Membership Benefits

Professional development

We are proud to be an Illinois State Board of Education approved provider for educator licensure professional development hours (PDHs). This allows us, with the help of our dedicated partners, to provide educators with a plethora of professional learning opportunities.  As an IDEA member, you will have access to all these opportunities, including member-only events. 

View PD Opportunities

MINI-GRANTS

The purpose of the Mini-Grant Program is to provide IDEA members throughout the state with funding for educational technology projects that showcase innovation and creativity and directly benefit students in PreK-12 classrooms. Apply for an IDEA mini-grant!

Learn More

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships are available up to $1,000 for members to pursue an advanced degree, take additional for-credit college courses, or attend professional development workshops and conferences. Children of IDEA members may apply for a scholarship to pursue a degree in Education. Scholarship applications open in early April and are announced each year in mid-May.


REGIONAL CHAPTERS

There are 21 local chapters  of Illinois Digital Educators Alliance covering all counties in the state. The members of each chapter hold  meetings and events that provide an opportunity for networking and professional development on a local level.


Find Your Local Chapter

RECENT IDEA BLOGS

Equipping Students With Self-Regulation Skills They Can Use As They Leave For Summer Break

By Sarah Said and Sara Candela • 14 May, 2024
Working in multiple communities across the country, we can tell you that for some kids the thought of summer break brings to mind spending their day in spaces that are not as structured or safe as their school environment creates anxiety. Even some teachers struggle with going on summer break because the change in routine does impact their nervous systems. There are environmental issues students face in their homes over the summer that they don’t face in school, and change is hard for everyone. What can schools do to equip students with self-regulation skills that they can use at home as they leave for summer break?

Involving Students in Planning PBL Showcases

By Michelle Hollander, Teq • 08 May, 2024
Do you want students to feel a deeper and lasting connection with their work and develop transferable skills? If so, participation in a project-based learning (PBL) experience is the solution. Providing students with an opportunity to share their capstone projects is an engaging way to motivate students through the process, but also allow them to feel that they can create purposeful, real-world products and outcomes.

Student Story: Diego’s Transformation Through Coding

By Skill Struck • 01 May, 2024
One of the most rewarding aspects of education is observing moments when everything clicks for a student and their self-confidence grows. And although being a teacher is not all rainbows and sunshine, those lightbulb moments make all of the hard work worth it. This story is from a fourth-grade teacher at Denver Public Schools that witnessed a student transform when computer science was introduced into the classroom.
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