CoSN 2016: What You Need to Know Before the Show
From April 4-7 in Washington, D.C., hundreds of educators and IT leaders will share the latest in K–12 education technology. The theme for CoSN 2016, "Accelerating Success," relates to the fundamental digital shift happening in districts across the country.
"The CoSN 2016 Annual Conference will focus on the ways that school systems can change their organizational cultures, embrace a culture of digital options, and accelerate success," according to the conference website.
Attendees of this year's show can join in a huge menu of sessions and workshops across three special tracks: ubiquity and access, vision and leadership, and pioneering innovation. The full list of sessions is available on CoSN’s website.
This year's opening plenary session, “How Smart School Systems are Rethinking Innovation,” will be led by New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink. Pink will be joined by Megan Smith, the U.S. chief technology officer, formerly the vice president of Google X, the global company’s research and development team. The CoSN 2016 opening plenary session will begin at 4:15 p.m. Monday, April 4.
The conference's annual UNESCO International Symposium is a great way to get a big-picture view of how technology is affecting learning globally. This year's keynote will be led by Jorge Sequeira, director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean. The keynote kicks off at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 6.
The number of sessions can be overwhelming for first-time attendees. It's best to come prepared to each day of the show. Stay ahead of last-minute session panic by downloading the official CoSN 2016 mobile app, which can be found on Google Play and the iTunes App Store. The app will help you control your sessions with a scheduler, a detailed list of all events that can be broken down by speaker, along with a map of the show floor and up-to-the-minute conference news.
Another quick way to keep in touch with the latest conference happenings is by perusing the Twitter hashtag #CoSN16, where the latest posts, pictures and comments will be streaming throughout the show.
While educators are visiting DC, they'll have access to a guided, moonlit tour of monuments, along with tours of two schools in Arlington County, Va., "where even the youngest learners engage in powerful learning enhanced by technology."
The EdTech team will provide live coverage of the event, so stay tuned for posts and videos. You can also follow @EdTech_K12 on Twitter for more updates and tweets from the keynotes. Follow all of our CoSN 2016 posts on our conference landing page.
