Safer Internet Day, AI Literacy, and What’s New from ECMECC – February 2026

February is packed with opportunities to support safe, ethical, and effective technology use in classrooms—and beyond. From Safer Internet Day resources to AI-focused professional learning, here’s what’s happening at ECMECC this month.

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Safer Internet Day: Helping Students Navigate the Online World Safely

For the fourth year in a row, ECMECC has received a ConnectSafely Safer Internet Day Grant, allowing us to provide educators with free, classroom-ready resources that support digital safety and responsible online behavior.

This year’s focus centers on helping students avoid:

• Online scams

• Predators

• Creepy or unsafe digital interactions

The curated resource set includes lesson plans, videos, and activities tailored for:

• Elementary (PK–5)

• Middle School (6–8)

• High School (9–12)

📌 Important note: To meet grant reporting requirements, educators must complete a short Google Form so we can track the number of teachers and students served. Once completed, you’ll receive all resources at no cost—a requirement for districts receiving Federal E-Rate funds.

Free Safer Internet Day Event for Parents

Safer Internet Day is a global event celebrated in over 100 countries, and families are part of the conversation too.

ConnectSafely and the National PTA are hosting a free parent-focused event titled: “No Room for Doom: Helping Your Family Thrive in Our Digital Age”

The program explores:

• Healthy online boundaries

• Screen time habits

• Cyberbullying prevention

• Supporting kids in a connected world

ECMECC is proud to support this effort and encourage families to participate. Parents can register to receive the program directly in their inbox on Safer Internet Day.

Congratulations to Our ISTE 2026 Scholarship Recipients 🎉

We’re excited to celebrate six ECMECC educators who will attend ISTE Live 2026 in Orlando, joining nearly 17,000 educators from around the world to learn, network, and share.

Congratulations to:

• Deb Bursell – Mora

• Adam Engel – Rush City

• Megan Karolevitz – Braham

• Shelby Rademacher – East Central

• Ray Sperl – Cambridge-Isanti

• Mary VonRueden – East Central

We’re especially looking forward to seeing these educators share their learning as presenters at the Lake ECMECC Conference this August.

Free AI Webinar Series for Educators

The SWWC Center for Artificial Intelligence Development in Education (A.I.D.E.) is launching a free, high-quality webinar series focused on meaningful, classroom-ready AI use. Each session prioritizes instructional design first, with ideas educators can apply right away.

Upcoming sessions include:

• February 16: Vocabulary Learning & Authentic Assessment

• March 16: AI as Your Lab Partner – Designing Science Labs

• April 16: Transform Social Studies with Primary & Secondary Sources

Register once and receive access to each session as it’s released.

New Integrate This! Conversations & Tech in 10 Videos 🎧▶️

Fresh conversations and quick-hit videos continue to roll out through Integrate This!

Upcoming Podcast Conversations

• Feb. 5 – Dave Blanchard (former Cambridge-Isanti teacher)

• Feb. 12 – Carl Hooker

• Feb. 19 – Thomas Thompson (Eduaide.ai)

• Feb. 26 – Eric Santos

New episodes drop every Thursday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Tech in 10: Brisk Next – AI for Teachers

This month’s short-form video series explores:

• What Brisk Next is

• How it supports teachers

• Creating instructional bundles

• Giving batch feedback efficiently

Subscribing to the Integrate This! YouTube Channel ensures you never miss new content.

February Tech Tidbit: SAMR + AI = Transformative Learning

AI is showing up everywhere—but are we using it transformative ways?

This month’s Tech Tidbit explores how AI fits within the SAMR framework, with practical examples of AI use at:

• Substitution

• Augmentation

• Modification

• Redefinition

The focus is on moving beyond novelty and into learning experiences that were previously impossible. Watch for an email later this month with registration details.

EdTech Potpourri: Resources You Can Use Right Now

Winter Olympics Classroom Activities

Courtesy of Peggy Reimers (TCEA), these activities bring Olympic energy into learning:

• Italian Trivia

• Winter Olympics Digital Breakout

• Countries Challenge

• Roman Numerals Quick Quiz

• Google Sheets Olympic Rings Pixel Art

Exporting AI Math to Google Docs

Creating math with Gemini is easy—but exporting it cleanly can be tricky. A short 10-minute video walkthrough shows a simple, free solution to avoid messy formatting when moving AI-generated math into Google Docs.

AI Literacy You Can Safely SEE 👀

This month’s AI Literacy focus highlights the “S” for Safety in the AI for Education SEE Framework.

Key reminders for educators and students:

• Never enter personally identifiable information (PII) into AI tools

• Evaluate whether an AI tool truly supports the learning goal

• Keep learning human-centered by balancing AI and human thinking

A simple takeaway message for students:

AI can support my thinking, but I protect my privacy and do my own learning.

Jeremy will continue sharing AI Literacy guidance each month throughout the school year.

If you have questions about any of these resources or opportunities, feel free to reach out directly to Jeremy Mikla at jmikla@ecmecc.org.

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