Learn with Jenn Brown, Senior Program Manager at Google for Education, Maria Stavropoulos, Dir. of Tech at Northbrook SD 28, and MJ Warden, CTO at CCSD 15 as they share how they’ve forged their paths, built networks of support, and partnered with allies to create change. #IDEAil #IDEAcon #EduSky

Our latest episode features #IDEAcon Keynote, Kunal Dalal, former teacher and principal turned AI thinker and builder. He shares how his work with AI began and grew, and challenges how we think about learning, creativity, and responsibility. https://ideail.org/ThatsTheIdeaPodcast#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

One of the things we love about #IDEAcon is how our exhibitors are truly an essential part of the conference experience. Many thanks to SchoolAI, true IP solutions, and Vivacity for each providing a scholarship to IDEAcon 2026 for an IDEA member. We're all better together! #IDEAil #EduSKy

#IDEAcon is less than a month away, and if you've missed our series of episodes with our IDEAcon 2026 Featured Speakers, this is a great time to catch up! Listen to all episodes, including our latest with Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason, now at https://ideail.org/ThatsTheIdeaPodcast#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

Live podcasting at #IDEAcon 2026 sponsored by SPL: 🎙️ Record your own podcast 🎙️ Be a podcast guest 🎙️ Watch a live podcast 🎙️ Test the SPL podcast cart during Connections & Confections To record or be a guest fill out this form today at https://ideail.org/IDEAconPodcasting26#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

#IDEAcon is 1 month away! Join us for an experience built for educators to create, connect, and innovate; explore best practices in education, the newest edtech and learning‑space solutions, and be part of a community that moves education forward. https://ideail.org/go2IDEAcon26#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

🌟 Happy New Year! 🌟 We wish you new starts where you need them, a renewed sense of excitement for things, hope and support where you most need it, and more of the things that make you feel most like you. Thank you for allowing IDEA to be part of your journey! #IDEAil #EduSky

Last call! Today’s the final day to order the special #IDEAcon 40th birthday IDEA shirt, only available through registration and will be ready for pickup in February. Registration stays open, but the shirt deadline ends tonight. ideaillinois.org/ideacon#IDEAcon #IDEAcon #EduSky

IDEA Executive Director Stefanie Crawford offers her perspective on how we've shifted away from the original intent behind school 1:1 initiatives and the impact that has in our schools currently. Read the newest IDEA blog at http://www.ideaillinois.org/1-1rootsblog #IDEAil #IDEAcon #EduSky

#IDEAcon 2026 early bird pricing is almost gone! Register today for ✅ hundreds of sessions ✅ exceptional vendors ✅ connections with peers ✅ incredible keynote speakers and thought leaders ✅ hands on playgrounds ✅ drone soccer ✅ ...and so. Much. More https://ideail.org/go2IDEAcon26#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

Time is running out to submit your nominations for IDEA Educator of the Year, sponsored by National Inventors Hall of Fame! Awards are in 3 categories: ✅ Classroom Teacher ✅ Tech Leaders ✅ Administrators Nominations due by 11:59 PM CT on 12/12! https://ideail.org/IDEA2026EOY #IDEAil #EduSky

Join Stefanie Crawford and Don Sturm is 🤔 as they sit down with educator, author, edtech whisperer, and IDEAcon 2026 Thought Leader Marcus Stein to explore what it really means to make professional learning human. Listen now at https://ideail.org/ThatsTheIdeaPodcast #IDEAil #EduSky #IDEAcon

IDEA turns 39 today! Still inspiring. Still connecting. Still transforming teaching and learning through innovation. Grateful for every educator who makes this mission real. 🧡 #IDEAil #IDEAcon #EduSky

December's ideaU sessions on Joyful Classrooms are here, and you don't want to miss all the JOY being spread with sessions by Tisha Richmond, Steph Sukow, and Dr. DSNY! Learn more and register today at https://www.ideaillinois.org/ideaU.

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

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

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

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#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

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#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

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

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#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

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

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 #IDEAcon#SpringCUE#IDEAil #EduSky

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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! 💕

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

🎲 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

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

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

If you missed the 4/3 issue of the #IDEAil #newsletter, catch up now with a webinar featuring @sjeducate.bsky.social as a panelist discussing how to meet the needs of our Arab students, resources from @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social for National Library Week, and more! ideail.org/BigIDEAs4325 #EduSky

🚨 Online threats are everywhere—are your students prepared? Xerox + ITsavvy and VIPRE Security Group’s self-paced, interactive courses help K-12 students recognize phishing, malware, and social media risks. Let’s build smart cybersecurity habits together! #EduSky pages.itsavvy.com/hubfs/VIPRE_...

“It was cool to look around and see what other people were doing.” - Bailey, a student who has presented at multiple conferences, including #IDEAcon, with her teacher on what it’s like presenting at a conference. #IDEAil #EduSky #education

“If you’re presenting at a conference, why not have the learning co-designers with you.” - Greg McDonough, educator and #IDEAil member leading a session on including students in conference presentations. #EduSky #innovation

Join us on Wednesday April 9 at 3:30 PM CST as @jehehalt.bsky.social with Common Sense Education explores the highlights of the recently released 2025 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight. For PreK-5 teachers, admin, and librarians. #IDEAil #EduSky ideail.org/CommonSense4....

Join @mrscford.bsky.social and @sturmdon.bsky.social as they sit down with @jehehalt.bsky.social from Common Sense Education and Dr. Sonal Patel to discuss AI and how our approach and attitudes toward AI can shape the landscape of AI use in education. ideail.org/ThatsTheIdea... #IDEAil #EduSky

Did you miss the last issue of the #IDEAil #newsletter? Check it out now for using the Classroom Zen website, how to close read in any subject with @cultofpedagogy.bsky.social, financial literacy toolkits from EVERFI for 4-12 graders, Advocacy Day, and more! #EduSky ideail.org/BigIDEAs32725