School and district EdTech Leaders play an essential role in successfully executing educational technology initiatives, charged with embracing innovative technologies to meet the evolving requirements of education. The Networking and Systems Design initiative equips these leaders with the necessary tools and support to adjust to dynamic and sustainable technologies, thereby catering to the growing demands of teaching and learning.

CoSN Network & Systems Design Project Director: Amy McLaughlin, MS, MA, CETL, CISM, CHPS, CDPSE, CISSP, amclaughlin@cosn.org

CoSN staff contact: Jill Brown, MA, Ph.d., Director of Professional Learning, jbrown@cosn.org

NEW: Building Checklist: Essential Guide for IT Leaders' Construction Projects

Construction and substantial renovation of school district buildings must consistently incorporate technology planning from conception to building. This member document is a game-changer, providing a concise yet powerful roadmap for designing and renovating buildings focusing on future-proofing district technology.

The abrupt rise of online learning and reliance on remote access tools forced schools and districts to reconsider and disrupt their existing processes. It is incumbent upon edtech leaders to invest in sustainable and robust school network designs. 

Funding network connectivity, both at physical locations and remote or home locations, for employees and students is a continuous challenge for many organizations. 

The Networking & Systems Design initiative provides recommendations and resources for funding connectivity.

K12 schools that operate in the cloud, primarily use Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to provide e-mail and other productivity tools, learning management and student information systems, digital content, and other digital learning resources.

Cloud is a part of the Networking & Systems Design initiative and focuses on creating resources to help school and district technology leaders transition from the conventional to IT-as-a-service.

New Tech

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to influence practically every aspect of education and society. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in K-12 report originally released in 2020 has been updated to reflect today's ecosystem. 

Download it now!
aiAdditional resources: https://www.cosn.org/ai/ 

IoT devices offer many opportunities to automate processes within a school system; however, they are not a neutral addition to the organization's technology toolkit. Like other technologies, implementing IoT devices in the district requires careful review and planning to ensure security is correctly architected and in place before implementation, and to implement a plan for supporting and sustaining the IoT devices once implemented.

Launching an Esports program offers new opportunities to expand student engagement and connect students to new opportunities to build their leadership and teamwork skills. A successful program launch will leverage a solid plan and cross organizational commitment. Addressing key issues in the district’s plan will support a positive experience for students, staff, and spectators.

Member Exclusive Resources!
WHAT SCHOOL SYSTEM TECH LEADERS NEED TO KNOW

(Please note that you must be logged in to your CoSN member account to view these Member Exclusive Briefs.)

disaster

Disasters, whether human or natural, can have sudden and serious impact on the ability of the school district to deliver services, including core services for the support of students and staff. Many critical resources that impact not only the delivery of teaching and learning, but also the basic life, health and safety functions of the school district are dependent upon technology to continue to operate.

Communicating with District Leadership

Need a ready-to-roll slide deck to discuss network and infrastructure in your district?  Customize and go with this resource.

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The modern CTO should be having critical conversations both inside and outside of the organization in order to be effective in a dramatically evolving environment.

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Transformed learning demands smart networks that are affordable, scalable and reliable.

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Network Security

Education Networks of America, in collaboration with eLearn Institute and TechEdvantage, white paper that provides insight, considerations and best practices every school district can implement for improving its network security.

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Technology leaders and policymakers need to protect their networks and information security, analyze their current status, and validate what they are doing well. 

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Advisory Committee

Thank You to Our Initiative Sponsors

networking,edtech leadership networks,data hub architecture
networking,edtech leadership networks,data hub architecture