The CoSN Podcast

Remote and hybrid work environments have grown in popularity over a number of years, and this trend, like so many others, has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The trend is now impacting schools just as it is transforming other workplaces and industries. In considering schools’ teaching and learning objectives, and the tools and technologies we use to best equip students with future-ready...

In the past two episodes, we’ve discussed digital security and cybersecurity, and the fact that each stakeholder group within a school district plays a role in ensuring the cybersecurity plan is effective. Students are one of those key stakeholder groups, and they’re the focus of this episode. How do we help them develop digital citizenship skills and understand their role in ensuring digital safe...

What are some of the specific cybersecurity challenges school districts are facing and addressing? How have the past two years changed the cybersecurity landscape? Gary Lambert , Director of 21st Century Learning for Beekmantown Central School District in New York, is the guest on this episode and shares his insights on these critical topics. Lambert and MindRocket Media Group discuss the reasons...

Digital safety and cybersecurity are among the most critical responsibilities of school districts. Technology leaders nationwide are constantly evaluating new tools and best practices to develop an effective, reliable security plan that all stakeholders can follow. We look at digital security tools in part one of this three-part series. How do districts determine their needs, find tools that align...

Billions of dollars are spent annually on promising education technology solutions, but how many deliver an ROI in improved student outcomes? Often, the way to determine the best tools is to ensure alignment with teaching best practices and research-based approaches. When we rely on the right data and involve all stakeholders in the process, we can implement high-impact, innovative ideas at scale....

“Innovative” may be an overused buzzword in some corners of the education technology marketplace, but that doesn’t contradict the reality that innovation is happening in schools across the U.S. However, to better understand the meaningful trends happening in K-12, we must connect innovative practices with their practical purpose, particularly the ways in which innovation improves equity, access, a...

Marcia Kish, Chief Innovation Officer with DSD Professional Development, joins this episode of the podcast to discuss one of the pressing issues facing educators of all roles: closing knowledge gaps created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. School leaders and classroom teachers clearly understand the challenges students have faced, the goals set for their learning, and the urgency of achiev...

In this episode, Jeremy Wickham, Director of Technology for North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park, Illinois, joins us to discuss his experience with the Early Career K-12 CTO Academy. Jeremy was a graduate of the 2020-21 Academy cohort. The Academy is designed to address the needs of education technology leaders with fewer than four years of experience. Participants learn skills such as...

In this episode, Dr. Tom Ryan, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer for the Santa Fe Public Schools, joins the podcast to discuss findings from CoSN’s groundbreaking new Student Home Connectivity Study. Ryan was chair of the Educator Advisory Committee that worked on the report. The survey drew on data from 13 school districts enrolling 750,000 total students, representing a significant data se...

In the second part of our mini-series on education technology data, Mark Finstrom, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Highline Public Schools, a district of 20,000 students in Washington state, joins the podcast to discuss data trends from the current year. What do the trends tell us, and how can we apply them? Finstrom discusses specific observations in Highline PS, as well as the ways in which t...

On the Season 2 premiere of The CoSN Podcast, edCircuit speaks with a pair of leaders from Oak Park Elementary School District 97 in Illinois—Dr. Carol Kelley, the district’s Superintendent, and Michael Arensdorff, Senior Director of Technology, join the show to discuss the equity initiatives they’re leading in Oak Park. The guests describe their broader goals around equity and, specifically, how...

I n this episode, hear interviews with Caroline Rinker, CoSN’s Director of External Relations; Rod Houpe, Director of Business Development at Education Networks of America (ENA); and Michael Flood, Vice President of Strategy at Kajeet. These experts discuss the conversations that need to take place between districts and vendors as the groups mutually plan for success in the new industry reality. M...

In this episode, hear interviews with Amy McLaughlin, CoSN’s cybersecurity project director, and Tom Ashley, CTO and Director of Technology at Huntington County Community School Corporation in Indiana. edCircuit leads a discussion on cybersecurity concerns during this COVID-19 pandemic. With the increased need for effective remote learning capabilities in these unconventional times, this topic is...

In this special CoSN podcast delivered in partnership with AASA (The School Superintendents Association) and Digital Promise, the participants examine best practices for working, learning, and living during this crucial and challenging time. edCircuit interviews the following guests: Samantha Becker, Project Director for CoSN's Driving K-12 Innovation; Daniel Foreman, Associate Director of Pro...

This episode features interviews with Dr. Donna Wright, Director of Schools, Wilson County Schools in Tennessee, and Dr. David Schuler, the superintendent of the Township High School District 214 in Illinois and chair of the CoSN Superintendent Advisory Council. edCircuit leads a discussion on the role of the superintendent in leading technology initiatives. The guests offer insight on the followi...

In this episode, edCircuit interviews CoSN board member Steve Langford, the Chief Information Officer for Oregon’s Beaverton School District, and Lillian Kellogg, Senior Vice President of Client Services at Education Networks of America (ENA) and Affiliates. The conversation focuses on how IT leaders and business partners can better understand each other’s needs within the evolving vendor-purchase...

In this episode, edCircuit speaks with Kyle Berger and Pete Just about the rise of esports within K-12 education. Kyle, who was TCEA’s 2009 Technology Director of the Year, is CTO for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD in Texas. Pete is the CTO and COO of the MSD of Wayne Township (Indiana) and is currently serving his second term as CoSN Board Chair. The conversation will advance education technology lead...

In this episode, edCircuit interviews Donna Williamson, facilitator for CoSN’s Early Career K-12 CTO Academy, along with two members of the current Academy cohort: Karyn Dobda, Director of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives for Pennsylvania’s Quaker Valley School District; and Steve Thomaschefsky, Director of Technology, School District of Waupaca (Wisc.). The conversation touches on a number of...

In the debut episode of the podcast, edCircuit interviews Beth Holland, CoSN’s Digital Equity and rural Project Director. Holland earned her undergrad degree in communications studies from Northwestern, a Master’s in Technology Innovation and Education from Harvard, and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins in Entrepreneurial Leadership in Education. Her professional career is just as impressive, with ti...