Join IDEA and partner, IETL, as leading technology leaders in Illinois schools share knowledge around cybersecurity issues, ranging from identity theft, social engineering, data breaches and software to beware of.

Illinois educators can earn one (1) PDH for live attendance at this event.

Participants work 1:1 with educators to understand their individual classroom goals and implement strategies to accomplish them using technology-based solutions. Typical certification takes one year but by joining this fast track program you could get your certification done in 6 months, just one hour per week!

Participants will receive access to Google's tailored curriculum and research-based coaching model—so that new and veteran educators can transform instruction across every classroom and student.

IDEA is a Google for Education recommended coaching partner. In this academy you will have membership to a cohort of other coaches and exclusive resources tailored to support certification.

Sign up now! Only 25 candidates will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.

Illinois educators can earn up to 30 PDHs for completion of this course.

Join IDEA and Meghan Wiesbrock, Manager of School and Camp Programs, from The Morton Arboretum as we explore nature in virtual and remote learning.

This school year, despite your learning format, explore ways to enhance your science curriculum with new virtual curriculum bundles from The Morton Arboretum. Designed with educators in mind, these free digital bundles contain activities, videos and resources aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and, in some cases, Common Core State Standards as well. This one hour session will provide an overview of the materials, a step by step guide for how to register to receive these free materials, as well as information on outreach add-ons to enrich these activities for your students. This session is best suited for K-12 formal educators, providers and informal educators.

Illinois educators can earn one (1) PDH for live attendance at this webinar.

This course is designed to support educational leaders in the development, evolution, implementation, and promotion of programs and initiatives which will best support students in the future. Through a researched-based and systemic view, participants will identify celebrations and challenges with current district culture and organizational structure and reflect on possible changes. Also participants will deepen understanding of alternative and authentic assessment methods and blended/personalized learning models and reflect on possible next steps for implementation. In addition, participants will explore options for flexible differentiated professional development for staff and examine the role of messaging and community partnerships with focus on positive use of Social Media.

Presented by Dr. Amy Heineke, join IDEA and Eduplanet21 for a webinar that takes a strengths-based approach to consider how to teach students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds upon returning to school during the COVID pandemic. Deficit-based mindsets often unknowingly guide our daily practice with emergent bilinguals and immigrant-origin students. This tendency to focus on students' gaps or deficiencies is heightened following the COVID pandemic and related distance learning. With this webinar, we discard deficit-based viewpoints to consider students' experiences during the pandemic as resources for learning. We explore potential sources of background knowledge from home, community, and school and consider how to prioritize these student assets in curricular design to springboard their learning and achievement.

Illinois educators can earn one (1) PDH for live attendance at this event.

Embedding all your standards, covering all the content and assessing your students understanding can sometimes feel like you are running a race! How can there be enough time for it all? In this workshop experience, participants will be grouped in teams to experience the Amazing Race of Digital Citizenship. Competitors will dig into new tools, experience practical application of digital citizenship resources and potentially walk away with the title of "Dig Cit Amazing Race Champ"!

Illinois educators can earn 1.5 PDHs for attendance at this event.

The Effective Use of Technology in Schools course will focus on the evaluation of technology in the classroom and how it can connect to the Danielson model. It is designed to provide administrators with the ability to walk into a classroom and understand how technology is being integrated into the content rather than being a stand alone application. The course will also address effective tools that administrators can use in their daily routine to model effective technology use to help coach their staff and provide information to stakeholders in the community.

This course will be given Administrator Academy credit in partnership with the IPA.

Illinois educators can also earn 4 PDHs for attending this event.

Calling all life long learners! Join us in our IDEA playground as we work through what's on YOUR minds. Idea's may be free but what you do with them can be priceless! You'll choose 3 sessions to participate in 3 hours but you'll receive the recordings of all 6 sessions! Fun & engaging professional learning you won't want to miss!

Illinois educators can earn three (3) PDHs for attending this event.

Let us help you crack the code on that four letter word: CODE! Coding can seem scary to the everyday teacher. It’s a bit unknown and broad, but it doesn’t have to be something we avoid all together. Think about the newest tech that came out when you were a kid. What was your reaction to it? Did you have to have it? Now, muster up that same feeling of awe and wonder towards coding and robotics (for some of you this isn’t a problem at all!). Join us as we prepare for December's hour of code experiences in this novice level session.

Illinois educators can earn 1.5 PDHs for attending this event.