2025 ISBE Career Connections Conference

In this hands-on session, attendees will explore the use of drones as powerful tools for teaching career and technical education (CTE) in fields like agriculture, construction, media, and engineering. Drones provide unique opportunities for students to engage in coding, engineering design, and problem-solving, skills that are directly aligned with career readiness in emerging industries. Through live demonstrations, educators will learn how to incorporate drones into their classrooms, from autonomous flight coding to exploring drone applications in multimedia and other CTE-related fields. Participants will understand key drone terminology, career pathways, and FAA certification requirements. This session will also cover resources and project ideas to get started, ensuring that drones enhance student learning and better prepare them for the workforce. By the end of this session, CTE educators will have practical knowledge on integrating drones into their programs and be equipped with strategies to elevate student engagement and career readiness.

In this interactive session, educators will explore the LIT method, Listen, Interact, and Transform, as a powerful approach to engaging high school students. Khayla will walk attendees through practical strategies for transforming their lessons to meet the needs of today’s learners, while encouraging an environment where mistakes are embraced as opportunities for growth. The session will tackle common challenges such as balancing engagement without overdoing it, updating outdated lessons, and navigating the fine line of being the ""cool"" teacher. Participants will collaborate, sharing lessons they struggle with and learning ways to make them more engaging and impactful. Khayla will discuss how education has evolved from pre-COVID to now and offer handouts that include the LIT method along with resources for finding trending teaching ideas. Teachers will leave with tools and strategies to better understand and meet the diverse needs of their students.

Stay in touch with offerings from the Illinois Business Education Association (IBEA).  Discover professional development offerings, webinars, mentoring programs, membership, regional affiliates and many more resources available through IBEA.  Great resource for all business and computer science educators.

This session will focus on actionable strategies and best practices for preparing future educators to transition to college and the teacher education field successfully. The strategies are directly connected to the Post-secondary and Workforce Readiness Act’s Essential Employability Competencies and focus on communication, problem-solving, decision-making, planning and organization, and initiative. In this interactive session, participants will engage with pre-service educators and program staff to explore specific interventions and initiatives implemented within the Redbird Educator Scholars Program. Attendees will gain insights into approaches to enhance academic and social preparedness, ensuring students possess the requisite skills to navigate the university and teacher education community. Join us to discover how you can build a strong foundation for your future educators and help effectively address the multifaceted challenges faced by pre-service educators, fostering their success and resilience in higher education and the teaching profession.

In today’s classrooms, addressing students’ social-emotional needs is just as important as academic instruction. This workshop will equip educators with the knowledge and strategies to foster emotional well-being, build resilience, and create a supportive learning environment.