Groundbreaking Exploration of the Value of Educational Technology
CoSN's 11th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference

Ted Richane
The Fratelli Group
202.822.9491
trichane@fratelli.com

Washington, DC (January 24, 2006) – The Consortium for School Networking’s (CoSN) 11th annual K-12 School Networking Conference is organized around the groundbreaking theme Measuring the VALUE of Education Technology. Scheduled for March 6-9 in Arlington, VA, the event will attract more than 800 key education technology leaders from school districts in the US and around the world.

Technology is transforming the world and profoundly impacting K-12 education. Schools are under increasing pressure to demonstrate accountability and increase student achievement. We know that technology requires resources, but what is the return on our investment? Can technology be the catalyst to launch real reform and true transformation in our schools? How do we measure value of investment when the goal is student achievement, rather than a goal with a financial bottom line? Is one-to-one student computing worth the expense? The conference sessions will explore these questions with the goal of beginning a national dialogue around the metrics educators might use to measure the impact of investing in technology in the learning environment.

“The theme of ‘value’ is timely, fresh and an urgently needed topic given limited resources,” said Katie Lovett, CIO of Fulton County Schools (GA) and co-chair of the conference committee. “I can think of no more important meeting for school district Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and other district, state and national educational technology leaders.”

Conference plenary sessions will address how to measure the value of technology initiatives, examine one-to-one computing implementations, and explore the future of technology in our schools. Plenary speakers include:

• Dr. C. Jackson Grayson, Jr – Chairman, American Productivity & Quality Center
• Rich Kaestner, Director, CoSN’s Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom leadership initiative
• Kosmo Kalliarekos – Founding member and Senior Partner, The Parthenon Group
• David Pearce Snyder – Contributing Editor, Futurist Magazine
• Plus Chief Technology Officers from leading-edge school districts

On March 8 & 9 immediately following the Annual Conference, CoSN will host the 5th International Symposium, Open Technologies: Issues, Exemplary Practices and Future Directions in Education, exploring the open technologies approach, which has become a highly significant dimension of the primary and secondary ICT environment worldwide. The Symposium will focus on current real-world applications of open technologies, featuring experts sharing their knowledge and experience on the policy, legal and application aspects of open technologies from around the world. Key speakers include:

• James Wales, Founder, Wikipedia
• Martin Dougiamas, Founder, Moodle (via teleconference from Perth, Australia)
• Plus leading ICT experts from ministries of education and school networking organizations from Australia, Africa, United Kingdom, Europe, Japan and around the world.

A critical aspect of the CoSN Annual Conference is the Washington Advocacy Day, cosponsored by CoSN, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). Leading district-level technology decision makers meet with their elected Members of Congress to educate them on the value of investing in educational technology. Given recent federal budget cuts to education technology funding under No Child Left Behind, this advocacy effort is particularly important.

“The CoSN conference provides unparalleled professional development for district technology leaders,” said Jean-Paul LeBlanc, Director of Business & Finance, LEARN, and co-chair of the conference committee. “This year’s conference is definitely a ‘don’t miss’ experience.”

Complete program information, along with details on registration and travel, can be found at the official conference web site.

About the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

Founded in 1992, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a national non-profit organization, is the premier voice in education technology leadership. CoSN’s mission is to serve as the national organization for K-12 technology leaders who use technology strategically to improve learning.

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); Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse (www.safewiredschools.org); Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom (www.classroomtco.org); and the development of the Council of School District Chief Technology Officers (CTO Council).

CoSN’s membership includes a unique blend of technology leaders from the public and private sectors. Our audience includes key technology leaders (often called Chief Technology Officers—CTOs) in leading-edge states and districts, 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.