CoSN: CTO Clinics - Texas, June 2007


	About CoSN Chapters CTO Clinics Texas, June 2007 Georgia, June 2007 California, July 2007

Agenda
(Agenda Subject to Change)
Last Updated: June 5, 2007

Monday, June 18, 2007
	Pre-Conference Event Begins June 18 at 1:00 pm Ends June 19 at 11:00 am
	CoSN CTO Clinic "Check-up" Stop by Plano ISD a day early and participate in a conversation regarding the "health" of your technology initiatives. Hear about the successful practices used in Plano ISD and discuss the similarities and differences with your local processes. This pre-clinic opportunity is just what the doctor ordered to help strengthen your district technology program.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
11:00 - 12:00	Registration/Table Top Exhibits Open
12:00 - 1:30	Welcome Opening Session/Lunch Alice Owen, Executive Director of Technology, Irving ISD (TX) Sheryl Abshire, Administrative Coordinator of Technology, Calcasieu Parish (LA) Opening Plenary Think Before You Ban: The Educational Technology Balancing Act MySpace, cell phones, instant messaging...these are just the first wave of applications and devices that are coming to a school near you. Should they be banned from your network, hosted in a walled garden, or embraced? Each school will have to engage in discussion with stakeholders to determine which new technologies and tools bring value to the educational process and which ones disrupt the learning environment. Our expert panel discusses the decision process and real-world examples of educational applications for these new technologies. Ed Zaiontz, Moderator, Executive Director, Information Services, Round Rock ISD (TX) Milt Dougherty, Superintendent, USD444 (KS) and President, Milt Dougherty Associates Karen Henke, Author & Speaker, Nimble Press
1:30 - 2:00	Table Top Exhibits Open/Break
2:00 - 2:30	Sponsor Sessions 1. Promethean, Robert Harris, Highland Park SD (TX) - (Guest Speaker) How Highland Park School District Is Reaching Digital Students Today’s students live in a multimedia world. Highland Park School District will demonstrate the technology that has been integrated into daily instruction and the strategies teachers are using to reach digital students. During the presentation, we will present how technology is addressing the learning styles of all students and engaging them to succeed. Incorporating the right technology can motivate digital natives to become enriched with their learning. In addition, with the right technology, teachers work collaboratively to build and deliver more engaging and enriching lessons. 2. Toshiba/Microsoft: Susan Bauer, Technology Director, Ursuline Academy of Dallas Meeting Millennials in the Classroom – Technology as a Tool for Engagement, Advantage, and Lifelong Learning Technology is the language spoken by many of today’s students. Spend some time talking to K-12 educators and they’ll tell you that today’s middle school, junior high and high school students lead highly connected lives, rich with multimedia and unprecedented access to information. Nearly every bit of information they view as critical to their lives is digital, and for those fortunate enough to afford the devices, it is with them at all times. From music, photos and video clips to banking, schedules and contact information students today truly epitomize the definition of ‘mobile warriors’. Those of us involved in planning must meet the needs of the institutions we work for. Meanwhile, we must also address the needs of the instructors to capture and hold the attention of students who manage many aspects of their lives with technology. How can we balance these two requirements?
[TOP]
2:40 - 4:30	Clinic I (choose one) A. Thinking Outside the Box from Inside the Network Emerging Web 2.0 technologies are coming soon to your network, whether or not you've planned for them. Students and teachers have embraced many of the new web-based technologies that help them collaborate, communicate, and learn. How can the CTO promote innovation without sacrificing security and reliability? We will examine some of the latest tools for collaboration: IM, blogs, wikis, and platforms for community and content management. We will review actual deployments to understand how they were implemented, the learning opportunities, and the impact on policies and procedures. The content is based on CoSN's emerging technologies report, Collaboration in K-12 Schools: Anywhere, Anytime, Any Way, interviews with CTOs, and original research. Karen Henke (see above) B. Using Data for Targeted Interventions Data driven decision making is an evolving process-moving from the collection of the data, to the reporting and analysis and finally to its use for targeted interventions. Research from CoSN's Data driven Decision Making Initiative, www.3d2know.org, indicates that most districts are making process in the collection, reporting and analysis of the data, but are lagging behind in its use for targeted interventions. During this session, participants will take part in an activity to gain deeper knowledge of the data driven decision making process, learn about ways in which districts are using data in powerful ways and achieving results, and understand the challenges of using data for target interventions through case studies. Irene Spero, Vice President, CoSN and Project Director, Data-Driven Decision Making C. Open Technology Solutions Open Technologies, the newest leadership initiative from CoSN, provides information regarding three primary components: open source software, open data standards, and open device standards - and the impact that decisions regarding the use of open technologies will have on future classroom learning opportunities for students and teachers. It's critical that educators become more aware of the opportunities presented by the use of open technologies and be prepared to use this experience as they create and assess their technology implementation plans. Participants will work with a wide variety of open source software and compare the functionality to existing proprietary software. Each participant will have an opportunity to explore options in the three primary categories of open source software: operating systems (e.g. Linux), applications (e.g. GIMP) and content (e.g. Wikipedia). Group discussion involving TCO perspectives (installation, printing/network and general support) will complete the workshop. - Participants must bring laptop - Must be in Lab Room Steve Hargadon, Project Director, Open Technologies Initiative, CoSN D. Planning for the Inevitable: IT Disaster Preparedness When there is the unexpected disaster of any kind, school personnel, students, parents and communities expect to rely on communication and critical services the district provides and therefore the technology that supports them. Disaster recovery of IT-related operations and information is critical to the 24/7 operations of your district and its overall business continuity planning. This strong reliance on technology presents significant challenges to today's school technology leader. The time to plan and prepare for a disaster and cyber security is before the event is imminent. Much can be learned from the experiences of individuals, schools and districts who have developed and tested plans and from those recently experiencing disasters. What preparations were made? What worked or needed modification in testing or in an actual disaster? What would they recommend to others now? Best practices will be explored and suggestions for effective preparations will be shared. Linda Sharp, Project Director, Cyber Security for the Digital District, CoSN Sheryl Abshire (see above)
4:30 - 5:30	Networking Reception

[TOP]
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
7:30 - 8:00	Breakfast/Table Top Exhibits Open
8:00 - 8:45	State Updates Texas Anita Givens, Senior Director, Instructural Materials & Educational Technology, Texas Education Network, University of Texas Louisiana Sheryl Abshire (see above)
8:45 - 9:30	Keynote School 2.0 and the School of the Future Tim Magner, Director, Office of Educational Technology (OET), U.S. Department of Education Over the past several years a number of technology trends have emerged that together have transformed our world, economically and socially. Our education system is not immune to these changes. From technologically savvy digital-natives, to the increasingly competitive global economy to the social transformation brought about by the Internet, the students attending our schools and the expectations they need to meet have changed considerably. Mr. Magner will examine these trends, explore their implications for our education system, and discuss a collaborative approach to evolving schools to meet the needs of this changing world.
9:30 - 9:45	Table Top Exhibits Open/Break
[TOP]
9:45 - 11:30	Clinic II (choose one) E. Technology: Total Cost of Ownership and Value of Investment This session will review the need to understand the costs of implementing and maintaining computers and networks. Based on this understanding of current costs, we will investigate a methodology for determining the Value of Investment (VOI) for proposed technology projects. A brief demonstration of the free CoSN-Gartner TCO tool and VOI tools will be included. Rich Kaestner, Project Director, Total Cost of Ownership & Value of Investment, CoSN F. Using Your IT Framework to Support District-wide Process Improvement and Strategic Alignment Have technology systems ever been implemented as a solution to an issue when come to find out that it only automated the business practice that was the 'real' issue? Are you able to link all your district's technology purchases to supporting measurable district goals? Are end-users utilizing technology systems to their full potential? If you answered no, yes, yes, then your district is well versed in using IT as a core component for process improvement and strategic alignment. For the rest of us, this workshop will introduce concepts and tools that will help us to move into the 'no, yes, yes' group. In the first half of this workshop will focus on the value and importance of shifting our thoughts, work, and organization from 'functions to 'processes'. Using data, tools, and examples from four recent K-12 national benchmarking studies we'll explore the critical role of information technology and technology leaders in the success of any process improvement initiative. During the second half of the workshop we'll work with two tools in a hands-on session that will introduce you to a new method of aligning your strategic IT plan and initiatives with broad district goals, staff needs, student outcomes, and overall business needs. Travis Colton, Senior Project Manager, APQC Polly Gifford, Education Partners Solution, Inc. Steve Hickman, Director of IT at Lamar ISD (TX) G. Strategies for Safety: Cyber Security and Social Networking In the first half of this workshop will focus on the value and importance of shifting our thoughts, work, and organization from 'functions to 'processes'. Using data, tools, and examples from four recent K-12 national benchmarking studies we'll explore the critical role of information technology and technology leaders in the success of any process improvement initiative. During the second half of the workshop we'll work with two tools in a hands on session that will introduce you to a new method of aligning your strategic IT plan and initiatives with broad district goals, staff needs, student outcomes, and overall business needs. Linda Sharp (see above) H. The Emerging K-12 Research Agenda This is a highly interactive session built around questions that Gartner is investigating as part of the K-12 research agenda. Participants will have the opportunity to provide input, and in exchange will receive copies of the resulting Gartner publications. The topics are: (1) The K-12 Congruence Model: What are the characteristics of school districts that should be included in your peer group; with whom among other school districts should you compare metrics such as TCO? (2) Describing Technology in K-12 Schools: What are the top ten things that Higher Education should know about technology in the K-12 schools? In a similar vein, what should state and local government know about the K-12 technology environment? Conversely, what should K-12 education know about technology in each of those areas? Bill Rust, Research Director, Gartner, Inc.
[TOP]
11:30 - 12:00	Table Top Exhibits Open/Break
12:00 - 12:30	Sponsor Sessions 3. Vericept Corp. Risk Management and Network Forensics Made Real in K-12 Vartan Ouzounian, Managing Partner, Secure Content Solutions and Ed Zaiontz, Executive Director, Information Services, Round Rock ISD (TX) Secure Content Solutions presents Vericept, an advanced content monitoring application, designed to Capture, Record, and Rebuild Internet sessions that violate acceptable use and compliance policies. Security is only as good as can be reported. Discussion on what steps can be taken to increase visibility into network wide activities that place the school at risk. 4. Cisco Creating a 21st Century School Alice Cullison, Area Marketing Manager, Commercial South Area, Cisco In today’s global environment schools need to teach skills that will provide students with the competitive advantage they need to succeed. Creating a 21st Century School is paramount to transforming your educational environment. Cisco invites you to come and hear how to create a 21st Century School that fosters a safe, engaging learning environment where teachers and administrators have the resources they need to delivers a 21st Century Education--where students receive the skills they need to be 21st Century citizens. What does a day look like inside a Cisco 21st-Century School? Our live theater presentation will show how the human network and technology are transforming the learning environment for students, teachers and administrators. We will explore how technology can help schools prevent, deter, detect and respond to school safety incidents. Learn how your district can create 21st Century engaging learning environment, while ensuring your staff and students are safe.
12:30 - 2:00	Lunch/Closing Keynote How Can We Describe Technology in K-12 Education? What are the factors that will be driving technology in education over the coming three to five years? How will our increasingly connected society and changing expectations impact K-12 education in the United States? Hear the top predictions from Gartner, the preeminent technology and advisory services firm, based on updated research from "The New Digital Divide", an important report they published last year. Mr. Rust, head of K-12 research at Gartner, will provide his advice for key school district technology leaders/CTOs. Bill Rust, Research Director, Gartner, Inc.
[TOP]

Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)
1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20005
ph 202/861-2676 . fx 202/393-2011 . email info@cosn.org

Unless otherwise noted, this site is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.