Wayne RESA’s January EdTech Updates brings you the latest news, tech tips, and professional learning opportunities in educational technology that they are aware of or are coordinating. Some staff may want to check out their offerings.
Fully funded Data Science + AI learning opportunity for educators! CSforMichigan, in partnership with Bootstrap, is sharing a chance to attend Data Science 4 Everyone, a weeklong immersive experience focused on Data Science and AI. Join educators June 22–26, 2026 at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque – with airfare and lodging fully covered. Participants will follow a full-week curriculum from partners like Bootstrap, CourseKata, Youcubed, or Dataspire.
🗓 Apply by January 15 (rolling acceptances begin February 9). Teams from the same school are encouraged, and full attendance is required.
Registration is open for MISTAR-Q ACADEMY for Teachers Spring Session – Jan 19 to Apr 13, 2026
Teachers are invited to participate in MISTAR-Q Academy for Teachers, a FREE training to hone MISTAR skills.
Working online at your own pace, you will complete activities designed to increase your skills and knowledge of teacher apps including Class Attendance, Grade Book, Seating Chart, reports, and more. This course is especially beneficial for teachers new to MISTAR-Q.
You may earn between 1.0 and 17.5 SCECHs, depending on which topics you complete by the end of this 12-week course. At least two topics must be completed to qualify for SCECHs.
Should I register for MISTAR-Q Academy if I previously participated in Monarch?
If you completed Monarch, you completed all content in MISTAR-Q Academy. If you participated in Monarch but did not complete the course, you are welcome to register, but your progress will not transfer from the old Monarch course.
Register here – after registering, watch for emails by Jan 19 with details on how to get started. Registration fee is FREE / $0.
Please note, this course is offered twice (fall and spring) each academic year.
The SchoolAI Browser Extension is now available for teachers only (not students). It is your digital teaching ally, integrating AI directly into your existing workflow. Instead of switching tabs, access powerful tools while browsing articles, watching YouTube, or providing feedback in Google Docs.
If you haven’t tried SchoolAI yet, this browser extension makes its features even easier to access.
1. Core Features: AI Where You Work
The extension is an integrated assistant that understands your classroom context.
Writing Analysis in Google Docs
Targeted Feedback: Upload rubrics or standards to generate personalized comments aligned with your grading criteria.
Revision History Viewer: See a Google Doc’s full revision history, including edits and authorship, to understand how it was written.
Instant Summaries: Generate high-level overviews at the top of a document to help your students see the big picture of their drafts.
Create a Resource from any Website
Stop manual copy-pasting. Use the “Create a Resource” tool to:
YouTube to Activity: Generate guided notes, reflection questions, or quizzes directly from a video’s transcript.
Interactive Sidebar: Ask questions about any webpage—such as “generate five discussion questions”—without leaving the site.
Content Adaptation
Meet students exactly where they are by adapting any webpage in real-time:
Adjust Reading Levels: Instantly rewrite complex text (like NASA articles) for specific grade levels while preserving core facts.
Language Support: Bridge gaps for ELL students by translating web text or generating vocabulary lists with definitions in their native language.
Create a Space from Any Page (Early Access)
The extension can transform static content into an interactive SchoolAI Space:
Contextual Spaces: Click “Create Space” on any article or primary source to build an AI-led chat environment based on that specific content.
Instant Tutoring: Students enter a Space where the AI acts as a tutor or historical figure knowledgeable about the webpage.
Seamless Sharing: Launch a Space and get a code or link to share with students immediately.
2. Privacy & Security
Student safety is a priority. SchoolAI is FERPA and COPPA compliant. Data is protected, never sold, and used strictly for educational functions. Our district agreement ensures our P-CCS data is never used to train external AI models.
3. Get Started in Minutes
Install: The extension will be pushed automatically to your P-CCS Google account soon. But if you want it now, go here to install it from the Chrome Web Store.
Sign In: Use your Google credentials to activate your account.
Teach: Open any Google Doc or website and click the SchoolAI icon to begin.
Once installed, the extension should appear in your Chrome toolbar automatically and you will see a floating SchoolAI “S” icon on the right side of the browser. Simply click the icon and sign in with your Google credentials to begin. (Click the X to hide the floating icon on this site or on all sites. Click and drag on the six gray dots to move the icon.)
Check out this YouTube Playlist to learn how to use many of the features of the SchoolAI extension.
Use the SchoolAI Space for a personalized step-by-step guide to get started.
The SchoolAI extension gives you back your most valuable resource: time. By automating routine tasks, it allows you to focus on the personal connections and “lightbulb moments” that define great teaching.
Last year we posted news that Microsoft had notified our district that they would be ending our access to Microsoft Office 365 desktops apps when they retired our licensing program (Office 365 A1 Plus) on August 1, 2024. Their announcement impacted all school districts with the same licensing. While they stated that after August 1st, 2024, anyone that had downloaded and installed Office 365 versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint would find those programs no longer work, some staff found that they actually could still use them AND only now, more than a year later, are encountering notice that their access to the apps are definitely going away later this month. Microsoft has revoked our A1 Plus licenses within our system, prompting those notices.
So fortunately, some users enjoyed a bonus grace period of better than a year, but from our department’s perspective, regrettably, that is coming to an end. As we shared in our other blog post, here are some options for impacted staff:
Use the Google Workspace for Apps (Recommended). As a Google Workshop for Education district, it is strongly recommended that staff use Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. All of these apps (and more) are available through Google Drive.
You can still use Microsoft Office 365 online since that licensing remains. Browse to portal.office.com and sign in using your email address and network (not Google) password. All files created using the desktop apps can be open and edited within the online suite.
Use a free office suite alternative, such as Libre Office, which is available in the Company Portal for those that want to download and have installed a desktop office suite. Libre Office is highly compatible with Microsoft Office documents. It can open and edit all of the Microsoft Office file formats, as well as save in those same file formats. See this video guidance for how to set it up to natively load and save in Office formats.
Departments/schools interested in purchasing licensing for Office 2024 for one or more of their staff can submit a service request so our department can work with the requester on their purchase and our installation. Current REMC pricing for Office Standard runs through June 2027.
We hope you enjoy your Winter break! Before you leave Friday afternoon…
WOULD YOU PLEASE SECURE ALL VALUABLES in the classrooms and office spaces you inhabit. This includes laptops, document cameras, Apple TVs, remotes, and interactive pens.
Further, if it is equipment you handle, would you please make sure all iPads and Chromebooks are in their carts and those CARTS ARE LOCKED and plugged in before leaving.
Finally, would you please also POWER OFF any of the following equipment, if it is equipment you handle:
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly realistic, teaching students to distinguish between what is authentic and what is synthetic has never been more critical. But how do we make digital literacy engaging without it feeling like a lecture?
Enter Two Truths & AI, a new interactive game from Common Sense Media designed to help K–12 students build their “AI detective” skills.
What is it?
Based on the classic party game “Two Truths and a Lie,” this digital interactive challenges students to look at three movie posters. Two are real, and one has been generated or altered by AI. The goal? Spot the fake.
Why Teachers Will Love It
Builds Critical Thinking: Students aren’t just guessing; they are learning to analyze visual clues like text errors, odd details, and lighting inconsistencies.
Flexible Implementation: It works perfectly as a whole-class activity on a smart board to spark discussion, or as an independent activity on 1:1 devices.
Grade-Appropriate Content: The game features two distinct bands to ensure content is suitable:
Grades K–6: Uses G and PG movie posters.
Grades 7–12: Uses G, PG, and PG-13 posters.
Zero Setup Required: There are no logins required and no personal data is collected. You can open the browser and start playing immediately.
Ways to Use It in Your Classroom
The Ultimate Bellringer: Use the “Timed” mode to wake up the class with a quick, 60-second high-energy challenge.
Deep Dive Discussions: Use the “Untimed” mode to slow down and have students debate why they think a specific image is AI-generated before revealing the answer.
Curriculum Connection: Use the game as a hook before diving into Common Sense Media’s Digital Literacy lessons, such as:
Fact or Fiction? (Kindergarten)
Perfectly Altered (Grade 3)
Evaluating Information Online (Grade 7)
Deepfakes & Consent (Grade 8)
Ready to Play?
This is a fun, low-stakes way to introduce complex concepts about media authenticity. We highly recommend playing a round yourself first to get the hang of spotting those tricky AI artifacts!
Encourage your students to test their skills (and stump their parents!) by playing at home, too.
We are sending out this important notice regarding a recent fix to the configuration of staff Smartboards across the district.
What is Changing?
We have corrected an error that prevented Smartboards from performing their required nightly reset and logout.
Effective Monday December 8, your Smartboard will perform a nightly reset and logout procedure.
What This Means for You
You will be logged out daily: When you arrive in the morning, the board will not be logged into your profile.
Daily Login Required: You will need to log in to the Smartboard each day to access your files, settings, and district resources.
What Your Board Should Look Like in the Morning
When you turn on your board in the morning, you should see the standard black screen with the PCCS logo.
There should be no whiteboard files visible on the screen.
The board should not show you as logged in.
⚠️ Critical Note on Saving Your Work
This mandatory daily reset process means that nothing you do on the Smartboard will be saved permanently unless you are logged into your individual profile.
To ensure your work, files, and settings are preserved, please make sure you log in when you start using the Smartboard each day.
Need Help?
If your board remains logged in, or you do not see the black screen with the PCCS logo when you arrive in the morning, please submit a tech request immediately so the issue can be addressed.
As previously announced, Canvas Studio has been discontinued. We know that one feature many people enjoyed about this tool was an ad-free experience for videos. Fortunately, two platforms the distict has—Edpuzzle and Lumio—offer solutions to make integrating YouTube videos seamless and safe.
Edpuzzle: The Ad-Free Gateway
If your primary goal is to ensure students watch content without interruptions, Edpuzzle is your key. Edpuzzle has partnered with YouTube to integrate the YouTube Player for Education.
This means when students view videos through Edpuzzle, they access YouTube content that is free of ads, tracking, and distractions.
This partnership commitment allows teachers and families to have peace of mind knowing students are engaging with videos in the safest possible environment.
As discussed in previous blog posts, Edpuzzle also allows you to integrate questions to check for understanding while students watch the video.
Lumio: Seamless Video Integration
Using Lumio also helps ensure that videos play without ads. It also has the added bonus of helping combine multiple lesson components into one place (so you don’t have to navigate to several different platforms). Lumio allows you to pull in Google Slides, PDFs, YouTube videos, and more into one “deck.”
To bring a video directly into your Lumio lesson structure:
Start a new lesson by clicking New, or open an existing lesson in Editing mode and click the add page icon.
In the Add page window, select YouTube.
In the Add Video window, you can either type a search term or paste a video’s URL, and then click Search.
Once you select the desired video from the results, click Add to import it onto a new page. You can then give the resource a title before continuing to add more pages or clicking Finish Editing.
We know a lot of teachers like to put on winter scenes with calming music to create a welcoming, classroom atmosphere. These are great, but the ads can get overwhelming and annoying!
Google offers a way to search and learn if your personal information is available via their search engine. When you use “Results about you,” you can find out if your personal contact info, like your home address, phone number, or email address shows up in search results. If it does, they offer a way for you to possibly remove it.
See this help article for more about this service and tips on how best to use it.
Alternatively, If you want to request removal of a result for someone else, or if you don’t want to log in, you can use the detailed removal request form instead.
Last month a staff member was texted on their personal cell phone from someone pretending to be a district administrator. The bad actor is believed to have located their cell phone number via a Google search. Reducing your personal details available online can reduce the chances that a bad actor tries to leverage them for ill intent.
We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving break! Before you leave Tuesday afternoon…
WOULD YOU PLEASE SECURE ALL VALUABLES in the classrooms and office spaces you inhabit. This includes laptops, document cameras, Apple TVs, remotes, and interactive pens.
Further, if it is equipment you handle, would you please make sure all iPads and Chromebooks are in their carts and those CARTS ARE LOCKED and plugged in before leaving.
Finally, would you please also POWER OFF any of the following equipment, if it is equipment you handle:
