Give yourself the gift of professional growth this December! REMC is offering free, three-week courses designed for busy educators. Each course requires approximately 10 hours of mostly asynchronous learning, allowing you to build practical skills on your schedule.

• Course Dates: December 7 – December 28

• Registration Deadline: Wednesday, December 2

• AI Prompting Essentials for Teaching
• Canva Skills for Impactful Design
• Creative Coding for Every Classroom
• Designing Learning Opportunities with Google Tools
• Engage, Create, Collaborate: Digital Tools for Today’s Learners
• Fact or Fiction? Building Media-Savvy Learners
• Improve Student Teamwork with Impactful Strategies
• Infusing STEM into Education
• Literacies for the Digital Age
• Online Safety and Ethical Skills for Responsible Students' Practice
• Smart Data Practices: Using AI Responsibly in Education

Heading to Detroit for MACUL 2027 (March 17–19)? Registration is now open and you can plan ahead to get the best pricing!

• Early Rates: Conference passes start at $299 (regular rate) before on-site prices go up to $349.

• Spring Break Special: Combine 3 Wednesday pre-conference workshops and full Thursday admission for $329 (a $99 savings).

• Special Discounts: Preservice teachers attend for $25, and Superintendents and School Board members attend FREE.

To see all rate tiers and learn more about venue details, visit the official MACUL Registration and Rates Page.

Bridge the gap between assistive and instructional technology to build a more equitable classroom. Join statewide presenter Beth Poss (Inclusive Learning 365) for Inclusive Tech Together (ITT)—a free, year-long coaching journey designed for K–12 educators and specialists.

📅 Program Schedule

• Part 1 (Virtual): November 12, 2026 | 9:00–11:00 AM or 4:00–6:00 PM

• Part 2 (In-Person Regional Learning Day): February 8, 2027 | 8:30 AM–3:30 PM

• Part 3 (Virtual): April 20, 2027 | 9:00–11:00 AM or 4:00–6:00 PM

Choose your preferred regional location for Part 2 when you register!

Register for Inclusive Tech Together on Wisdomwhere

Disclaimer: Information and resources shared in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement. While we strive for accuracy, it's always a good idea to verify details, especially those related to specific systems or processes, by submitting a support ticket or contacting the technology department. Please use discretion when implementing suggestions.

Email:

• Kellie DeLosSantos
• Paul Smith
• Jeanelle Wonders

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