Illinois Digital Educators Alliance | IDEA

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance new post. Taking Flight with the Aviation Club. Read now.

2024-2025 IDEA Mini-Grant Award winner Heather McCarthy is sharing her journey from having her idea funded to its fruition. See how the Aviation Club allowed students to be empowered learners and invested decision makers.

http://www.ideaillinois.org/aviationclubblog.

#IDEAil #EduSky

List of 2026 IDEA Mini-Grant recipients with project titles and awardees' names on a celebratory background. The list of winners can also be found on the IDEA website.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025-2026 IDEA Mini-Grant Awards! These educators are from across the state and represent 10 different IDEA chapters. We're excited to see how these educators' innovative and creative ideas will impact students!

#IDEAil #IDEAcon #EduSky

We’re excited to see you in Schaumburg in February at #IDEAcon!

IDEACon 2026 announcement with a call for idea submissions, featuring a phone icon and deadline of November 14, 2025.

Five hours remain to submit your ideas that are begging to be shared at IDEAcon 2026 in February! Help shape the future of education with us and submit your proposals tonight at https://bit.ly/ideacon26cfp2.

#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

Podcast episode cover featuring a woman and speech bubbles saying 'That's the idea!' and 'An IDEA podcast' on a blue dotted background. S2:E5 - Sitting Down with Dr. Rachael Mahmood

Join Stefanie Crawford and Don Sturm is 🤔 as they sit down with 2024 Illinois Teacher of the Year and an #IDEAcon 2026 Keynote Speaker @drmahmood.bsky.social to explore what it really means to build belonging in schools.

Listen now at https://ideail.org/ThatsTheIdeaPodcast.

#IDEAil #EduSky

IDEACon 2026 announcement with a call to share ideas before November 14, 2025 deadline, featuring event attendees and presentations.

Don't miss the second round of call for proposals for #IDEAcon that is OPEN through Friday, November, 14! Perfect for an idea you’ve been cultivating or a brand new spark. Your idea might be exactly what someone else needs to transform their practice.

https://bit.ly/ideacon26cfp2!

#IDEAil #EduSky

Graphic for Illinois Digital Educators Alliance featuring a new blog post titled 'Finding Balance in a World of Technology' with a striped background behind a person.

Don Sturm is 🤔 looks at the technology landscape and asks the question: "Should school mirror the 'real' world, or should it act as a frontline defense against the parts of that world that we feel harm students?"

http://www.ideaillinois.org/balanceintechworldblog.

#IDEAil #EduSky

IdeaCon 2026 logo with a party hat and gold confetti, announcing the second call for proposals open through November 14, 2025.

The second call for proposals is now open for #IDEAcon 2026. They're only open through next Friday, November 14, so if you have a great idea to share or you wanted to submit a proposal before but missed the deadline, now is your chance!

https://bit.ly/ideacon26cfp2.

#IDEAil #EduSky

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, New blog Post, "Coding through Stories"

Read how 2024-2025 IDEA mini-grant winner Betsy Monke in Pleasant Plains, IL planned, prepared, implemented, and reflected on her funded project in her blog post "Coding through Stories."

🔗 Read now at http://www.ideaillinois.org/codingthroughstoriesblog

#IDEAil #EduSky

Headshots of five thought leaders featured at Idea Con 2026, each framed in a green circle against a blue background with their names below.

We just dropped the Thought Leader lineup for #IDEAcon 2026, and it’s 🔥. These educators and changemakers are ready to challenge, inspire, and co-create the future of learning.
https://ideail.org/IDEAcon2026

Lisa Moe 🔜 #SpringCUE, ‪Marcus Luther‬, Matthew Farber, Wunneanatsu

#IDEAil #EduSky

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, new blog post, "Thoughts from the IDEA high school intern: AI and the regression of teenage brains."

“AI and the Regression of the Teenage Brain” is an important perspective from our intern who is also a current high school student. Are students losing critical thinking skills? Are teachers outsourcing trust to tech?

Read it at http://www.ideaillinois.org/aiandteenagebrainsblog

#IDEAil #EduSky

Announcement for a free Google for Education event featuring AI's Dream Team: NotebookLM and Gemini on November 6, 2025, in Lake Forest, IL.

Join the IDEA Northern Suburbs Chapter and Google Education Senior Program Manager, Jenn Brown, for a fun and FREE fabulous 2-hour hands-on workshop dedicated to mastering the powerful AI combination of NotebookLM and Gemini.

Register now at https://ideail.org/AIdreamteam11625!

#IDEAil #EduSky

There's still time to join IDEA's Northern and Western Suburbs Chapters for EdCamp Chicago, happening tomorrow, Saturday, 10/18 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM!

✅ Build connections
✅ Participants decide the topics
✅ FREE
✅ Brainstorm, support, create

🔗 https://ideail.org/EdCampChi1025

#IDEAil #EduSky

New Partner Blog "Amplifying Student Voice in the Age of AI" by WeVideo. Illinois Digital Educators Alliance

Read the latest blog from our partners at @wevideo.bsky.social as they explore how video learning can be a powerful method for amplifying student voice and valuing original thought.

www.ideaillinois.org/amplifystude...

#EduSky #IDEAil #EdTech #education

IDEAcon Super Saver Registration Closing August 1

Tomorrow’s the final day for #IDEAcon 's Super Saver rate, our most discounted way to invest in staff PD.

You don’t need names now. You just need to commit to educator growth, even while federal Title II funding remains in limbo.

📅 Deadline: Aug 1 @ 11:59 PM CT ideail.org/IDEAcon26sup... #EduSky

IDEAcon Super Saver Registration Closing August 1

Bold action beats uncertain funding. #IDEAcon Super Saver registration ends Friday 8/1 at 11:59 PM CT. Prioritize PD, equity, and educator joy without needing names just yet. Every badge is a stand for staff development, despite unjust Title II withholding.
ideail.org/IDEAcon26sup... #EduSky #IDEAil

IDEAcon 2026 Answer the call

The heat index says "stay inside"—we say, "great, it’s proposal-writing season." 😎 #IDEAcon 2026 is looking for voices like yours to empower and engage educators from Feb 9–11 in Schaumburg. Deadline: Aug 4. Make this your coolest move of the summer. ideail.org/IDEAcon26CFP

#EduSky #IDEAil

wevideo ENGAGE 2025 Activate Learning with Video Register Now July 15-17, 2025 | Online | Free to Attend

Join our partners @wevideo.bsky.social at ENGAGE 2025, their first-ever annual conference for educators and creators using video to transform learning. 3 days online. 30+ sessions. 100% free. July 15-17. Register now to save your spot!

#EdTech #EdTechConference #ProfessionalDevelopment #EduSky

Advocacy Day is always an amazing way to see students in action and hear what they're passionate about. This year did not disappoint! These students, like all the rest of the student groups in attendance, were professional and knowledgeable, and we learned a lot from them.

#IDEAil #EduSky

Join @mrscford.bsky.social and @sturmdon.bsky.social as they sit down with @mandyfroehlich.bsky.social to discuss the importance of mental health for educators. It's not about self-care emails or jeans days, but real change.

Listen now at ideail.org/ThatsTheIdea...!

#IDEAil #EduSky #education

SLEdCon State Line Education Conference Let the Learning Flow July 29, 2025 Rockford University Illinois Digital Educators Alliance | Kishwaukee

Join the #IDEAil Kishwaukee Chapter for SLEdCon in Rockford, IL on 7/29!

✅ Free
✅ Discover the latest trends in ed-tech
✅ Participate in hands-on activities
✅ Connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for integrating technology in education.

ideail.org/SLEDCon2025

#EduSky

Thank you for all you do teachers. Teacher Appreciation Week May 5-9, 2025. From your friends at IDEA.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and the time, energy, and innovative thinking teachers put into the classroom deserves to be celebrated. Although we appreciate teachers always, we want to be sure to say thank you for all you do, invest in, and endure to make a positive impact on your communities.

IDEAcon 2026. The call is here! Call for proposals is now open. Closing August 4, 2025.

2026 is the year IDEA will celebrate our 40th. All. Year. Long! Starting off with a bang with IDEAcon 2026 where we'll dive into our 40s being 40, fearless, and moving forward! And we want your voice to be heard.

Our call for proposals is now open at ideail.org/IDEAcon26CFP!

#IDEAcon #IDEAil

Get ready to redefine what play means in your life and to laugh along with @mrscford.bsky.social and @sturmdon.bsky.social as they sit down with @mrdearybury.bsky.social to discuss the importance of getting in the flow, finding joy, and embracing play in your life.

ideail.org/ThatsTheIdea...!

Great to see @ideaillinois.bsky.social engaging kids here in Springfield at the Career Spark STEAM Expo.

Girl standing in front of IDEA table with games on it.

Two girls making a giant card stack.

Girl standing in front of card tower.

I got to team up with my best pal (and @sturmdon.bsky.social) to run the @ideaillinois.bsky.social game table at a #STEM fair in the neighboring town! It was fun to play with the students, but it was even better to see my little girl acting all grown up with as she ran the games! 💕

An image of the 4/17 issue of the Big IDEAs Newsletter.

Catch up now on the 4/17 issue of the #IDEAil newsletter for tips on ways to help #neurodivergent students succeed, advice on helping students alleviate assessment stress, #EarthMonth activities with Makedo, and more!

ideail.org/BigIDEAs41725

#EduSky

in-person workshop: Meaningful Integration of Role-Playing Games into Your School Community - learn everything you need to build RPGs into your school environment - swag bag of useful materials for attendees - observe an RPG Summer Camp in action - learn RPGs from students - keynote: Adam Watson July 7 - July 8 8:30AM-3:00PM Brought to you by Washington High School in collaboration with Teachers in the Dungeon and IDEA

🎲 We're collaborating with Washington High School and Teachers in the Dungeon to bring you a 2-day summer workshop that will teach you everything you need to know in order to build RPGs into your school environment.

Take advantage of early bird pricing at ideail.org/RPGworkshop7...

#EduSky #gaming

LEGO Education Workshops - Cracking the Code: From Icons to Word Blocks - Full Stack STEM: Advanced Coding for Real-World Problem Solving - April 15 - Free - Arlington Heights Illinois Digital Educators Alliance

There's still time to register to attend our in-person pop-up PD with LEGO Education happening in Arlington Heights on Tuesday, April 15. Seating is limited, and the spots are almost full, but you can see more information about both three hour workshops and register at www.ideaillinois.org/events

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance Wednesday Webinar Help Students Make Healthy Choices with Vaping: Know the Truth with EVERFI

6.2 million young people are using some type of tobacco product. That number represents 31.2% of high schoolers and 12.5% of middle schoolers. Find out what educators can do to address tobacco usage with students and help them learn the truth about vaping.

ideail.org/EVERFIww41625

#IDEAil #EduSky