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Bridging Formal and Informal Learning
Wednesday, March 7 • 6:30 - 9:30 pm at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum of Art 
Learning has never been bounded by the hours at school. Museums, libraries and other cultural institutions have always played a key role in passion-based, typically out-of-school learning. Yet, too often informal learning institutions lack a deep connection to formal learning/school institutions. These experiences are thought of as enrichment rather than a centerpiece of formal education.
Join us for an exciting evening designed for leaders as we explore how technology gives new opportunities for partnerships between school districts and cultural institutions. Hear about how the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, the National Park Service and the National Archives are already using cutting edge technologies to deepen and extend place based learning for students. Hear how some schools; teachers and students are creating new, compelling learning opportunities, and how we might use emerging technologies for a new culture of learning. Over a working dinner, dive deeper in how your educational institution might connect with these cultural institutions for 21st century learning. Let the conversation begin. Transportation departs Omni Shoreham immediately following Closing Plenary at 5:30.
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The event commences with a tour of The ArtLab, a community center for DC area teens outfitted with digital media tools located in the Sculpture Garden of the Hirshhorn Museum. It is at the ArtLab where the ARTLAB+ program is executed. ARTLAB+ allows teens to form clubs that design and compose videos, animations, websites, games, podcasts, and more. It is in this program that they hone their media skills and participate in research projects with the Smithsonian.
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The event continues at the Hirshhorn Museum with dinner and a keynote address and panel discussion on Bridging Formal and Informal Learning.
Thank you to the Smithsonian Institute for their support of this event.
Education Technology Policy Summit 2012
Thursday, March 8 • 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
As states prepare for online common core assessments in 2014, education technology is more vital than ever to the success of our students and schools! Join us in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2012, for a dynamic summit about the latest policy trends “inside the Beltway” about federal education technology funding, E-Rate, and the potential impact of these programs on your school, district, and state. The conference begins at 8:00 am. Most congressional meetings will end by 4:30 p.m.
- In the morning, participate in an Advocacy Boot Camp, where you will hear from key policymakers on important issues regarding education technology and E-Rate.
- In the afternoon, attend meetings with your congressional delegation to discuss education technology funding in your state!
Registration fee: $75.00
Questions? Please contact Jon Bernstein.
George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate & Gardens
Sunday, March 4 • 8:30 am
The estate, gardens and farm of Mount Vernon totaled some 8,000 acres in the 18th century. Today, roughly 500 acres of this historic estate have been preserved 16 miles south of Washington, D.C., on the banks of the Potomac River. Visitors can see 20 structures and 50 acres of gardens as they existed in 1799. The estate also includes a museum, the tombs of George and Martha Washington, Washington's greenhouse, an outdoor exhibit devoted to American agriculture as practiced by Washington, the nation's most important memorial to the accomplishments of 18th-century slaves, and a collection which features numerous decorative and domestic artifacts. Mount Vernon welcomes an average of 1,000,000 visitors each year.
Cost: $60 per person
Preliminary Itinerary:
8:30am Buses depart the Omni Shoreham Hotel
9:30am Arrive at Mount Vernon
Guided tour through the Mansion as well as self guided access to the entire historic area, the Orientation Center, the Museum and Education Center. (The tour of the mansion is about 20 minutes in length and the rest of the Estate can be anywhere from 2-5 hours.)
11:30am-12:00pm Board buses to Old Town Alexandria
12:00-2:30pm Explore Old Town, Alexandria and have lunch on your own.
2:30-3:30pm Board buses from Old town and the Omni Shoreham Hotel
Monuments By Moonlight
Sunday, March 4 • 6:30 pm
When the sun goes down, Washington turns into a different city, a professional tour guides will take you right to some of the city’s most popular monuments and let you see the city in a different light. A 2½ hour tour of the National Mall. Tour goes by The Capitol, The White House, The Smithsonian Museums, and The Washington Monument with stops at the Jefferson, Lincoln and Iwo Jima Memorials for great picture taking opportunities.
Along the way, you’ll be transported back in time as you ride along the same streets the presidents have traveled, and hear historical tales and anecdotes about the city’s fascinating history.
Cost: $60 per person
Preliminary Itinerary:
6:30pm Depart the Omni Shoreham Hotel
6:45 – 9:00pm Monuments Tour
Innovative Uses of Technology for Career Readiness & Students with Special Needs
Thursday, March 8 • 8:30 am - 3:30
Cost: $149 (includes transportation and lunch)
(transportation departs Omni Shoreham at 7:50 am)
Recover from the CoSN Annual Conference with a rejuvenating site visit to two Washington, DC area schools that are using technology in innovative ways. In the morning we will visit Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School, a citywide, comprehensive application public high school with rigorous, innovative curricula. Phelps aims to prepare students for higher education and careers in architecture, construction and engineering, students prepare to succeed in college through a strong academic program with Honors and Advanced Placement courses where technology is embedded throughout. In the afternoon we will visit Jamestown Elementary School in Arlington, VA where digital learning is at the center of pedagogical innovation in its classrooms and allows teachers and students to seamlessly take advantage of media-rich resources to address the diverse needs of all learners, including those with special needs.
More information:
Jamestown Elementary School's mission is to educate all children in an optimal learning environment preparing them for success now and in the future. The staff implements a rich and rigorous academic curriculum. Project Quest, our exemplary project, is a school-wide process to ensure continuous school improvement in teaching and learning. Teachers incorporate the Baldrige Criteria for Excellence in providing a demanding academic program infused with instruction in multiple intelligences and technology. Grade level professional learning communities analyze student work and compile data that drives instructional programming. Digital learning is at the center of pedagogical innovation in our classrooms and allows teachers and students to seamlessly take advantage of media-rich resources to address the diverse needs of all learners. In all classrooms, a blended technology approach is used in teaching and learning; the blended tool set includes Macbooks, iPads, iPod Touches, Nintendo DS, and interactive whiteboards. These toolkits are used in a variety of ways with a special focus on content delivery and productivity. The toolkits are helpful to utilize a Challenge-based learning framework to engage students in 21st century learning opportunities. Challenge-based learning is a multidisciplinary, collaborative learning experience in which teachers and students work together to learn about compelling issues, propose solutions to real problems, and take action. This approach asks students to reflect on their learning, realize the impact of their actions, and publish their solutions to a worldwide audience.
Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School Phelps ACE has a modern, brand new facility that gives our students the state-of-the-art tools they need to become college-ready with a CTE certificate of completion. The new facility also boasts computers in every classroom, a virtual heavy equipment simulation lab and Wi-Fi accessibility. After re-opening in 2008 Phelps ACE overcame the challenge to completely overhaul the existing campus and place the school at the leading edge of high-tech education. The entire building is designed as a teaching tool, with walls serving as master lessons in bricklaying and exposed plumbing providing examples of best practices in construction. Phelps ACE offers a focus on a real world, project based curriculum supported by core academic courses such as English, Mathematics, Physical, Social and Computer Sciences, History, Fine Arts, and World Languages. Courses are taught using multiple intelligences, vocational and social preparation, integrated core academics, cooperative learning, and team teaching in order to create a multi-dimensional real world academic environment focused on student achievement. It also integrated sustainable strategies, including the pursuit of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Phelps ACE is the first public high school in the country to offer both college preparatory and vocational education exclusively dedicated to the design professions and construction trades. The school is the first Silver LEED School certified in Washington, D.C. Students can monitor energy gained from photovoltaic solar arrays, helical wind turbines, and a geothermal cold-water loop. The school boasts a diverse student population, representing more than 20 countries around the world. The student population is 92% Black, 4% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Multiple Races.
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