#BRESA Tech Tips

Winter break is right around the corner! Having both been in your roles, we want to encourage you to take a break from school thought and refresh yourself during this joyous season.

With that said, we are looking forward to 2024 with great anticipation. Computer science is rolling out in a massive way all over our state. Students from kindergarten to college are being exposed to comprehensive CS learning including everything from data science to coding to artificial intelligence. The state just opened up the 99b CS Professional Development grant which will be influential in the districts that receive the funding. Can you imagine having up to $200,000 for dedicated computer science PD for your staff?

As you are looking forward to the new year, what do you see as new and emerging for you? We would love your input. Share your thoughts!

We hope you have a restful holiday and a great start to the new year!

Amy & John

Please enjoy this guest article from Berrien Ed Tech Innovator, Abilyn Janke.

Technology in the classroom is nothing new; but for a lot of teachers new tech can be overwhelming. Finding time to work with the tech before presenting it to our students or worrying about what to do when the tech messes up may make a lot of professionals shy away from new forms of tech in the classroom. My advice? Take the tech leap! So much educational technology today is so user-friendly, is easy to troubleshoot and in all honesty, is usually a lot of fun. Building in new technology into your lessons allows your students to problem solve in an authentic environment and can often lead to increased involvement and engagement. Tech in the classroom doesn’t always have to be the biggest, flashiest, newest tech either. Start small and build your tech confidence and eventually you’ll feel willing and able to include more tech in your lessons.

Last year I felt overwhelmed by the concept of having my high schoolers code in my social studies classroom. It felt like everyone was talking about coding in the ed. tech world and I felt like it was a foreign language coupled with anxiety-inducing time restraints. Then I found some coding games on Hour of Code that asked students to use map skills that I’d already taught them. I got brave and took the leap and my students had the BEST time! The ed. tech world is so full of small-scale technologies that are easy to integrate into the classroom; I promise you they’re worth a try. So my December advice is to reset during the holidays and be ready to leap into new tech as we leap into a new year!

Abby teaches at Brandywine High School and joined Berrien Ed Tech Innovators (BETI) last school year. Additional note: At a recent BETI meeting, Abby tried programming a Micro:bit for the first time. She then checked out the resource and introduced it to her high school students who had a great time learning to program and create with Micro:bits. Thanks for taking the tech leap, Abby!

Recently, AJ Juliani posted a great blog article exploring the thought of how AI is going to influence our classrooms as we move forward. What I most appreciated about his insight into this topic was his call back to the history of the "new" things that were going to change education forever through history. Going back to the days of radio, film reels, computers, the internet, and now AI, educators have always sought out ways to change our practices while others have freaked out about the newest thing. While I don't want to ruin this article for you, I will share the point he gets to... how are we going to USE AI to influence education?

All tools are just that, tools. It takes the practitioner to know when and how to use the right tool in the right place to make meaningful change.

John

On December 14, educators from all regions in Michigan gathered in East Lansing to expand their knowledge around AI in Education. The event was hosted by MACUL and Michigan Virtual and offered four anchor keynote sessions, as well as multiple breakout opportunities and a regional PLN collaboration. Southwest Michigan had strong representation at the Summit, and we look forward to continuing the AI learning journey with local educators. If you would like to be included in future AI collaborations with local educators, please fill out this short form.

Stay tuned for opportunities we are planning for this winter and spring. In the meantime, feel free to explore a few of the resources that were shared at the Summit.

• Sketchnote Summaries of Anchor Sessions from @myedtechworld
• AI Toolkit from Dan Fitzpatrick
• Blog and Video Summary from Dr. Punya Mishara
• Michigan Virtual AI Resources
• Highlight Videos: MACUL & Michigan Virtual

It's hard to believe that we are already talking about the Spring 2024 esports season! We will be playing Rocket League and Valorant again as we now have a groundswell of talent that deserves to continue to show their skills.

Registration for the new season will open in early January! If you are interested in adding into the league, reach out to esports@berrienresa.org.

Thank you to Cody Saroni from Brown School in St. Joseph for taking his students to Lansing on December 6 to participate in the MACUL/AT&T Student Technology Showcase. The students showed off their movie making skills utilizing WeVideo and had a fun day sharing their creativity with other students and Michigan legislators.

This annual event welcomes teams of students from districts across Michigan. Start thinking now about bringing a team next year. We would love to see more representation from our corner of the state. Check out the highlight video below to learn more.

Who: Students in 5th grade through 12th grade.

What: Have your students create an original 2-5 minute podcast. Students can create the podcast individually or as a group.

When: November 20, 2023 - January 24, 2024

How: Via Online Submission Form

Win: Podcasting Hardware!

Sponsored by: REMC, MACUL & MASL

Learn More: Contest Rules and Information

Share: Podcast Challenge Flyer

Earlier this month, members of the Berrien Ed Tech Innovators (BETI) and SW Michigan School Library Leaders met at Lake Michigan College to learn and create in the Fab Lab. Host Chad Dee and his outstanding assistants treated the group to a tour and ornament painting experience. Participants also heard from BETI Cohort 1 educator, Megan Roth, who shared her approach to innovation as an elementary technology teacher in Berrien Springs.

The Fab Lab offers activities for community members of all ages. If you have never seen the lab, put this on your to-do list for 2024. Check out their events calendar to plan your visit.

The 2024 MACUL Awards are now open for nominations. Categories include Innovative Teacher, Innovative District, Innovative Leader, and Innovative Technology Professional. Nominations are due by January 9, 2024.

Applications are also open for MACUL Leadership positions. MACUL members may apply to serve on the Board of Directors or as a Learning Area Delegate. Applications are due by January 8, 2024.

As referenced above, several members of this growing group met in the Fab Lab at LMC on December 12 to learn more about making/creating and how this philosophy can be embedded into school library programs. We will continue to explore, collaborate and support one another in 2024.

The next meeting will be held on February 7 from 4:15 - 6 p.m. at Berrien RESA. At this meeting we will explore statewide resources for school librarians, including the comprehensive MiSelf in Books app and take a deep dive into MeL, the Michigan eLibrary. Look for the calendar invitation with more details to come just after winter break.

The Technology Services Department at Berrien RESA has a variety of STEM resources, equipment and materials you can check out for use in your classroom.

Visit our REMC Resource Webpage to learn more about the items that are available. To check out a resource, please complete the resource checkout form found on the webpage.

We have lesson plans to share if you aren't sure where to begin. We would love to come and help you do an activity with your students or staff. Email John or Amy to set up a time.

We would love to hear your suggestions on how we can best support you. Please complete this form if you have some ideas regarding content you would like to see in our newsletter or specific needs in your district. Also, please feel free to share this newsletter with others and if you are interested in subscribing, simply email info@berrienresa.org with the subject line "Tech Tips". Finally, as always, feel free to contact John Phillips or Amy Dirlam directly for all of your educational technology needs.

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