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What : Discovery Education: Instructional Strategies for the Digital Learner When : Jan. 31, 8:15-2:30 Where : Kalamazoo RESA Service Center, Portage Presenter :  Discovery Ed DEN Star Expert Cost : FREE Included : 5 SCECHS (also Free) and Lunch Link to register and more information:   Click Here   space is limited so sign-up now. Contact Tina Tribu ( tina.tribu@kresa.org ) with questions.

Please share with other teachers - here is a great opportunity from the Detroit Institute of Art!  In addition to the virtual field trip, there are lesson plans, activities and badges that you can use with your students. From the site: GRADES 6-12 Learn the science of art conservation.  Go behind-the-scenes at the  Detroit Institute of Arts  with  Detroit Public TV Virtual Field Trip  and go where no one has ever gone before!  What lies behind the surface of a 400-year-old sculpture? Is what you see on a painting real, or did the artist mean to draw something totally different? And, what about Infrared Reflectography—what does that exactly do? Detroit Public Television  teamed up with the  Detroit Institute of Arts  for a  Virtual Field Trip  to take students and teachers behind the scenes into the restricted area at the DIA to help them explore new ideas and dig deep under the surface of art and science. It...

Are you looking to implement some digital literacy into your curriculum?  If you teach middle and/or high school students, you may want to check out the Applied Digital Skills site (formerly or part of CS First).  They have free curriculum lessons for teachers focused on a variety of different skills. Some examples:

Great find of images, primary sources, and a variety of other resources for school use! From the site: "DPLA connects people to the riches held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. All of the materials found through DPLA —photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more— are free and immediately available in digital format . The cultural institutions participating in DPLA represent the richness and diversity of America itself, from the smallest local history museum to our nation’s largest cultural institutions. Our core work includes bringing new collections and partners into DPLA, building our technology, and managing projects that further our mission through curation, education, and community building."

From Christine Schneider, K-12 Education Specialist with MeL - Did you miss the webinar?  It was amazing to see the great wealth of Primary Source documents, biographies, Freedman's Bank Records, and articles that can be used in the classroom related to Black History Month.  Luckily it was recorded! Here is a link to the recorded webinar: https://vimeo.com/200258649/ 3ce47187f4 I am pleased to announce a webinar that you won’t want to miss!   On Thursday, January 19th , j oin myself and trainers from Gale, Britannica, ProQuest (HeritageQuest), and WorldBook to learn about Digital Discoveries for Black History Month with MeL . Find out where to locate material that can be used in the library and classroom during Black History Month.  This webinar is geared toward Media Specialists, teachers, and other K-12 staff. We are offering two times for this hour-long webinar.  Please be sure to register and save your spot: Thursday January 19, 2017 ...

Here are a couple of FREE professional development opportunities for educators from REMC 12E in the next couple weeks - eResources to Add to Your Classroom Toolbox We are excited to have Christine Schneider, K-12 Education Specialist for the Michigan eLibrary, leading us in a 2 1/2 hour session on all the changes that have been taking place in MeL! Date : January 13, 2017 Time : 12:30-3:00pm Where : Calhoun Intermediate School District (Gifford Schultz Building - Marshall) Cost : FREE Register at CISD's Professional Development Registration Portal Christine will be taking us into: accessing and using the subscription databases provided by the State of Michigan to all Michigan residents through MeL targeted preK-5 resources such as Scholastic BookFlix, Britannica School and WorldBook for Kids targeted grades 6-12 resources that include Research in Context, Gale Virtual Reference Library, and Health & Wellness Center.   She will be covering many of the spe...

From Discovery Education - A digital transition is a multi-faceted, multi-year process that must be carefully considered, planned, and communicated. Discovery Education's latest guide, Leading Your School District's Digital Transition , comes from three experienced educators, who bring their combined 16 years of leadership and 20 years of teaching to bear. The guide demonstrates step-by-step strategies on how to bring your team, your infrastructure, and your students into a modern learning environment. In this guide, learn: 9 strategies for deploying a digital learning environment How to ensure your resources align to standards Advice on instituting your digital vision across a district What 3 superintendents gained from their digital transitions 10 reasons a school district s...

From Karren Reish at MeL: Reading Redefined: Deep reading, learning, and the impact of digitization Register today to attend Reading Redefined: Deep reading, learning, and the impact of digitization September 30, 2016 -- 9:30am to 4:00pm Eastern ( 8:30am to 3:00pm Central) Lansing Community College West Campus eBooks. Websites. Blogs. Twitter. Facebook. Many of us are awash in digital information, and in the early 21st century much of our reading has migrated from print on paper to text on screens. What has been little understood or even recognized is the way that our reading habits are affected by the medium that we use. This is starting to change.  Recent scholarship has inspired articles and media reports, and awareness is growing that our choice in reading technology – printed book, Kindle, iPad, computer monitor – makes an important difference in our understanding and retention of what we read. Since eBooks began to appear, but especially af...

The site CommonLit has been floating around the interwebs the last couple days, and it is definitely worth looking into!  Works are searchable by grade level, theme, genre, and Lexile.  When reading you will see numbers - these reference terms and footnotes, which popup when you click on the number AND are also located together at the end of the passage:   Additionally, there are text-dependent questions and general discussion prompts provided to go with the reading: Across the top, there are areas with additional resources, including Paired Texts, Related Media, Teacher Guide and Parent Guide:   The Related Media & Teacher Guide areas require you to have a free account to access them. From the site: "CommonLit delivers high-quality, free instructional materials to support literacy development for students in grades 5-12. Our resources are: Flexible; Research-Based; Aligned to the Common Core State Standards; Created by teachers, ...

From "Big Deal Media" - Just as motorists take driver’s education to learn how to recognize and react to road situations, digital-age students need a course in how to navigate precarious situations online, such as cyberbullying and copyright infringement. That’s what led ISTE to develop the Digital Driver’s License (DDL) project , a free and easy-to-navigate resource that schools or individuals can use to teach and measure digital citizenship proficiency .  DDL is both a platform and curriculum ... From ISTE DDL Site -  The idea of being a good digital citizen becomes more important as schools start to adopt 1:1 initiatives, get more comfortable with students bringing in their own technology and use various technology as a part of the learning process. Where does this get taught? Who teaches it? How do we keep track of all of this? How do we know what areas need addressing and/or follow up? The DDL project allows learners (wether they be students or teac...

 Voices of History is the Bill of Rights Institute ’s free digital storehouse featuring the best of the institute’s primary-source-based lesson plans . Written by teachers for teachers, the materials are aligned to content standards, and are searchable by topic and accessible anywhere on any device. One of the featured lessons (“What Are the Origins and Interpretations of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms?”) explores the origins of the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights, as it was included to reflect the concerns of many citizens in a number of states. Another featured lesson (“The Responsibilities of Frederick Douglass”) takes an in-depth look at responsibility— striving to know and do what is best rather what is most popular—through the life of Frederick Douglass.

The Bill of Rights Institute has developed Documents of Freedom , a free , comprehensive , interactive digital course covering all the history, government, and economics topics in traditional textbooks. Written for teachers by teachers, all materials highlight primary sources and meet state standards. Teachers can search for primary-source-focused resources that fit seamlessly into their teaching plans. They can access student readings along with corresponding teacher materials, including classroom activities, presentations, and assessments. Incorporated into the readings are engaging images and videos that provide a more interesting way for students to interact with historical content. The course material is available everywhere from a laptop to a cellphone, from the computer lab to students’ homes. Students can easily adjust the display of the text and choose the style and size that works best for their individual preferences and learning needs.

From the site Drive Smart Now : START MAKING A DIFFERENCE TODAY:  CREATE A DIGITAL SHORT TO HELP COMBAT DISTRACTED DRIVING You can help save lives. Accept the challenge and create a digital short to convince your peers not to drive distracted. Scholarships and grants will be awarded to students and teachers.  From MACUL's Big Deal Media: " The Wireless Foundation has launched the second year of its Drive Smart: No Distractions, No Excuses Teen Digital Short Contest . The competition challenges students aged 13–18 to create a digital short to persuade their peers not to drive while distracted.... The Wireless Foundation partnered with By Kids For Kids (BKFK) to create the Drive Smart campaign. The program’s website provides teachers, parents, students, and community leaders with free downloadable activities and information on the dangers of driving while distracted." Deadline: December 15, 2015 Prizes: Grand Prize: $5,000 scholarship (teacher/men...

Thanks to a collaborative effort between MISD, MACUL, and the REMC Association, we are pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Michigan Digital Learning Conference on October 13 - 14, 2015 !   Conference website:  http://www.michigandlc.net/ index.html Mark your calendars now and join us for two action-packed days of technology infused learning at Macomb Intermediate School District. This conference brings Michigan Educators one day of pre-conference sessions, and one day of hands-on workshops and engaging conference sessions. Plan to attend one or both days! Check out innovative resources, new and emerging technologies, and classroom applications to get started today. Find out how to successfully integrate technology, and network with educators to develop best practice in technology embedded instruction. This year Leslie Fisher will be on hand to share "Tools You Can Use Tomorrow". This exciting keynote will help you sort through the many resources available t...

Announcement from the Michigan eLibrary & Outreach Coordinator: " As of Monday, June 16, 2014, the Library of Michigan is pleased to announce the official debut of the new and improved Michigan elibrary,  http://mel.org !" Some key features: New "look and feel" for the website New discovery service (search) on the MeL homepage - accessing MeLCat, selected MeL databases, M.O.R.E curricular content, MeL gateway websites and selected digital Michigan history projects. Redesigned MeL Kids Gateway at http://mel.org/kids Redesigned MeL Teens Gateway at http://mel.org/teens Reorganization of the other MeL Gateways Make sure to check it out!