Presented by Christine Fox, Deputy Executive Director, SETDA; and Ryan Kocsondy, Director, Connecticut Education Network (CEN)
Hosted by SETDA

Sponsored by Education Networks of America (ENA), Kajeet, Mobile Beacon, and Parana River Group

Watch the Recording

Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more

This edWebinar is the launch of SETDA’s latest resource, State K-12 Broadband Leadership 2019: Driving Connectivity, Access and Ensuring Student Success. In this report, SETDA builds upon the research and recommendations from the 2016 State K-12 Broadband Leadership Report with a focus on the role of state leadership in supporting districts and schools to increase high-speed connectivity and access for students and educators.

State leaders from Connecticut share their unique approaches to Wi-Fi implementation and support statewide including statewide partnerships, regional consortia and policy initiatives. This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to state and district administrators, CIOs, IT directors, E-Rate coordinators, network leaders and tech coordinators.

About the Presenters

Christine Fox is the deputy executive director for SETDA. As Deputy Executive Director, she collaborates with the executive director in charting strategic direction, administration, planning and financial decisions involving SETDA. She also facilitates the members’ professional learning opportunities including planning and implementing the content for SETDA’s virtual and in-person events and newsletters. In addition, she manages many of SETDA’s research and product development projects from conception to publication. The management of such projects includes coordinating data collection from all states, supervising consultants and staff, ensuring member input and supervising the publishing process. Recent publications and projects include Navigating the Digital Shift, Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States, OER Case Studies: Implementation in Action, The Broadband Imperative and From Data to Information. Christine’s background includes experience in education and consulting. She has worked as an educational consultant and curriculum developer for a national whole school reform model, ESOL coordinator and 3rd grade teacher. Christine has a Masters of Science in teaching English as a second language from Florida International University and received her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Florida State University.

Ryan Kocsondy brings over 17 years of technology and business experience to the Connecticut Education Network (CEN) team. He previously managed UConn’s Network Engineering and Data Center Operations teams, having started his career there as a junior network technician in the summer of 2001. More recently, Ryan spent five years restructuring and revitalizing IT service and support as the director of UConn Hartford ITS and helped design the IT, AV, and security infrastructure from the ground up for the new UConn Hartford Campus which opened in the fall of 2017. Ryan serves on the Member Board of Directors for NEREN and The Quilt, representing CEN and its members regionally and nationally among research and education network peers.

Join the Essential Elements for Digital Content community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit membership association launched by state education agency leaders in 2001 to serve, support and represent their emerging interests and needs with respect to the use of technology for teaching, learning, and school operations. Our current work is guided by a strategic plan, Leading, Inspiring and Empowering: The 2013-16 SETDA Strategic Plan, adopted by the SETDA Board of Directors in October 2012 after extensive consultation with the membership. The SETDA mission is to build and increase the capacity of state and national leaders to improve education through technology policy and practice.
 
ENA delivers comprehensive technology solutions supported by exceptional customer care to education and library institutions across the nation. In 2018, ENA joined forces with a company who share ENA’s same vision and passion for delivering excellence—CatchOn. CatchOn is a user-friendly data analytics tool that enables school districts to make data-informed decisions about the apps and online tools their educators and students are using. Collectively, ENA and CatchOn leverage their respective resources and expertise to deliver critical services and solutions to America’s community anchor institutions.

Kajeet, the industry leader for safe, managed mobile solutions, powers the K-12 connected environment. Our secure Kajeet Sentinel® platform centrally manages and enables safe, online connectivity and visibility into mobile learning environments. Schools and districts can manage and protect student mobile devices anywhere to create an ideal learning environment while extending the school day with Wi-Fi on the bus and Internet access outside the classroom. From the classroom to home, Kajeet has students covered.
 
Mobile Beacon provides fourth generation (4G) mobile broadband services exclusively to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations across the United States through an agreement with Sprint. Mobile Beacon was created by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the second largest national educational broadband service (EBS) provider in the country. We help educators and nonprofits get the Internet access they need and extend access within their communities to those who need it most.
 
The Parana River team has deep expertise across the entire life cycle of identifying, planning, executing, operating and growing technology solutions. We help our clients focus on unlocking value contained within their organizations through better use of technology to understand, reach, grow and retain clients, as well as to understand and seize opportunities in new markets and products that align well with their business goals.