CoSN2023 Information
The Austin Marriott and JW Marriott are SOLD OUT of the CoSN Group Rate. Please make reservations at the Hampton Inn & Suites Austin Downtown/Convention Center, one of CoSN2023's overflow hotels, listed below.
CoSN2023 Hotel Information
Hampton Inn & Suites Austin Downtown/Convention Center
200 San Jacinto Blvd
Austin, TX 78701
512-472-1500
The special group rate is $229 a night plus tax. Please be sure to make reservations before the cutoff date of March 5, 2023. After this date, reservations are based upon date and rate availability.
Please click here to make reservations
Austin Marriott Downtown - SOLD OUT
304 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX 78701
(512) 457-1111
JW Marriott Austin - SOLD OUT
110 East 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78707
Please click here to view the CoSN2023 Schedule-At-A-Glance
All of the following events will take place at the CoSN2023 conference. You can register to attend when you register for conference. If you have already registered, you can go back into your registration and register to attend any of the events you wish. If you have any questions, please email registration@cosn.org.
CoSN Corporate Council Meeting
Corporate members, sponsors, and companies interested in learning about the power of partnership with CoSN are encouraged to send a representative to this briefing. CoSN’s CEO, Project Directors, and CoSN Partners will discuss current CoSN projects and provide a glimpse of the exciting work on the horizon and opportunities for your participation.
Monday, March 20, 2023 / 11 am – 12:00 pm CT
CoSN Advocacy Networking Event
CoSN works at the federal level for education technology policy formation and implementation. We are involved in the discussions that impact school systems and districts, and the learners they serve. We address key education issues including increasing funding and improved administration of the E-rate program, making the case for investment in education technology, and monitoring privacy legislation. We are also expanding our advocacy efforts at the state level. Our CoSN Fundraiser & Auction raises the monies needed to conduct CoSN’s advocacy efforts throughout the year with your generous support. Help us amplify your voice in support of ensuring equitable education technology for every student.
Monday, March 20, 2023 / 6 pm – 8 pm CT
CTO Forum
The CTO Forum is a member-only event where districts take a deep dive into the critical issues they face. They share challenges, best practices, and specific strategies to ensure that the learners and their families are effectively served. Roundtable discussions give participants opportunities to discuss their local challenges and strategies and learn from other districts working to address the same challenges. At the end of the session, participants leave with practical solutions and knowledge of the CoSN resources that are available to help them improve their systems.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 / 8 am – 9:30 am CT
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Networking Event
Are you interested in helping to build systemic change for the inclusion of all populations in the field of EdTech but don’t know where to start? Come and join us for our second annual CoSN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Meet-up to network and discuss how we can make the field of educational technology one of inclusion and belonging.
Monday, March 20, 2023 / 9 am – 11 am CT
First-Time Corporate Attendee Briefing
Is this your first time at a CoSN annual conference? Learn what CoSN2023 has to offer and get tips to have a successful and productive conference experience.
Monday, March 20, 2023 / 10 am – 10:30 am CT
First-Time Educator Attendee Briefing
Is this your first time at a CoSN annual conference? Learn what CoSN2023 has to offer and get tips to have a successful and productive conference experience.
Monday, March 20, 2023 / 11 am – 11:30 am CT
Large District Summit *Member-only Event. This event is intended only for Large and Mega Large districts (25,000 or more students).
Large school districts face unique challenges, and this session is designed for those Large District Ed Tech Leaders. The educational landscape continues to change. We need the best and most creative minds to help pave the way for thought leadership to incubate and drive innovative practices as we move forward. This session will give you, the large district leader, the time and space to discuss your current challenges and brainstorm solutions with your colleagues. Lunch is included.
Sunday, March 19, 2023 / 12 pm – 4:30 pm CT
LGBTQ+ Reception
What progress have we made for the rights of LGBTQ+ education technology leaders at work? What work remains for our community and our allies, and how can we provide better support? Join us during the CoSN conference for this free meetup to discuss your ideas and experiences. LGBTQ+ & Allies Welcome.
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 / 4 pm – 6 pm CT
Male IT Leaders: Up Your Allyship
Research shows that when men are deliberately engaged in gender-inclusion programs, 96 percent of women in those organizations perceive real progress in gender equality, compared with only 30 percent of women in organizations without strong male engagement. Attend this session to learn about the crucial role men play in the advancement of women in the workplace. We will discuss how men are the equalizer in the workforce by simply being an ally to women while at work. Learn how men can partner with their female colleagues to advance women’s leadership and equity by breaking down stereotypical and culturally biased barriers. The session covers concepts from the book, “Good Guys,” by David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson, and is for anybody desiring to up their allyship game. Facilitated by Rod Houpe, Steve Langford, and Diane Doersch.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 / 10 am – 11 am CT
School Site Visit
Join fellow CoSN Conference attendees to visit to Del Valle ISD's CTE Academy and Center on the last day of the conference. The half-day event will start from the hotel, where attendees will board a bus to go to the school. At the school, attendees will meet fellow educators and leaders who will demonstrate innovative technology-related activities in action. After the school tour and a Q&A session with school leaders, attendees will pick up a box lunch, and those who opt to be taken to the airport for departures will be dropped off. This is a ticketed event. Registration fee includes transportation and box lunch. Limited spots are available, so sign up early.
Thursday, March 23, 2023 / 8 am – 12 pm CT
Small and Rural District Conversations
Small and rural districts face challenges due to their size and remote locations CoSN is working with small and rural district EdTech leaders to help them to meet these challenges successfully. Join us for a conversation about priorities and strategies when having limited time and resources. Gather tips and gain a network of other small and rural leaders. Lunch is included.
Sunday, March 19, 2023 / 12 pm – 4:30 pm CT
State Chapter Leaders’ Meeting
Join chapter leaders from across the nation in learning and sharing about the key topics such as cybersecurity, student data privacy, policy updates, and national trends. Lunch is included.
Sunday, March 19, 2023 / 12 pm – 4:30 PM CT
Women in Technology Breakfast
CoSN is committed to engaging in dialogues across diverse perspectives within the K-12 EdTech field, to develop and promote strategies that achieve diversity, advance equity, strengthen inclusion and promote a feeling of belonging. The number of women-in-tech events has been increasing year over year, further highlighting the importance of a more inclusive culture. You are invited to our first-ever Women in Technology breakfast to celebrate female leadership in the field of educational technology. We will share information from our CoSN survey, discuss recent statistics in EdTech leadership and plans for supporting female leaders, and gather your feedback and suggestions. We hope you will join us. Facilitated by CoSN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 / 7 am – 8 am CT
CoSN2023 Conference Workshops
Workshop I: Cybersecurity Incident Tabletop Event: Incident Preparation and Response
Managing Cybersecurity Incident Response is like running a marathon. It takes well developed muscles and endurance, solid planning and practice. Learn how to build your incident response muscles in this workshop that features developing an incident response plan and applying the plan to a simulated cybersecurity incident in a facilitated tabletop exercise, and completing a learned activity.
Speaker: Amy McLaughlin
Monday, March 20, 2023
8 am - 11 am CT (breakfast included)
Workshop II: New EdTech Leaders (formerly: What is the CoSN Early Career Academy?)
Surveys indicate that the exodus of veteran CTOs from education will continue. Shoes must be filled! However, it is difficult to, "step in" without a deep dive into the essential skills and thoughtful mentoring. Join us to better understand how to provide cohort-based leadership development for K-12 leaders. Hear about some strategies that build essential knowledge, and develop collaboration through mentoring and leadership experiences for aspiring and early career K-12 technology leaders.
Speakers: Donna Williamson and Pete Just, CETL
Monday, March 20, 2023
8 am - 11 am CT (breakfast included)
Workshop III: Putting it Together: An Organizational Approach to Student Data Privacy
The need to build a mature student data privacy program and demonstrate your commitment to protecting student data has never been greater. Learn the fundamentals of student data privacy requirements and how to leverage CoSN’s Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal program to create an organization-wide approach to the work. No matter your district size or resources, get started or move further along on your journey with advice from TLE Seal recipients for engaging your leadership, developing a program for better protecting student data when sharing with vendors, and more. Crowd-source your knowledge with your peers and the experts to make progress in the room, and come away with tangible steps to help you build, measure and improve your privacy practices, while empowering educators to leverage technology safely, and build a trusted partnership with parents. Come alone or bring your team!
Speaker: Linnette Attai
Monday, March 20, 2023
11:30 am - 2:30 pm CT (lunch included)
Workshop IV: If You Build it They Will Come (Virtual School)
Campus Technology recently reported that, "experience with online and blended/hybrid learning experiences has led students to want more." As educators, we have an opportunity to build anti-fragility in our education systems by offering more online options for students. Some students and families are demanding it now and others may benefit from, or even need, online options in the future. Building an online program is an option for every school out there. This workshop will break down initial considerations and obstacles when building an online program, including:
Students - defining, attracting, and retaining your student population.
Leadership - establishing a leadership vision that fosters success for the entire team.
Curriculum - selecting the right curriculum for your students.
Technology - defining your true north regarding technology adoption.
Staffing - identifying, recruiting, and retaining a team that enhances your program.
Funding - looking at various models and sources for funding your online program.
Community - building community and a sense of belonging within your online program.
Policies/procedures - reviewing policies and procedures that encourage innovation without sacrificing opportunities and outcomes for students and staff.
Quality assurance - ideas for measuring the actual quality of your program.
Resources - a potpourri of resources to help you find your tribe.
Growth - how to grow with fidelity and build a sustainable online program.
There are many different paths to take to building an online school and this session will leave you knowing which path is best for your student population. Just like the Field of Dreams, if you build it they will come!
This workshop will be led by Dr. Stacy Hawthorne and Bill Fritz. Dr. Hawthorne has over a decade of experience building successful online programs from coast to coast. As the Executive Director of Learn 21, Bill Fritz has been instrumental in the blended and online learning growth in Ohio.
Three outcomes from this session:
Participants will hear first-hand reflections from someone who has started an online school from the ground up. Participants will learn obstacles and resources for starting an online program. Participants will leave confident in their ability to start an online program that fits their student population.
Speaker: Stacy Hawthorne, EdD, and Bill Fritz
Monday, March 20, 2023
11:30 am - 2:30 pm CT (lunch included)
Workshop V: Leveraging Technology to Help Students Learn The Skills That Make Them Uniquely Human
Socio-emotional skills, soft skills, human, or interpersonal skills - whatever the term most familiar to you, core competencies that account for our ability to identify and manage our own internal landscapes while effectively forming and maintaining meaningful relationships with others, are not just becoming more relevant, but essential across all levels of education. In a world as immersively digital as our own, we need to learn to leverage the power of technology to acquire these innately human skill sets. This session will present evidence-based findings around technology-enhanced attempts at integrating socio-emotional skills into the learning process and facilitate a collaborative discussion where participants will be able to share their own experiences and strategize practical pathways for our students to realize their true human potential.
Speaker: Michelle Sengara, PhD
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
8 am - 10 am CT (breakfast included)
CoSN's number one priority is the health and safety of our event participants. Our goal is to hold a safe event, recognizing it is not possible to remove all risks, in particular concerning COVID-19. CoSN will put required measures in place to provide a safe environment for its event attendees. Policies for each meeting will be set according to CDC and public health recommendations, federal, state, and local regulations applicable at the time of the event, and what CoSN deems necessary to manage the risk for its event attendees. CoSN may change, update, or add to these requirements at any time as it deems prudent to be protect the health and safety of attendees and others, and attendees must comply with relevant policies and requirements as communicated by CoSN.
The rapidly changing conditions created by COVID-19 and its variants necessitate that CoSN constantly evaluates and updates health and safety protocols for upcoming in-person events.
Attendees will be expected to take common actions to reduce the risk of COVID transmission and to behave responsibly (including leaving the event area) in case of exposure to a COVID case or experiencing symptoms. In such case, attendees should seek appropriate medical attention, including a COVID-19 test, and must immediately inform CoSN should a COVID-19 test be positive during the event, or in 14 days following the event.
Failure to comply with all safety protocols and requirements as listed above or related directions from CoSN representatives onsite may result in the loss of the right to attend or participate in CoSN events, including forfeiting any registration fees paid.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we navigate this dynamic environment.
Please click here to view the CoSN2023 Registration Fee Grid.
Please click here to view our full FAQ sheet.
Please click here to view our full FAQ sheet.
