CONNECTING EDUCATORS

Starting November 1, 2025, staff who are over their Google storage limit(10 GB) will lose the ability to access new files in Drive or receive new emails. To avoid this, please take some time to review your Drive and Gmail. Delete any unnecessary files and remember to empty your trash to permanently free up space.

When a Google account exceeds its storage limit, the following will occur:

• File and Image Uploads: Users will be unable to upload new files or images.
• Collaborative Apps: New files cannot be created in collaborative applications like Google Docs and Sheets.
• Google Drive Sync: Syncing between a user's computer and My Drive will be disabled.
• Existing Files: Existing files owned by the user cannot be edited or copied by anyone.
• Google Photos: Backing up photos or videos to Google Photos will be blocked.
• Google Classroom:
• Teachers will be unable to create assignments with new files

• Students will not be able to submit assignments with file attachments.

• Shared Drives: Users will be prevented from adding or editing files within shared drives that exceed their limit.

Reminder: Storage Limits for Student Accounts(Implemented Sept 26):

• Grades 5 & Younger: 2 GB

• Grades 6-8: 3 GB

• Grades 9-12: 5 GB

We're excited to announce the launch of our new TeamJXN Maker Checkout website! This new platform makes it easier than ever to browse and check out all the amazing materials we have available. Check it out today and start your next project! Visit and bookmark our site - bit.ly/teamjxncheckout

Join us for "Unboxing Lit & STEM: PL in a Box - Series 2," a flexible, self-paced professional learning series designed for K-12 educators. You'll receive up to three curated boxes, each containing a book, lesson plans, and supplies for a hands-on learning experience. This series highlights three books from the REMC Promoting STEM Through Literature initiative.

Upcoming Sessions:

• Openings Still Available for Book 2 -Whirligigs: The Wondrous Windmills of Vollis Simpson's Imagination - Dec 1 - Jan 31, 2026 - Registration Closes Nov. 9

• Openings Still Available for Book 3: The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan: Inventor, Entrepreneur, Hero - Feb 2 - Mar 31, 2026 - Registration Closes Jan. 11

Course Details

• Cost: FREE!

• Earn up to 9 FREE SCECHS

• Complete the book and lesson anytime within the two months

• Registration: Each book is limited to 25 teachers, so register today. You can sign up for one, two, or all three boxes.

Register here: https://bit.ly/unboxLIT

Explore how virtual reality can transform teaching and learning. This session offers a short introduction to VR headsets, hands-on time with select apps, and ideas for classroom use. Open to all educators regardless of listed location.

Note: VR use is for ages 10+, with some apps carrying additional restrictions.

• Format: Quick, fun, one-hour introduction to VR sessions.

• Location: Spread throughout the county for easier access.

• Registration: bit.ly/team-jxn-vr

Don't miss your chance to attend the MACUL Conference! We are offering three TeamJXN/REMC 15 MACUL scholarships to support educators in enhancing their knowledge and skills.

These scholarships are designed to help those who would otherwise be unable to attend by covering conference registration, two nights of hotel accommodations, and valet parking (self-parking will not be covered) for the 2026 MACUL Conference on March 19-20, 2026 in Grand Rapids, MI.

Key Dates:

• Application Deadline: November 1, 2025

• Expected Selection Date: November 3, 2025

Please Note:

• Awardees must get pre-approval from their employer or attend on their own time.

• REMC will handle all conference and hotel registrations for scholarship recipients.

• Apply Here - https://forms.gle/wSZZDr2gZmJCeptw9

We’re calling on all elementary & middle school STEM educators to unite and build a countywide collaborative! This series is all about connection, collaboration, and growth.

• Build relationships with fellow STEM teachers

• Learn strategies for student engagement, project design, AI, & funding

• Collaborate + network on new ideas

🎯 Target Audience: PK–8 STEM Teachers

⏰ Time: 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
📆 Dates & Locations:

• Oct 9 – Camp McGregor ⛺️
  

• Jan 22 – Kratz Education Center 🏫
  

• Apr 16 – Kratz Education Center 🏫
  

➡️ Register Here

Meet Tyler Hoppe, our Career Center technician who keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Tyler supports the Career Center teachers and students with technology, resources, and troubleshooting — making sure staff can focus on what matters most: their students. Thanks for all you do, Tyler!

Our awesome Tech Department has been hard at work - closing an incredible 2,902 support tickets in September! From password resets to big system fixes, they’ve kept everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

💻✨ Huge thanks to our tech team for their dedication, speed, and problem-solving superpowers!

Student data privacy is more important than ever. With the rise of digital tools and online learning, educators must be vigilant in protecting sensitive student information. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides a framework for how schools handle and share student records, but a strong privacy plan goes beyond just compliance.

Learn about essential strategies to protect student data, including:

• Teaching students about digital privacy and how to recognize threats like phishing.

• Promoting strong password habits and limiting unnecessary data collection.

• Using secure apps and tools that comply with privacy regulations.

• Engaging parents in conversations about data privacy.

• Developing a clear plan for responding to a potential data breach.

By taking a proactive approach, we can create a safer digital environment for our students. Click here to read the full guide on TCEA's blog.

Want to boost your cyber-savvy in the classroom? Common Sense Education, in partnership with CYBER.ORG, created a practical guide just for teachers. It breaks down the basics and gives you easy ways to keep students safe online.

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• 🧩 Clear explanation of how cybersecurity differs from online privacy

• 🛡️ Practical steps to protect yourself and your students in digital spaces

• 💡 Classroom-ready tips for building digital safety into everyday lessons

• 🌐 Strategies to help students grow into responsible, resilient digital citizens

👉 Check it out here: Teacher’s Essential Guide to Cybersecurity

Excerpt from https://cybersecurity.yale.edu/newsletter/fall2025/bee-aware

AI tools can be a helpful sidekick for brainstorming, summarizing, and organizing ideas. That is, only when used wisely.

• Never put confidential, personal, or sensitive data into AI tools. Once it’s in, you can’t control where it goes.

Want more tips? Watch the Know Your Risk: How to Use AI the Smart (and Secure) Way webinar. In addition, visit the Yale AI website for more resources about the use of AI.

Takeaway: AI is powerful. But just like social media, once you share too much, you can’t take it back.

Did you know you can manipulate the shareable links for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to make them more useful? With a few simple changes to the URL, you can control how others interact with your documents.

Here are some popular tricks:

• Example: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j/edit?usp=sharing
• Original Link Ending: .../edit?usp=sharing
• Modified Link Ending: .../copy

• Original Link Ending: .../edit?usp=sharing
• Modified Link Ending: .../preview

PDF: Instantly turn your document into a downloadable PDF by changing the end of the URL. This is perfect for sharing posters or handouts.

• Original Link Ending: .../edit?usp=sharing
• Modified Link Ending: .../export?format=pdf

For a full breakdown of these tricks and more, check out this Tony Vincent article: Google Document URL Tricks

OpenStax, the leader in free, peer-reviewed textbooks, has partnered with Google’s NotebookLM to bring some of their most popular titles to life as interactive Notebooks. These resources turn passive reading into active learning with built-in AI support that helps students ask questions, summarize key ideas, and engage more deeply with the content. Designed for high school and college learners, the Notebooks are ready to use across subjects like Biology, Psychology, Chemistry, and Business.

Available Interactive Notebooks:

• Biology 2e Link

• Biology for AP Courses Link
• Chemistry 2e Link
• Psychology 2eLink

• Principles of Management Link

• Introduction to Business Link

Common Sense Education just launched a brand-new K–8 curriculum with free lessons and videos to help you guide students through the most important issues in their digital lives today.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• 🎥 Engaging videos & interactive lessons for every grade level

• 💻 Topics on digital literacy, online safety, and digital citizenship

• 🧠 Focus on student well-being and balanced tech use

• 👩‍🏫 Ready-to-use resources designed for the classroom

👉 Explore it here: Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum

The "Ditch That Textbook" website offers a growing database of virtual field trips for educators. The site categorizes these trips into two types:

• self-guided tours that can be used immediately
• virtual field trips that require advanced setup and may include a guide

Looking for a fun way to engage your students in math? Desmos, a powerful and free online tool, is more than just a graphing calculator. It's a platform with interactive activities that can help you bring math to life in your elementary classroom.

Key ways to use Desmos:

• Interactive Activities: Use pre-made activities like "Card Sort" and "Marbleslides" to introduce and reinforce math concepts in an engaging, game-like format.

• Visual Learning: Help students explore number relationships and patterns with visual representations, making abstract concepts more concrete.

• Real-time Insights: The teacher dashboard lets you see what your students are doing in real-time, allowing you to quickly identify who needs help and showcase great student work.

• Encourage Discussion: Desmos activities are designed to spark conversations, helping students explain their thinking and work together to solve problems.

You can find many activities and guides on the Desmos/Amplify website to get started.

Tired of the same old test prep routine? Edutopia has some creative ideas to make math review more exciting for middle school students. The article "Middle School Math Review Games" shares three teacher-created games designed to replace traditional worksheets and increase student engagement.

• The games—"Dinosaur Egg Hunt," "Ghosts in the Graveyard," and "Grungeball"—use simple classroom materials to add a fun, competitive twist to math practice.
• They not only help students review key concepts but also encourage teamwork and perseverance. The best part? The games are flexible and can be adapted to fit any math topic and difficulty level.
• Read the full article for game details and tips.

The resources from Common Sense Media are spot on for today's student and categorized by grade level and content.

Topics included are:

• AI chatbots(HS)
• Social engineering & online deception(MS)
• My digital footprint(EL)

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week?j=9913367&sfmc_sub=171873670&l=2048712_HTML&u=253461788&mid=6409703&jb=9005&utm_medium=email&utm_source=edu_DCW2025_Standalone_Email_20250925

CAP announced some important updates to their STEM kit application and evaluation process:

• Application Improvements - Streamlined application process by removing some questions and adding new ones to better understand and support needs.
• Evaluation Changes - No longer collecting pre- and post-test data.
• Walkthrough Video Coming Soon - To help you navigate the new application. Stay tuned!
• If you have any questions, please reach out to STEM@capnhq.gov.

EMPOWERING EDUCATORS TO INSPIRE GRANTS: K-12 classroom educators can apply for classroom STEM enrichment grants in amounts of up to $600.

• The grant application process is open until Dec. 15.
• Applicants will be notified if their grant proposal was selected by the end of February.

Read grant guidelines, requirements, and scoring rubric to be used in competitive selection process, HERE

The Student Technology Showcase at the Capitol is set for NEW DATE - December 10, 2025, from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM at Heritage Hall within the Michigan State Capitol Building. This incredible event is a fantastic opportunity for K-12 student teams to present how they are using technology to enhance learning in your classrooms. Imagine your students demonstrating their innovative projects to lawmakers and business leaders!

• Learn more about this inspiring event and start planning your participation: 2025 Student Technology Showcase at the Capitol
• $1000 Stipends are available to teams that register and attend to help pay for transportation, subs, etc.

AAC= Alternative and Augmentative Communication

• Most AAC Apps are on sale throughout the month! This is the best time for districts and families to purchase what they need for their communicators! Check each company for more details on their sales.

AT Live! Training sessions will be hosted throughout the school year once a month on Wednesdays. Please see WisdomWhere for more information!

Topics will include:

• AT Consideration: SETT Framework/AT Implementation

• Reading/Writing Supports

• AAC Apps Playground

Michigan Region IV Assistive Technology Consortium will host an Assistive Technology P.L.A.Y.D.A.T.E on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at Washtenaw ISD from 8:30- 3:00!

• This PLAYDATE will focus on AT tools for inclusion: E-Sports/Adaptive Gaming, Recreational Activities, Executive Functioning, Specials (STEM, Art, Music, Media, PE, and Extracurricular activities.
• Registration is open!

Please join us and share this information with your colleagues!

TeamJXN 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@jcisd.org, paul.smith@jcisd.org, jeanelle.wonders@jcisd.org
Website: edtech.jcisd.org
Location: 6700 Browns Lake Road, Jackson, MI, United States
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