Illinois Design Educators Association
Fall 2023 - President's Letter
Hello Illinois CAD and Design Educators and Welcome back to a new school year! I hope everyone had a fun filled and relaxing summer vacation spent with family and friends. I look forward to all CTE educators and your students having a great year! IDEA has several exciting and new things coming up!
New Website Coming Soon!
The IDEA will be launching a new website later this Fall under a new domain. When launched you will be able to find us at our new site. www.illinoisdesigneducatorsassociation.org
Currently this site is still under development and in the meantime, www.idea-online.org is still active but with only a few details and dates on the main page. Please be patient as we work to finish our new website which will lead to a better experience for our members. It will give us more capabilities and a more user-friendly experience on both the front and back end in order to update information in a more timely manner.
Fall Semester
We look forward to continued growth with renewal of memberships and new members. Educator dues are $20 if paid by December 31st and $40 if paid on January 1st or after. Membership Google Forms and Dues can be completed and paid online by going to www.idea-online.org/join-idea
Fall Conference
1. Our annual fall conference will be held on October 20th and 21st at ISU and at The Chateau of Bloomington. IDEA is once again working with TEAI to host and plan the conference. The latest information with links to registration can be found on the ITEC Home Page.
2. Call For Presenters! We are working hard to create a valuable and relevant conference that provides meaningful professional development. As experts of teaching CAD, Drafting, and Design we need your help. We are always looking for new and different ways to keep our students engaged in our courses. If you are interested in presenting a session to demonstrate the new and exciting activities you are doing in your classroom please use this Presenter Form to fill out a session proposal. Free ITEC Registration included if you present a session!
3. In the opening “general session” we will be presenting our annual awards. Nominations are currently open if you know someone you would like to nominate for an award. Nomination forms are available for both IDEA Educator of the Year and also Friend of IDEA.
We also offer the Dr. Ryan Brown Scholarship for a student attending Illinois State University and who has competed in or been involved (proctor, judge of contests, etc.) in the IDEA State Competition.
Annual Membership Meeting
1. Our annual membership meeting is for all IDEA members and will be held in person this year at the fall conference on Friday, October 20th at 6:30 pm. The meeting will take place in the banquet room at The Chateau of Bloomington. Food will be provided!
2. At the meeting we will hold our annual election of executive board officers and approval of appointed positions. This is a great opportunity for educators to get more involved with IDEA in positions of leadership, communication, financials, conference, and competition planning. We need your help!
3. Also at the meeting we will be looking at some proposed organizational changes and we are seeking your input and voice! We are always looking to do what is best for our students and teachers and the more involvement and ideas the better our organization will be.
IDEA State Competition
Our annual state CAD, Drafting and Design student competition will be held at ISU on Saturday, April 20th, 2024. Regional competitions across the state will take place from February 16th-March 22nd. Stay tuned for more information and registration details!
Thank You
Thank You for all the hard work you put in day in and day out to educate your students. You are making a real difference in the lives of countless young people by giving them the skills and confidence needed to help them at the next level in college, the workforce, and as productive members of our society. Please let us know if there is anything more we can do to help you with your teaching and your students' learning of Drafting and Design.
Lastly, Thank You to our IDEA Board of Officers for your passion and all the time and effort that goes into making our organization, conference, and competition experiences the best they can be!
Sincerely,
Chris Komer – IDEA President
IDEA Important Dates
October 20th & 21st: ITEC / IDEA Fall Conference
October 20th: IDEA Annual Membership meeting 6:30pm @ The Chateau Banquet Room (Food Provided)
February 1st: Regional Registration Due
February 16th - March 22nd: Regional Competition Window
April 20th: IDEA State Competition @ Illinois State University