Coaches inspire educators and leaders to create equitable and ongoing access to high-quality learning by establishing trusting and respectful coaching relationships that encourage educators to explore new instructional strategies.

That is why we are partnering with our friends from Illinois Council of Instructional Coaching (ICIC) for a year-long Coaching Collaborative Cohort.

The purpose of this cohort is to provide a high quality, connected learning experience for coaches across all types of coaching programs, platforms, and modalities. Modules will focus on professional development for coaching and teaching, supporting instruction through feedback, assessing impact, and coaching advocacy.

Included in your registration is:

This cohort has 2 registration options:

We know to tackle the climate crisis, we will need the hands, hearts, and best ideas from every person at every age from everywhere. Take Action Global is proud to partner with IDEA to offer the Climate Action Schools Program for Illinois PreK-12 schools.

Ready to take action for the planet through project-based learning, global collaboration, digital agency and environmental justice? Join our IDEA Cohort for the 2022-2023 school year!

We are excited to offer this program for a select number of schools. By registering, you are expressing your interest in this program.  Once "registered", TAG will reach out to complete your official registration. 

Each participating school will:

Pricing varies depending on district size.  Contact Jennifer for a quote.

Nutrition is a big part of self care.  When done correctly, a healthy diet can nourish your body and soul.

Join the IDEA South Suburbs Chapter for our October Wellness Challenge: Healthy Eating. Register to receive a vegetable chart and a quick and easy 30-minute soup recipe that is perfect for a fall, family-friendly weeknight dinner with a fresh flavor.

Join us for two days of in-person or online learning at CEC! That’s right. IDEA’s Coaching Academy is now the Conference for Educational Coaches (CEC)! 

But this was just a name change. It’s still the same fantastic conference offered by IDEA, in partnership with TCEA, for anyone and everyone who is leading professional development and/or coaching and supporting educators.

You can count on CEC for impactful ideas, applicable knowledge, and implementable strategies you can use. And you’ll leave this two-day conference excited by what you’ve learned from your peers in the field.

Join us to hear from Keynote Speakers Todd Finley and Jake Miller as well as coaching gurus, Victoria Thompson, Stacey Roshan, Victor Hicks, Rachelle Dene Poth, Stephanie Howell, Katie Fielding, Dr. Carolyn Gadsden Holliday, Jenna Krambeck-Reeh and many more!

Click HERE to view our schedule (subject to change)

Join us virtually or in-person!  All registrations include on-demand access for 30-days (ends November 14, 2022).

Illinois educators can earn 30+ PDHs for this event.

All are welcome to join IDEA's Illini Chapter’s October meeting!

October 18 from 4:30-5:30 PM Hybrid Style! Join in person at the Westville Schools Central Office OR via Zoom.

We will be discussing digital literacy and exploring the FREE resources from Google for Education’s Applied Digital Skills. 

Topics will include:

In truly inclusive classroom environments, students and their peers with disabilities are given ample opportunity to learn about one another so that they can identify similarities and break down differences that get in the way of friendship. 

Join IDEA for our October Playground on Inclusion.  Attendees will walk away with knowledge on Neurodivergent and Neurotypical best practices, lesson design, and Resources to gain more insights.

Here is how a playground works:  you will have from October 19 until October 30 to watch 3-6 pre-recorded sessions that range from 30 - 60 minutes long.  At the end of each video, there will be a link for the PDHs.

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

Join the IDEA Northern Suburbs Chapter for a Virtual Fall Share-O-Rama on October 20 from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM!

At Share-A-Rama, attendees will have an opportunity to share a website, extension, app, tip, trick, shortcut, or more in jigsaw-style presentations.

Share-A-Rama shares are delivered quickly, so be ready to learn a lot in a little bit of time! Come learn and share if you're comfortable. We can’t wait to "see" you!

Attendees will receive a follow-up email with the list of the shared ideas.

Illinois educators can earn 1.5 PDHs for attending this event LIVE.

Do you want a better understanding of the day to day life of your district's technology department?

If you answered "YES!", then this workshop is for you!

During this Administrator Academy, attendees will:

By the end of this workshop, attendees will have the needed information to have meaningful conversations with their technology departments in order to move their district forward.

Participants should bring or know how to access your district's organization chart, SOPPA agreements, and technology plan (if available).

Educators can choose to earn Admin Academy credit ($225) or 6 PDHs ($100).

Interested in other Admin Academies?  Check out our other upcoming opportunities:

• September 28: Effective Evaluation of Use of Technology in Schools (AA #1494) - VIRTUAL!
• November 15: Leveraging Ed Tech to Connect with the Future (AA #3019)
• March 15: An Administrator's Guide to Your District's Technology Department (AA #3838)
• April 19: Effective Evaluation of Use of Technology in Schools (AA #1494) - VIRTUAL!
• May 10: Leveraging Ed Tech to Connect with the Future (AA #3019)

Welcome to the November playground which is all about fostering computer science program comprehension!

In this playground we will focus on the following areas:

As a discipline, computing is broad, with connections to many other subject areas. It is also rich in concepts. While some are quite tangible, many are very abstract. As an educator, it can be easy to get distracted by the technology tool, programming language or context that your learners are using. This playground will help support learners' conceptual understanding of computer science.

Here is how a playground works:  you will have from November 14 until November 30 to watch up to 6 pre-recorded sessions that range from 30 - 60 minutes long.  At the end of each video, there will be a link for the PDHs.

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

This course 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.

Educators can choose to earn Admin Academy credit ($225) or 6 PDHs ($100).

Interested in other Admin Academies?  Check out our other upcoming opportunities:

Hook your students on coding with free Hour of Code tutorials with CodeHS!

CodeHS has over 20 awesome hour-long computer science and programming tutorials including Cryptocurrency, Coding for Music, Building Mobile Apps, Creating Virtual Worlds, Coding in Java, unplugged activities, and more!  

In this webinar you will learn how to set up and prepare for the Hour of Code with your students.  Hour of Code is a nationwide initiative to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science during Computer Science Education Week (December 5 - 11).

Illinois educators can earn 1 PDH for attending this webinar LIVE.

Presenter: M.R. Halloran, Professional Development Specialist @ CodeHS
Based in Chicago, MR comes to the CodeHS Professional Development team after several years of teaching in urban K12, community center, and virtual environments. MR earned her BA in Secondary Education with an English Language Arts and Teaching English as a Second Language focus. Passionate about making education accessible and engaging to all, she regularly adapted curriculum and methodologies for special needs, English Language Learners, and at-risk students. She believes people from every walk of life can have a seat at the table in the computer science and technology world – no matter where they’re beginning.

The IDEA Northern Suburbs MiniCon is a half-day mini-conference featuring some of the best EdTech talent in the Northern Suburbs.

Join the Northern Suburbs Chapter on Saturday, December 3rd at Viking Middle School in Gurnee. Participants choose from a wide offering of exciting sessions run by teachers, tech coaches, and administrators on a wide variety of topics. The Student Innovation Playground will be open with poster sessions running throughout the morning where students will walk you through their projects and learning as well as answer questions.

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. Multiple sessions will run throughout the morning with the conference ending at 12 PM. An off-site restaurant location will be provided for those that want to carry on the discussion and comradery after the event. 

Schedule

11:15 - 12:00 - Session 3

The Student Innovation Playground is open throughout!

After event off-site meetup

For more information, click HERE

Professional development hours will be available.

Welcome to the December  playground which is all about Meaningful feedback is imperative for student growth. But how do we provide an authentic audience for our students in the first place? Along with learning about several formative assessment strategies, this workshop will unpack the power of feedback and the potential to connect students to an authentic audience.

In this playground, we will focus on the following areas:

Here is how a playground works:  you will have from December 12 until December 31 to watch up to 6 pre-recorded sessions that range from 30 - 60 minutes long.  At the end of each video, there will be a link for the PDHs.

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

This month's playground is intended to help educators increase self-awareness.

In this series, you’ll find opportunities  to think about your own thinking and understand how their own thoughts and behaviors impact their interactions with others.

Some topics include but are not limited to:

Here is how a playground works:  you will have from January 16 until January 31 to watch up to 6 pre-recorded sessions that range from 30 - 60 minutes long.  At the end of each video, there will be a link for the PDHs.

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

What can you do to advance your pedagogical skills and maximize student learning?

To transform the field of education, we must promote a career continuum that leads to accomplished teaching.

Join this #WednesdayWebinar to learn about National Board Certification, the research-based process towards certification, the ISBE subsidy for certification, and how you can achieve National Board Certification.

Illinois Educators can earn 1 PDH for attending this webinar live.

Do you want a better understanding of the day to day life of your district's technology department?

If you answered "YES!", then this workshop is for you!

During this Administrator Academy, attendees will:

By the end of this workshop, attendees will have the needed information to have meaningful conversations with their technology departments in order to move their district forward.

Participants should bring or know how to access your district's organization chart, SOPPA agreements, and technology plan (if available).

Educators can choose to earn Admin Academy credit ($225) or 6 PDHs ($100).

Interested in other Admin Academies?  Check out our other upcoming opportunities:

This month's playground is all about empowering young learners!

Learn how you can help your students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.

Learn all about the following:

Here is how a playground works:  you will have from April 17 until April 29 to watch up to 6 pre-recorded sessions that range from 30 - 60 minutes long.  At the end of each video, there will be a link for the PDHs.

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

This workshop will focus on the evaluation of technology in the classroom and how it relates to the evaluation of teachers. It is designed to provide administrators with the ability to walk into a classroom and know the difference between a teacher using technology as a lesson enhancer not just using it to say they are using it.

The course will also address effective tools that administrators can use from day to day, such as websites, blogs, podcasting, and social media to relay information to stakeholders in the community.

Also addressed is the ever growing need to move to 1:1 computing as educators get close to the Common Core testing structure and what needs to be understood before making this all important move in the future.

Learning targets:

- Building a culture of learning and the importance of leaders modeling the use of technology.

- Understanding the integration and use of technology in classrooms.

- Evaluation of technology in the classroom and how it relates to the evaluation of educators.

Educators can choose to earn Admin Academy credit ($225) or 6 PDHs ($100).

Interested in other Admin Academies?  Check out our other upcoming opportunities:

This course 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.

Educators can choose to earn Admin Academy credit ($225) or 6 PDHs ($100).

This month's playground is all about assessment strategies.

It’s of the utmost importance that educators provide varying ways for students to demonstrate competency and reflect on their learning using technology. This may mean using data from formative assessments or summative assessments to help create deeper richer learning experiences. 

This playground will cover:

Here is how a playground works: 

Attendees will have from May 15 until May 31 to watch up to 6 pre-recorded sessions that range from 30 - 60 minutes long.  At the end of each video, there will be a link for the PDHs.

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