Science & Tech News

As we welcome the new year, January is a great time to reflect, reset, and look ahead to new possibilities for teaching and learning. Across our ISD, we’re excited to continue supporting thoughtful integration of instructional technology to enhance student engagement and learning. Whether you’re building on familiar tools or trying something new, we look forward to partnering with you in 2026 as we learn, innovate, and grow together. Please reach out anytime to discuss your specific needs.

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Looking for practical ways to integrate technology into your teaching? Come and join us for our next Byte-Sized Learning session on January 27th from 4 - 6 pm at W.H. Ales in Bay City. We'll be exploring Digital Citizenship resources, as well as Hour of AI resources through Code.org. If you plan to attend, please register HERE. See you there!

The Square One Education Network is a Michigan based non-profit educational organization serving K-12 students and teachers with hands-on STEM experiences. Join us January 27th from 11:00 - 11:30 am to learn more! This power-packed 30-minute session will give busy educators a chance to explore an innovative AT and Ed Tech tool that can transform learning. Take a quick break and discover tools that support student success—one session at a time!

Use this LINK to register for any of our upcoming VIRTUAL sessions (11:00 - 11:30 am each day):

Jan 27 - Square One Education Network

Feb 24 - Novel Effect Read Aloud Books

March 24 - National Geographic Learning

April 28 - School AI

Come collaborate with others who are interested in meaningful classroom technology integration! Our next REMC 6 meeting will take place on February 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. These meetings are open to all PreK–12 educational staff, including teachers, teacher leaders, administrators, and coaches/consultants. Lunch and SCECHs are provided.

This year’s meetings are focusing on career connection materials and resources, along with updates on new developments, programs, and initiatives from REMC of Michigan and our local REMC 6. Join us to learn, share, and stay connected to the work happening across our region. Register today!

REMC 6 is partnering with other local REMC organizations to bring a day of learning around Discovery Education! Day of Discovery is designed for classroom educators, instructional coaches, and school leaders who are eager to bring fresh strategies and new energy to their teaching. Whether you are just getting started with Discovery Education or are already an active user, this event will equip you with classroom-ready ideas, innovative digital tools, and practical approaches to engage students in meaningful ways. This training will take place on Wednesday, February 11th from 8:30 am - 2:00 pm at the Saginaw ISD. Click HERE for more information and to register.

The 7th annual Wayne RESA Maker-STEM Summit will take place on February 12, 2026 at The Henry Ford. This is your chance to engage in the maker mindset of “learning through doing” and delve into ways to expand maker and STEM opportunities for students. Tony Vincent, known for helping educators and students transform ideas into interactive, meaningful creations, will guide participants through the art of “vibe coding” where imagination meets innovation and code becomes a canvas for creativity. Register to Attend

Are you interested in designing engaging, place‑based learning experiences that connect students with local sustainability issues? The Sustainability Teacher Fellowship invites K–12 educators from Arenac, Bay, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland, Saginaw, and surrounding counties to apply for the 2026–27 cohort. Fellows participate in professional development, collaborate with community partners, design multi‑week projects tied to real‑world problems, and engage students in meaningful outdoor and action‑oriented learning—while receiving a stipend, professional support, and SCECHs. Applications are open Dec. 12, 2025 – April 7, 2026. Get full details and apply HERE.

Integrating tabletop games into the classroom can help provide diverse methodologies to create high-quality, engaging learning environments for Michigan's preK-12 students. The game strategies help build critical thinking and collaboration skills essential to college and career readiness. Most importantly, your students will have fun while learning! REMC has also created "game cards" that include 21st-century skills learned/reinforced, number of players, recommended age, and more. Explore what games are available HERE.

Looking for an easy tech refresh to kick off the new year? Make a quick resolution to clean up your Google Drive by changing folder colors or adding emojis to folder names 📘📂. A little visual organization now can make finding what you need faster—and help you start the year feeling more organized and less cluttered.

• Right-click on a folder in Google Drive and choose Change color to assign a color.
• To add an emoji, right-click the folder, select Rename, and insert an emoji at the beginning of the folder name.

Over the past year, our friends at Kent ISD have been building the AI Privacy & Safety Checks and the latest update is now live! This robust update is meant to provide more useful information, easier navigation, and a call-to-action from vendors for transparency, accountability, and fairness. It also provides clearer privacy insights, environmental impact ratings, and social justice ratings.

If you’re choosing AI tools for classrooms or district use, this resource gives you a clearer picture of what’s actually happening behind the scenes. Feel free to bookmark it, share it with someone who makes tech decisions, or use it to ask better questions and push for greater transparency.

Give your students a powerful start to 2026 with NSTA’s NCCSTS Case Collection —featuring 1,000+ case studies that connect science concepts to real-world events. From disease outbreaks to space travel, these ready-to-use stories promote critical thinking, collaboration, and deeper learning across all science disciplines. Perfect for high school educators and college professors. For more MDE Science Updates, click HERE.