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The Michigan Department of Education has partnered with EduPaths, Michigan’s free online professional development portal for educators, and the Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe) to bring four online courses centered around student data privacy to Michigan Educators. The courses cover the necessary information all educators must know in order to keep student data safe in an increasingly digital learning environment, including educators’ legal requirements related to student data privacy. The iKeepSafe courses are 30 minutes each and self-paced, allowing educators to enroll and complete the courses at a convenient time and place. SCECHs are available for the courses at no cost through EduPaths. All Michigan educators can  create a free account on EduPaths  and access the courses at the links below: iKeepSafe Data Privacy in Education Course #1: Introduction to Data Privacy in Education iKeepSafe Data Privacy in Education Course #2: Reviewing EdTech Products f...

If you are looking for some activities for Digital Citizenship Week (Oct 16-20), check out the resources from CommonSense Education !  From CommonSense Education: Get Dig Cit-Ready Digital Citizenship Week 2017 Help students think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly online. Internet safety? Creative copyright? Fake news? With so many topics on your "to teach" list that go above and beyond the core curriculum, it's essential to have a game plan. For Digital Citizenship Week 2017 (Oct. 16-20), we've gathered a few stellar resources into one place. Whether you're just getting started with digital citizenship, are looking for resources to share with colleagues or parents, or are ready to lead a school- or districtwide program, Common Sense Education is here to help you get it done. Ready, set, go Dig Cit!

If you want to give your students a moderated experience in an alternate reality game, you should check out The Tessera . From the creators' Educator's Guide : "Tessera: Light in the Dark is an online game where players use real world media and skills to interact with the fictional world of the Tessera, working together to unravel the mystery of a haunted Victorian-era tavern." The focus of the game is on students learning about and using computational thinking.  It has been tied to the Next Generation Science Standards, and easily fits into the STEM/STEAM curriculum.  While there is a live game happening from January to March/April, they are designing a version that is more adapted to the classroom -  "The replayable version will have around 10 sessions or modules that include lesson plans/activities, each of which can be accomplished in approximately 30 minutes. Players will be able to explore the website and related materials above and beyond this a...

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 Discovery Education: Save The Date Spring VirtCon 2016 April 16 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (ET) Join us for Spring VirtCon, Discovery Education's bi-annual virtual professional development conference. Hear from your peers around the country as they share creative ways they are using Discovery Education to personalize learning and embed digital media into their instructional practice.  Register today to reserve your spot . Why register for VirtCon:   Free, live streamed sessions Thought provoking discussions Keynotes from educators Opportunities to build your network Certificate of participation ...

Looks like a very cool experience - with many renowned speakers! Announcing the Hack the Classroom Digital Event! Date: January 30, 2016 at 8:00a.m. PST Location: Online- Register at aka.ms/hacktheclassroom Actions: •   Register yourself for the event •   Share this announcement with other educators •   Send your own tweet. Example tweet: Join me & Microsoft_EDU for the #HackTheClassroom digital event on 1/30! Sign up here: http://aka.ms/hacktheclassroom Resources: Hack The Classroom Website Questions? Email us We are so excited to announce a new, free live digital event for educators around the world! The “hacking” spirit has captured the hearts of educators around the world- more and more, teachers are taking it upon themselves to transform the way they teach, and the way their students learn. Initiatives like Hour of Code and the Maker Movement have been groundbreaking, wh...

REMC 12E Sponsored Professional Development Opportunities January - June 2016 The following is the current list of REMC 12E sponsored professional development opportunities.  What does it mean to be REMC 12E sponsored?  The PD cost is either significantly reduced or FREE for educators that work for REMC 12E school districts (Branch & Calhoun counties).  Educators that work elsewhere may participate, but with full course registration fees. 21 Things for iPads - Online, self-paced More Information February 3 - April 28 4-50 SCECHs available, depending on completion items Blended Learning in the Classroom - Blended (mostly online) More Information January 11 - May 23 62 SCECHs available Build a Website with Google Sites - Online More Information January 11 - February 26 March 7 - April 22 May 2 - June 17 Discovering with Technology for Learning - Blended (mostly online) More Information January 13 - February 24 30 SCECHs avail...

You might consider this if you are a mentor teacher, online teacher, or want to educate yourself on Section 21f. Details from MVU: Exploring key trends in online and blended learning The 10 th MVU Online Learning Symposium on November 17 will explore key trends in online and blended learning and examine real-world orientation and support strategies for online learners. Keynote Speaker The keynote speaker will be John Watson, founder of Evergreen Education Group of Durango, Colorado. Watson and Evergreen help schools choose and implement the right online and blended learning strat egies that help schools meet education goals. Micourses.org Showcase Through an inaugural statewide catalog showcase, participants can network with representatives from local and intermediate school districts that collectively offer more than 2,000 online course titles in the statewide c...

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!