Philip Pulley EdD

Poster for Northern Suburbs MiniCon on April 18, 2026, at Lake County ROE Building, Lake Forest, IL, from 9 AM to 12 PM.

The IDEA Northern Suburbs Chapter MiniCon is coming back! It's a great opportunity to learn with and from peers, but it's also the perfect place to try out presenting a new session or to present for the first time.

Submit your proposal today at https://ideail.org/2026MiniConCFP!

#IDEAil #EduSky

Desiree Alexander and Marcus Stein leading a session at IDEAcon.

“If you have a seat at the table but you don’t have any power, you don’t have a seat at the table.” - @educatoralexander.bsky.social

#IDEAcon #IDEAil #EduSky

Don Sturm is 🤔 and Stefanie Crawford talk with English teacher Marcus Luther Luther about what student‑centered learning looks like. They dig into reflection, community, tech choices, and the joy that keeps this work meaningful.

https://ideail.org/ThatsTheIdeaPodcast

#IDEAil #IDEAcon #EduSky

IDEAcon presentation preview

This is getting really close—and I'm really excited to be a part of IDEAcon with @ideaillinois.bsky.social this year!

I know I'm a broken record on trying to get more teacher voices in bigger/broader conversations, so trust me: the chance to be a part of this?

Really meaningful and I cannot wait.

Podcast episode cover for 'That's The Idea!' featuring Ted Neitzke in Season 2, Episode 11 with a blue dotted background.

🚨New episode alert! Tuesday's #IDEAcon keynote speaker Ted Neitzke, a former social studies teacher turned superintendent and mayor, who brings big energy and a clear message about making improvement actually stick.

Listen now at https://ideail.org/ThatsTheIdeaPodcast!

#IDEAil #EduSky

Newsletter cover for The Big Ideas Newsletter Volume 4.21 dated January 22, 2026, featuring upcoming events and instructional insights.

Get caught up on The Big IDEAs Newsletter and see how Snorkl can help with student feedback, other factors impacting literacy, how to use Google Vids, and an IDEA podcast episode with Kunal Dalal!

Catch up now at https://ideail.org/BigIDEAs012226!

#IDEAil #IDEAcon #ProfessionalDevelopment #EduSky

There’s still time to join us at IDEAcon 2026. A space to learn, lead, and transform together. A place to create, connect, and innovate with educators, leaders, and partners who believe in joyful, impactful learning.

Register now at https://ideail.org/go2IDEAcon26.

#IDEAcon #EduSky

Connected, Supported, Empowered: Women Leading in Tech with panelist Jenn Brown, Senior Program Manager at Google for Education, Maria Stavropoulos, Director of Technology at Northbrook SD 28, and MJ Warden, Chief Technology Officer at CCSD 15. The panel is happening on February 10, 2026 at 1:45 PM in Utopia C.

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.

#IDEAil #EduSky

Promotional graphic inviting podcasters to sign up for live podcasting at IDEAcon 2026 with a microphone and event logo.

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!

#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

#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

#IDEAil #EduSky

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance announces a new blog post titled "Getting Back to Our 1:1 Roots." There is a picture of the author.

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

Blue graphic promoting ideaU's 2025 educator series themed 'Rekindle Your Spark' focusing on joyful classrooms in December.

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.

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance new post. Taking Flight with the Aviation Club. Read now.

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

List of 2026 IDEA Mini-Grant recipients with project titles and awardees' names on a celebratory background. The list of winners can also be found on the IDEA website.

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

Podcast episode cover featuring a woman and speech bubbles saying 'That's the idea!' and 'An IDEA podcast' on a blue dotted background. S2:E5 - Sitting Down with Dr. Rachael Mahmood

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.

#IDEAil #EduSky

IDEACon 2026 announcement with a call to share ideas before November 14, 2025 deadline, featuring event attendees and presentations.

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!

#IDEAil #EduSky

Graphic for Illinois Digital Educators Alliance featuring a new blog post titled 'Finding Balance in a World of Technology' with a striped background behind a person.

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

IdeaCon 2026 logo with a party hat and gold confetti, announcing the second call for proposals open through November 14, 2025.

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.

#IDEAil #EduSky

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, New blog Post, "Coding through Stories"

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

Announcement for a free Google for Education event featuring AI's Dream Team: NotebookLM and Gemini on November 6, 2025, in Lake Forest, IL.

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

Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, new blog post, "Thoughts from the IDEA high school intern: AI and the regression of teenage brains."

“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

picture of dollar bills

So...

US importers must pay Trump's tariffs. If the recent ruling issued by an appeals court (that the tariffs are illegal) stands, they will be refunded.

The firm buying up refund rights is run by none other than sons of Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick

Follow the money

ACLS Statement Regarding the White House Review of Smithsonian Institution Museums ACLS stands in firm opposition to the latest directive by the White House forcing Smithsonian Institution museums to subject their presentation of American history to government review.

The AHA has signed on to the @acls1919.bsky.social’s Statement Regarding the White House Review of Smithsonian Institution Museums. The review “supersedes the oversight of professional scholars and makes the museums tools of the presidential administration.” 🗃️

How to Build Better, More Effective Tests and Quizzes Your tests might be falling short due to a few fixable missteps. Here’s how educators are fine-tuning their approach for better, more accurate results.

Are your tests *really* giving you a complete picture of student learning? Check out these 9 evidence-based tweaks to see if your assessment practice needs a makeover! 🔧

#assessment #EduSky

New Partner Blog "Amplifying Student Voice in the Age of AI" by WeVideo. Illinois Digital Educators Alliance

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

And don't forget, friends: Paying teachers better isn't just about fairness.

Horace Mann said it in 1839: Paying teachers more = improving YOUR school and YOUR family's future.

IDEAcon Super Saver Registration Closing August 1

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

IDEAcon 2026 Answer the call

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