Sometimes we have to slow down to go fast.

This month, the IDEA Illini Chapter invites you to participate in our monthly Self Care and Wellness Challenge: Keeping a Gratitude Journal.

Sign up for free and receive a digital gratitude journal. 

It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Let's make some time to reflect on what we are grateful for.

Digital Citizenship is one of those topics that must be embedded throughout everything we do.

This month's playground will connect you with some fantastic educators and resources to help you do just that. Let's shift the narrative from "don't" to "do" and commit to being positive and proactive digital citizens. 

Watch (or listen!) up to 6 pre-recorded sessions complete with note taking doc. You can also collaborate with other learners in an online forum. 

The Playground opens October 18 and lasts until October 31. Learn what you want, when you want to!  

Illinois educators can earn up to six (6) PDHs for this event. 

Session recordings will be available October 18 - 31.

Together we will explore Google’s free curriculum: Applied Digital Skills.

Start teaching practical digital skills through a full (and free!) curriculum that uses the Google Workspace for Education tools and guides learners through 160+ creative, video-based lessons in the classroom.

Prepare students for the jobs of today and tomorrow with complete Applied Digital Skills lessons and teacher resources like lesson plans, rubrics, and student monitoring support to make your planning a little easier! Dive into these best pedagogical practices to create some truly authentic learning experiences for your students.

Attendees will meet virtually on November 2 and again on November 16 for a virtual office hour from 4 - 5pm

Illinois educators can earn 2.5 Professional Development hours

Join IDEA and Read Naturally as we develop fluency, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension skills by combining the research-based strategies of teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring. Learn to differentiate student instruction and provide systematic fluency and phonics intervention.

This powerful strategy is demonstrated using Read Live, which now includes Read Naturally Live, Word Warm-ups Live, One Minute Reader and Read Naturally Live—Español.

Illinois educators can earn 1 professional development hour for this session.

There is no limit to what people can achieve when technology reflects the diversity of all who use it. This course shows how people at school and work can achieve more with the built-in accessibility tools and features in Microsoft technologies.  

Objectives:

Join Apple and leading education companies to learn how powerful education apps, when combined with iPad or Mac, can help realize your vision for transforming learning and teaching with technology. You’ll discover apps that deliver great experiences on Apple devices and support educators in the key areas that matter most to education such as Tynker, Nearpod and Khan Academy Kids. And we will dive a bit deeper into Apple’s Education Partner Program as we work with education companies to develop solutions that address key priorities for education. From curriculum and digital content to productivity platforms and infrastructure tools, these solutions are helping schools and districts achieve desired academic outcomes.

This November IDEA is hosting a two-day Coaching Academy.

We will have some big name keynote speakers and thought partners including Jim Knight and Rebecca Frazier.

Click here to see the full schedule.

Unlike other professional learning events, these two days are designed specifically for coaches. We have experts leading sessions on literacy, math, technology and equity coaching.

This event is in collaboration with TCEA and is live and virtual. So, if you can't make it on site, attend from your classroom or office and connect with other like minded educators from all over the US!

Illinois educators can earn up to 30 PDHs for attending in-person and 20 PDHs for attending virtually.

Interested in incorporating the new computer science standards into your classroom, but not sure where to start? IDEA's November Playground has got you covered!

This month, join our asynchronous sessions to learn how to build capacity for coding in your classroom with our Coding 101 playground.

So how does it work?

Watch (or listen!) up to 6 pre-recorded sessions and collaborate with other learners in an online forum. 

The Playground opens at 8 am on Monday, November 15 and lasts until Saturday, December 31. Learn what you want, when you want to!  

Illinois educators can earn up to six (6) PDHs for this event. 

Session recordings will be available from November 15 - December 31

The CodeHS Computing Ideas course is a first-year computer science course with a unique focus on creativity and problem-solving. Students in the course explore several important topics of computing, such as programming, digital citizenship, networks, and web design.

In this webinar, teachers learn how to promote computational thinking and collaboration so that students learn the skills and processes to develop basic computational artifacts and learn about general CS-related topics. Teachers will experience a brief Computing Ideas lesson from the student perspective, learn how to plan and pace computer science lessons from the Computing Ideas course, learn how to customize their own middle school unit or course, and learn about many teacher tools and resources available on CodeHS to support teaching coding and computer science topics in middle school.

Illinois educators can earn 1 professional development hour for this session.

Innovative tools such as dictation and Windows Hello sign-in can make the digital world more accessible for those who live with dyslexia, seizures, autism, or other cognitive differences.

Learn how to set up and navigate the settings within Windows 10, Office Desktop applications, and Teams

Customize elements of your operating system and Office applications

Come away with the ability to tailor Windows and Office experience through the understanding of the integrated features that make our products one the most inclusive in the industry.

Are you and our colleagues looking for a way to incorporate hands-on, practical application of learning for multiple subject areas?

Join IDEA as we talk with Northern Illinois University Associate Professor Kevin Martin about the many real-world learning opportunities that are possible when incorporating vertical farming into the learning environment.

Dr. Martin will discuss his labs vertical farming system and the NIU-developed software that allows for the building of an inexpensive technology platform and how it can be scaled and used for classroom and building-wide use.

From Biology to Computer Science, vertical farming provides students with an application-based learning opportunity that is both sustainable and affordable now and in the future.

Explore artificial intelligence (AI) and block-based coding through unplugged activities, coding challenges, and interactive discussions to with a focus on completing quests Minecraft: Education Edition. Code the Minecraft Agent to help prevent the spread of fire, save the village, and bring life back into the forest.  Learn basic principles of Minecraft.  

Explore unplugged activities and coding puzzles to introduce foundational concepts of coding using drag and drop blocks instead of a script-based programming language.

Participants will be engaged in a variety of activities grounded in the basics of coding, encouraging persistence in the face of challenges.

IDEA Northern Suburbs MiniCon is a free virtual half-day mini-conference featuring some of the best EdTech talent in the Northern Suburbs. Participants choose from a wide offering of exciting sessions run by teachers, tech coaches, and administrators on a wide variety of topics.

At the price of FREE, this conference is a great value for anyone interested in spending a Saturday morning learning from, connecting with, and being inspired by like-minded educators.

MiniCon is presented virtually on Saturday, December 11th. This is a live event so bring your coffee and tune in starting at 8:00 a.m!

Multiple sessions will run throughout the morning with the conference ending at 12 p.m. Sessions will be recorded at the discretion of the presenter and made available for a limited time afterwards.

Professional development hours will be available.

This course, facilitated by Stan Gorbatkin, is designed to support district 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.

Illinois educators can earn up to 8 PDH for this event.