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CoSN's 9th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference

Program Overview Links



The CoSN Conference is Sponsored By
Program Overview

The 9th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference offers comprehensive information for anyone concerned with technology in education. Highlighting experiences from across U.S. school districts and around the world, the conference covers the future direction of technology to improve learning. The meeting will explore:

  • What students want and what parents expect from a 21st-century learning environment
  • How emerging technologies can improve the learning process
  • The impact of technology on the digital divide
  • How to make informed data-driven decisions that will improve student achievement
  • What knowledge is essential to education technology leadership and successful eLearning

Breakout Session Topics

  1. Content and Integration
  2. Accountability and Assessment
  3. Technology Leadership
  4. Emerging Learning Tools
  5. Professional Development in an Online Environment

Who Should Attend?

  • District-Level CTOs, CIOs and Technology Directors
  • District-Level Directors for Curriculum, Budget, Professional Development & Evaluation
  • Superintendents and Principals
  • County/Intermediate Unit Leaders
  • State and National Education Associations and Nonprofit Organizations
  • Other Key Education Technology Leaders

Five Great Reasons to Attend

  1. Connect with key leaders using the Internet to improve learning
  2. Hear the most up-to-date information on policy issues that effect your job
  3. Attend educational sessions offering practical information
  4. Increase your knowledge and skills
  5. Learn about new and emerging technologies

Conference Highlights

Birds-of-a-Feather Roundtable Discussions
During the conference lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday take part in informal discussions about school technology issues you care about. Share your experiences and ideas.

Learning From The Leaders
Large districts have complex IT environments and the most diverse users. At the same time, they often have relatively large staffs and budgets. The combination means that they are often among the first in the education community to face and begin dealing with difficult issues – such as security. Large districts are the pioneers, having to operate in the uncertain area before best practices are fully identified and incorporated into standard operating procedures. Often, the best help they can get is from each other. And the rest of the Education Technology community can learn from listening to their conversation. In that spirit, the CoSN conference includes two sessions focusing on the experiences of large districts that are getting real about network security. These sessions are T204: Security of Urban/Large Education Networks (Part I): “Dealing with Users and Usage” and T304: Security of Urban/Large Education Networks (Part II): “Tools, Methods and Management.”

Pre-Conference Workshops and Forums
Join us for two Pre-Conference Workshops, to be held Monday, March 1: How to Build an Effective Plan for Your Cyber Security and District Technology Leadership Institute Essential Skills for School Technology Leaders--"Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom", as well as a pre-conference Forum on Emerging Technologies in K-12 Education. In addition, CoSN will also be co-sponsoring the The Blackboard Summit: Online Professional Learning in an Era of Accountability: Bolstering K-12 Community, Capacity & Student Achievement, which will also be held on Monday, March 1.

Scholarships
A limited number of scholarships for State Directors of Technology and urban/minority Chief Technology Officers are available to assist K-12 leaders who lack travel funds to attend the CoSN annual conference. Funding for these scholarships is provided by BellSouth, Gateway, HP, as well as through a grant from the National Science Foundation. For more information regarding these scholarships and to receive an application, please contact Sharon Cannon at info@cosn.org.

Special Programming of Interest Geared for:
  • Urban/Large District Chief Technology Officers
  • Rural Districts
  • States

Exhibit Hall
The Exhibit Hall showcases the state-of-the-art technology, software and other services to enhance the learning environment.

Late Night Café
The Late Night Café offers attendees a chance to relax and catch up with your colleagues following the CoSN Town Hall Forum.