By Rebecca Torchia

Innovation is the name of the game when it comes to educational technology, but sometimes, innovating takes courage.

This year’s Consortium for School Networking conference highlights all the challenges and possibilities around innovation in its “Reimagine. Redesign. Renew.” theme, and opening keynote speaker Michael Horn set the tone for the week. Monday’s keynote covered the reasons traditional school systems aren’t working in today’s digital world. Horn argued that schools should look at learning loss as a threat, but also as an opportunity to reinvent the way education is delivered.

Sharing high points and visual examples from his book “From Reopen to Reinvent,” Horn emphasized the ways education should support students and teachers. For example, students and educators should be on the same team, working toward the same goal, rather than acting as adversaries. Horn shared how this mindset, and other innovations, could better support a wider range of students in the future, if only schools could be brave enough to innovate now.