Perspectives: Finding Common Ground

Recorded at the 2024 CoSN conference in Miami, in this episode, Patrick and his guests break down the latest findings from CoSN's Driving K-12 Innovation Report and share their perspectives on navigating the ever-evolving landscape of K-12 education innovation.

Join us to hear a Chief Academic Officer, school CTO, and edtech leader explore the hurdles, accelerators, and tech enablers shaping K-12 education. Together, we unpack the obstacles educators face, from budget limitations to accessibility concerns, and examine the innovative solutions driving progress. Discover the key drivers propelling innovation in classrooms nationwide, from adaptive learning platforms to emerging technologies.

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We can all agree that technology is transforming education for the next generation of learners. But what do these edtech innovations look like? In this special episode recorded LIVE at SXSW EDU, Patrick and his guests dive into the world of edtech innovations and what they mean for learning.

LIVE from ClassLink's CLON 2024 conference, Patrick delves into the critical topic of making data privacy and security a priority in schools with industry experts across the world of education technology.

Tune in as our expert guests share insights on how educators can balance the need to leverage technology and the responsibility to protect student privacy. You won't want to miss their breakdown of the evolving landscape of data protection regulations and the importance of digital citizenship.

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By now, AI is a topic almost everyone has heard of—but what about AI in higher education? In this episode of Perspectives, we're diving into the practical applications, ethical dilemmas, and future trajectories of AI in academia.

Tune in as Patrick explores the challenges, successes, and evolving dynamics of AI with Laura Dumin (Univ. of Central Oklahoma), Amanda Bickerstaff (AI for Education), and Victor Karkar (Scrible). You won't want to miss their perspectives on the newest way technology and education intersect.

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Learner records have had various purposes in education like tracking credentials, competencies, and employment records. But how have they evolved to meet the demands of today’s digital world?

This week, Patrick delves into the transformative impact of the digital landscape on the collection, structure, storage, and utilization of learner records. Join the conversation as we unravel how these changes shape the landscape of education and the potential pathways ahead for the future of learner records.

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Edtech tools are the leading resources of school districts, but how can you measure ROI to determine their effectiveness? In this episode, Patrick sits down with industry experts to unravel the critical components of measuring the effectiveness of educational technology.

Uncover the challenges faced in evaluating and maximizing the potential of Edtech within school systems. Tune in to explore solutions and strategies for optimizing the use of these tools, balancing both educational excellence and cost-effectiveness.

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What makes edtech adoption stick? We all know one-and-done trainings don’t work; but, what are the alternatives?

Join Patrick as he sits down with industry experts Greg Bagby (Hamilton County Schools), Trudy Bender (Branching Minds), and Jeff McCoy (Greenville County Schools) to get their perspectives on making edtech integration effective and sustainable.

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With cybercriminals becoming increasingly sophisticated, protecting private data has never been more critical. This challenge is particularly pronounced as schools and edtech companies seek to share data to harness the full potential of digital educational resources. How can we balance safeguarding data privacy and facilitating secure data sharing?

Join Patrick in this episode of Perspectives as he delves into the pressing issue of data privacy in education. Our expert guests will share their insights and strategies for ensuring that our educational systems remain resilient against cyber threats while embracing the benefits of data collaboration.

Learn more about the Cybersecurity Rubric for Education: https://www.cybersecurityrubric.org/

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In this episode of Perspectives, Patrick sits down with guests Patches Hill (Supervisor of Technology, Seaford School District), Erin Mote (Exec Director, InnovateEDU), and Sean Casey (Director, Vendor Partnerships, Ed-Fi Alliance) to examine what technology standards are and what their purpose is in education.

Tune in as these experts discuss the benefits and challenges of today’s tech standards and how they can impact edtech adoption.

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This episode we’re talking all things usage analytics! Join Patrick as he sits down with special guests Kat Brown (DreamBox Learning), Matt Frey (Plano ISD), and Mary Batiwalla (ClassLink) to get their perspectives on the power, limits, and potential variations on usage analytics.

Tune in to learn how school districts connect data to better support edtech adoption and learning. Together, we’ll focus on where analytics are today and what we think the future holds for usage data!

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Over the past few months, AI has taken the education world by storm. But what are the challenges and potential pitfalls of this new tool? Can AI be leveraged to benefit teaching and learning in an ethical manner?

Tune in as Patrick discusses the pros and cons of AI with industry experts Dr. Avis Williams, Ken Shelton, and Todd Baker. Together they’ll explore their differing perspectives on what implications AI holds for education and what you should consider before jumping headfirst into this popular tool.

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Data privacy. Cybersecurity. The magnitude of potential implications if a security breach occurs. This is what keeps technology leaders up at night! However, should this burden only be on the shoulders of technology admins?

In this episode of Perspectives—recorded in-person at CoSN 2023—Patrick sits down with Frankie Jackson (Project Lead, Cybersecurity Rubric for Education), Rod Houpe (Director of Business Development, ENA), and Eva Mendoza (CTO, San Antonio ISD) to discuss how security best practices can become part of the school culture so the entire learning community can be in tune with, and responsible, for the security of data.

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Artificial Intelligence is here to stay and with it comes a lot of controversy. But what are the real challenges and pitfalls of AI? How can it be leveraged to benefit teaching and learning?

In this episode, Patrick sits down with Serena Sacks-Mandel (Global Education CTO, Microsoft) and Dr. Barbara Mullen (Superintendent, Rush-Henrietta Central School District) at AASA to get their perspectives on the pros and cons of AI in education.

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Join us live from TCEA where we chat about digital assessments! In this episode, Patrick and his guests dig into the benefits and challenges of assessment at the district and state level.

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Over the past two years, ClassLink has brought school leaders, vendors, and edtech experts together in a BTS Summit to discuss the challenges of the back-to-school season and to collaborate on ways to improve the experience for all stakeholders. After our 2022 BTS Summit, school leaders and vendors jointly agreed on five key challenges to tackle together, and an ongoing leadership workgroup was formed for each of these challenges.

In this episode, we’ll hear the perspectives of experts on each of the key challenges the back-to-school season brings and learn how each group is working together with the intention of collaboratively creating solutions.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from educational research, it’s that student learning has changed. Teachers are infusing engagement with a student-centered approach using instructional strategies such as cooperative learning, differentiation, and more.

In this episode, we’re focusing on how learning theory, technology, STEM, and SEL have impacted classroom design. Join us as Patrick gets perspectives on how the classroom has changed with industry experts Geri Gillespy (Microsoft), Dr. Wednaud Ronelus (The Alchemist Club), and Kristine Zimmermann (Steelcase) live from the Steelcase showrooms—exemplifying active learning furniture of the evolved classroom.

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Now, with more learners plugged into their devices than ever before, infusing digital citizenship into education is crucial.

In this episode, Patrick digs into digital citizenship with industry experts Darshell Silva, Michael Jolley, and Sophia Mendoza getting their #perspectives on the importance of digital citizenship. Tune in to discover how digital citizenship can be impactfully implemented in curriculums, what digital competencies exist, and how digital citizenship can empower students and educators.

Episode Resources:

What does it take for an edtech solution to make it in the K-12 market?

In this episode of Perspectives: Finding Common Ground, Patrick sits down with industry experts from commercial and education leadership roles to get their perspectives on the uniqueness of the K-12 market. From getting an audience and soliciting early adoption to navigating regulation, entrepreneurs must adapt their strategies to be ready for the challenges the world of K-12 can throw their way.

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In Episode 7 of Perspectives, we explore the often-conflicting objectives of simplifying access to tech resources while maintaining user privacy and security. A difficult trade-off, privacy measures put in place to prevent security threats often impact students' and teachers' ability to access digital resources.

Hear perspectives from a security expert, technology director, and curriculum leader as they discuss the challenge of minimizing security risks to end-users while ensuring those same end-users have access to resources without limitations.

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Engaging the learner is one of the key foundations of effective teaching. Now, in today’s education world, there is no shortage of new and developing technology and methods designed to engage learners of all ages and abilities. But where do educators begin?

Join Patrick in Episode 6 of Perspectives: Finding Common Ground, as he sits down with industry experts to get their perspective on alternative engagement and discuss the different challenges, successes, and insights educators should consider when utilizing these emerging tech trends.

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Technology leaders are often the ones charged with creating user accounts in various digital platforms while curriculum leaders are the ones who best know who should have access to which resources.

In Episode 5 of Perspectives, Patrick sits down with industry experts Casey Carroll and Emily Bell to discuss how resources following the OneRoster Standard could hold the solution for the “last mile” problem of providing granular access to students and teachers. Listen in for valuable insights from both schools and publishers who are addressing this challenge to digital access.

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How do you teach teachers? Access to training on digital resources—and best practices for implementation—for new and experienced teachers is a challenge schools and edtech companies share.

In this episode of Perspectives: Finding Common Ground, Patrick sits down with industry experts to discuss their perspectives on supporting teacher readiness in the digital world.

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When there are more edtech tools available now than ever before, how do you choose the right one? What factors should you consider to best serve students, administrators, curriculum leaders, and more?

Tune in to episode 3 of Perspectives: Finding Common Ground to hear from three different industry leaders (plus Patrick) as they guide you through all the questions you should be asking about edtech tools to find the right fit for your school.

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How do we ensure technology is a supplement to learning, not an inhibitor? In today’s digital world, access to technology is synonymous with access to knowledge. Because of this, access often determines an individual’s ability to learn.

In episode two of Perspectives: Finding Common Ground, Patrick sits down with a few special guests to get their perspectives on digital equity and what it truly means to afford a level (digital) playing field to all.

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In the world of education, one thing is true: data must be shared between schools and #edtech companies to enable the use of critical digital tools. But, there’s a catch—how do we ensure the privacy of this data while still giving educators and students the access they need? Who’s responsible for making this connection happen securely?

In the first episode of Perspectives: Finding Common Ground, Patrick Devanney sits down with a few special guests to get their perspectives on the impact data privacy and security have on education and edtech.

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