Jennifer Cummings
Fratelli Group
202.822.9491
jcummings@fratelli.com

Washington, DC (January 4, 2007) – Can games and simulations be used to successfully enhance learning in schools? Is educational gaming the future of education technology, and where is it headed? The Consortium for School Networking’s (CoSN) 6th Annual International Symposium, themed Using Games and Simulations for Engaged Learning, will help answer those questions and many more about the use of emerging digital learning technologies in classrooms. The International Symposium, which will bring together thought leaders in education technology from across the globe, will take place on March, 27, 2007 in San Francisco, CA, during CoSN’s 12th Annual K-12 Networking Conference.

“While CoSN focuses on the use of education technologies in schools in the United States, we have an ongoing and open dialogue with our colleagues throughout the world to continue uncovering ways in which technology is being used to make a positive and powerful impact on learning for school age children in other facets of their lives,” said James Bosco, Co-Chair of CoSN’s International Committee.

Worldwide, students are turning to digital games and interactive software outside the classroom as a means of entertainment or to connect with friends and schoolmates. As gaming has become one of many activities that children identify with, the Symposium will explore if there are effective strategies for stimulating greater synergy between the gaming and education sectors with the goal of providing more compelling and engaging learning environments for our children.

According to CoSN, educational gaming is defined by three criteria, which include that it is:

• Explicitly designed to accomplish credible educational objectives;
• Engaging for the children/young adults who are the target audience. That is, kids will use the programs even if they are not told by an adult that they have to do so; and
• Highly interactive, meaning that a user must engage repeatedly and at more than one level with the software for it to work.

During the Symposium, presenters and participants will discuss ways that educational gaming can be used as a catalyst to create a more engaging learning experience for students. Participants will delve into best practices for encouraging the gaming and interactive software industries to become more involved in developing educational tools, and how public and private sector policies can encourage or discourage the development process. The meeting will also address questions about what kinds of standards should be put in place to evaluate education gaming programs and the future of these technologies.

“The Symposium is an ideal destination for educators and education technology decision makers at all levels interested in learning more about how education and gaming can coalesce to create really compelling learning experiences and environments for our children,” said Wm. Gilcher, the other Co-Chair of CoSN’s International Committee.

Speakers include a number of global leaders:

• Marc Prensky, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, games2train.com and Corporate Gameware, LLC;
• Lord David Puttnam, Education Advisor to the British Government and former Oscar winning Producer of ‘Chariots of Fire,’ ‘The Killing Fields,’ ‘The Mission’ and ‘Midnight Express’;
• Plus leading educational gaming experts from Australia, Japan and Korea, and other countries.

The Symposium is sponsored by the Goethe-Institut/German Cultural Center and co-produced by The George Lucas Educational Foundation. More information can be found online at the official Web site for CoSN’s 12th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference, Bridging Individualized Learning and High Stakes Accountability.

About the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the country’s premier voice in education technology leadership with a mission to serve as the national organization for K-12 technology leaders who use technology strategically to ultimately improve teaching and learning. CoSN provides products and services to support and nurture leadership development, advocacy, coalition building, and awareness of emerging technologies.

CoSN leadership initiatives include: Accessible Technologies for All Students (www.accessibletech4all.org); Cyber Security for the Digital District (www.securedistrict.org); Data-Driven Decision Making (www.3d2know.org); K-12 Open Technologies (www.k12opentech.org); Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse (www.safewiredschools.org); Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom (www.classroomtco.org); Value of Investment (www.edtechvoi.org); and the development of the Council of School District Chief Technology Officers (CTO Council).

CoSN’s membership includes a unique blend of education and technology leaders, policy makers, and influencers from the public and private sectors. Our audience includes key technology leaders (often called Chief Technology Officers—CTOs) in leading-edge states and districts, policy makers, private sector leaders, as well as those technology leaders who wish to accelerate their districts’ or states’ systemic technology use. Visit www.cosn.org or phone 866.267.8747 to find out more about CoSN’s programs and activities supporting leadership development to ensure that information technology has a direct and positive impact on student learning in elementary and secondary schools.