Events

Here are some upcoming events that we think will be of interest to our readers. If you would like to submit an event to be listed here, please contact us.

Events for November 19 - June 23, 2023

The Augmented and Virtual Reality Policy Conference

In the last decade, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) have evolved from niche tools for enthusiasts and high-tech industries to more widely adopted communications technologies that have the potential to transform the way people communicate, collaborate, and learn. As AR/VR solutions gain traction across sectors, they will raise important policy considerations-some of which are already a part of broader tech policy discussions, while others will be unique to these technologies. Through a series of expert talks and panels, this half-day…

Learning at Home While Under-Connected and the Role of Public Media

Learning at Home While Under-Connected: Lower-Income Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic follows up on 2016's Opportunity for All? Technology and Learning in Lower-Income Families to uncover the perspectives of lower-income parents with children ages 3 to 13.  In March and April 2021, researchers Vikki Katz and Victoria Rideout led a national survey of more than 1,000 parents. The report delves into the experiences that these families had while many children were learning at home during a time when many school buildings…

Next Gen Public Media Accelerator RFP Info Session

Public media professionals are invited to join us for this one-hour information session about the Next Gen Public Media Accelerator RFP. The session will focus on the purpose of the RFP, an overview of its guiding priorities, the key activities that will happen during the Next Gen Public Media Accelerator, and opportunities for potential applicants to ask questions about the opportunity. Monday, Nov. 8, 202 1:00 PM ET View the session recording here. <!--Register here-->  

Next Gen Public Media Concept Design Sprint

This two-hour interactive workshop will help applicants transform their aspirations into compelling proposal concepts. Facilitated by Cooney Center project leaders, applicants will engage in design exercises that help generate ideas that align with Next Gen Public Media Accelerator goals and expectations.   View agenda Wednesday, November 10, 2021 1:00- 3:00 PM ET Register here

Next Gen Public Media Concept Design Sprint

This two-hour interactive workshop will help applicants transform their aspirations into compelling proposal concepts. Facilitated by Cooney Center project leaders, applicants will engage in design exercises that help generate ideas that align with Next Gen Public Media Accelerator goals and expectations. View agenda Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 1:00 - 3:00 PM ET Register here.

Webinar: How to Design a Digital World Where Children Can Thrive

On February 8, 2022, the 5Rights Foundation and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association will host an expert panel to discuss how the new IEEE Standard for an Age-Appropriate Digital Services Framework Based on the 5Rights Principles for Children (IEEE 2089™-2021) will equip organizations with the tools to put young people’s best interests at the heart of the design of digital products and services. By following the practical steps outlined in this new framework, designers can ensure that children…

show+tell: promising ventures fellows

Join Promise Venture Studio for show+tell: promising ventures fellows, an interactive, virtual event, where participants will hear from and connect with some of the most promising — and innovative — in the early childhood development (ECD) space, the ventures of the third cohort of Promise’s highly selective promising ventures fellowship. These ventures - led by diverse leaders and spanning birth equity, early literacy/education, community support, ECE workforce development, and policy - have done incredible work to meet the moment and…

SXSW EDU 2022

The SXSW EDU Conference & Festival takes place each March in Austin, TX as a four-day event offering compelling sessions, in-depth workshops, engaging learning experiences, mentorship, film screenings, future-focused competitions, an expo, networking opportunities, and so much more. This year, the dates are March 7th-10th. SXSW EDU 2022 will be a hybrid event with an online component. Register for the event here.

IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces

The IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR) is the premier international event for the presentation of research results in the broad areas of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/XR). Since 1993, IEEE VR has presented groundbreaking research and accomplishments by virtual reality pioneers: scientists, engineers, designers, and artists, paving the way for the future. This event will be held entirely virtually from March 12th-16th. To register, click here.

ASU+GSV Summit 2022

Started in 2010 with a collaboration between Arizona State University (ASU) and Global Silicon Valley (GSV), the annual ASU+ GSV Summit connects leading minds focused on transforming society and business around learning and work. Their north star is that ALL people have equal access to the future. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Sesame Workshop are presenting a number of sessions: TIP OF THE SPEAR: EARLY CHILDHOOD (IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SESAME WORKSHOP) TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 11:00 am - 11:40…

2022 AERA Annual Meeting

Each year, the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting is the world's largest gathering of education researchers and a showcase for groundbreaking, innovative studies in an array of areas. The 2022 Annual Meeting is a dual-component conference with sessions offered on-site in San Diego, CA, and other sessions offered on a virtual platform. This year's meeting theme is "Cultivating Equitable Education Systems for the 21st Century." The conference will take place Thursday, April 21 – Tuesday, April 26 in San…

By/With/For Youth Workshops: Promoting Teen and Tween Collaboration with Public Media

As part of our By/ With/ For Youth: Inspiring Next Gen Public Media Audiences initiative, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop invites you to mark your calendars for an upcoming series of capacity-building workshops about collaborating with youth in public media. Designed for producers, directors, and others committed to growing youth participation in public media, the workshops will highlight research-backed best practices for engaging tweens and teens. Attendees will leave each virtual workshop with examples of youth engagement…

WNET Virtual Event: The Role of Media & Technology in the Future of Education

How have teachers, parents, and students adapted to effectively teach and learn in the face of the growing digital divide? What resources, innovations, and solutions have emerged that could help us strengthen and transform our education systems going forward? Join preeminent experts in the field to examine these questions and more, as we look to a brighter, more equitable future for education. Moderated by award-winning journalist Hari Sreenivasan, the panel will include: • Jean-Claude Brizard, President and CEO, Digital Promise • Dr. Angela Haydel…

Dust or Magic Asimolar

Dust or Magic Asimolar is an opportunity for participants to catch up on the current state of children’s media, in one of the most beautiful locations in the world by way of talks, laser critiques and demos. Dust or Magic has a long tradition of deep dive conversations and honest critiques in a commercial-free setting. Participants leave with a sense of where things have been, and where they are going framed in child development theory. Watch this overview video  from…

Games for Change 2022

For nearly two decades, the Games for Change Festival has been a destination for developers, educators, researchers, students, and other game-changers who want to make an impact through video games or immersive media. This year, the Festival is back in person in New York City on July 13-14, and then online from July 15-16. Please join the Cooney Center for our panel on XR and learning! XR’s Potential for Student-Centered Learning Date: Thursday, July 14 Session Time: 1:45 PM -…

Public Media Development and Marketing Conference 2022

The Public Media Development and Marketing Conference (PMDMC) is public media’s largest conference devoted to issues surrounding revenue generation, marketing, and management. This year's conference meets in Chicago. Cooney Center Senior Fellow Elizabeth Rood will speak on a panel on July 20 at 3:30 pm to share findings from our Next Gen Public Media research: New Platforms & New Audiences: Engaging Gen Z for Long-Term Sustainability Public media stations across the country are launching projects and initiatives to engage a…

All Tech Is Human: Youth, Tech, and Wellbeing Panel + Mixer

All Tech Is Human and the Australian Embassy in DC are teaming up for a mixer + panel gathering for researchers, designers, advocates, technologists, academics, and more that are working at the intersection of technology, wellbeing, and youth. This will be a 2-hour panel + mixer for 75 org leaders, researchers, youth advocates, Trust & Safety professionals, academics, designers, entrepreneurs, and more! Speakers include the Cooney Center's Senior Director of Research Medha Tare, PhD, Zoom's Counsel on the Trust &…

Playtest with Kids

Please join the Children’s Media Association of the Bay Area and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center for a one-hour virtual event featuring the Playtest with Kids toolkit. The free interactive resource features methods and case studies to help teams get actionable insights when playtesting their products with children. We’ll talk with experts who will share what they’ve learned about how to effectively gather insights from kids (including remotely!) and how playtesting has impacted their product design. Come prepared to learn and to ask questions! Thursday, September 8,…

2022 NETA Conference and CPB Thought Leader Forum

The NETA Conference is dedicated to providing public media professionals with meaningful and relevant connections to the people and ideas that are at the heart of our mission to educate, engage, and entertain. This year's event is a hybrid conference, taking place September 18-22, 2022, in Charlotte, NC and online. The Cooney Center is pleased to present "A Seat at the Table for Tweens and Tweens in Public Media: Lessons from Established Youth Programs," featuring some early results from a…

Group Chat: Teens and Adults in Conversation at Media Literacy Week 2022

As part of U.S. National Media Literacy Week, please join the Cooney Center and NAMLE for a “premiere” presentation of three conversations between experts and youth around topics in youth digital culture, moderated by educator Dwight Dunston. Together, adults and teens explore issues like what kids are watching online, where they get their news, how they maintain a sense of well-being in the digital world, and what it’s like to collaborate with public media professionals to produce content.  We hope…