Why are technology leadership skills important?
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05 Mar 15
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gy in education, appropriate technology use can be very beneficial in increasing educational productivity
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Research indicates that while there are poor uses of technolo
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Today, more than 20 years later, school administrators are still managing operations while focusing on student learning, standards, high-stakes accountability tests, performance assessments, and restructuring efforts. The shift from operational responsibilities to instructional leadership has created substantial and often excessive workloads
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The differences between leading and managing are difficult to distinguish further. Elements of both are present in complex activities. Some leaders refuse to make the distinction and simply use the terms management and leadership interchangeably. One commonly made distinction is that management emphasizes maintenance and coordination functions while leadership involves working with others to prepare for the future and respond to change. Although the term executive leadership typically describes the work of a single individual or a management team operating at the very top levels of an organizational chart, the roles and functions of executive leadership are more representative of the multiple types of leadership
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A critical component of organizational learning is the development of its people. The role of the leader is to ensure that learning is a core strategy for ensuring the organization's success.
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"Relational leadership involves being attuned to and in touch with the intricate web of inter- and intra-relationships that influence an organization" (p. 28). Six competencies in the area of relational leadership include the following: (1) leading employees, (2) interpersonal savvy, (3) work team orientation, (4) conflict management, (5) managing change in others, and (6) effectively confronting problem employees
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Fullan (2001) cautions that "understanding the change process is less about innovation and more about innovativeness.
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Change is not entirely predictable
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Fullan (2001) also noted that "change cannot be managed. It can be understood and perhaps led but it cannot be controlled…. Change can be led, and leadership does make a difference"
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- Clarity. The knowledge must be understood clearly—not be fuzzy, vague, or confusing.
- Relevance. The knowledge must be seen as meaningful, as connected to one's normal life and concerns—not irrelevant, inapplicable, and impractical.
- Action images. The knowledge must be exemplified in specific actions, clearly visualized. People must have an image of "what to do to get there."
- Will. There must be motivation, interest, action orientation—a will to do something with the knowledge.
- Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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To get those effect sizes, schools must make certain that there is sufficient availability of technology and appropriate software, that the uses of technology have linkages to important educational learning expectations, and—most of all—that teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively model and teach exemplary uses of technology. Thus, to be effective, teachers need to be highly involved by interacting and providing feedback when using technology.
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- Accessing information, especially from the Internet, and using that information to communicate findings to others by using graphs, illustrations, and animations.
- Reading and language arts, for phonological awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling.
- Mathematics, to support mathematics curricula that focus on diagnosing and remediating, providing support for fundamental knowledge deficiencies, and for simulating and solving real problems with tools that are similar to tools that mathematicians use.
- Science, to simulate and solve real problems, especially when scientific probes and other technology tools are used to assist with laboratory experiments.
- Social studies, to simulate events and when students are allowed to use the multimedia power to demonstrate student work.
- Health, for research and for personal, family, and community health self-assessments.
- Music, to teach musical theory and composition.
- Art, to view virtually the greatest artworks and to learn art composition and design.
Research studies (Chang, Henriquez, Honey, Light, Moeller, & Ross, 1998; Mann et al., 1999) indicate that technology may be most effective when it is used in:
- Accessing information, especially from the Internet, and using that information to communicate findings to others by using graphs, illustrations, and animations.
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some pitfalls unique to technology leadership may require special attention
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One of the most significant is the need for professional development for both administrators and teachers. Because they often may have not received adequate preparation for technology use in their preservice experience, many educators have had to learn at the same time as they try to use the technology.
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06 Nov 14
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26 Jan 14
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n Leadership Without Easy Answers, Heifetz (1994) says leadership is a change or adaptive process "to address conflicts in the values people hold, or to diminish the gap between the values people stand for and the reality they face" (p. 22)
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(p. 3). In Developing the Leader Within You , Maxwell (2000) defines leadership as simply "influence."
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leadership as "developing potential and building community"
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Traditional views of school leadership have emphasized managerial or operational functions
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This industrial model of school leadership, which emphasized the uniform and efficient delivery of resources, was the dominant view of school leadership until the National Commission on Excellence in Education's publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983.
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ata-driven decision making, test results, and school design were the chief topics of state meetings and professional development workshops for school leaders.
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mphasizing effective teaching and learning strategies, use of data for decision making, parental involvement in schools, and more.
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What standards were to the 1990's, leadership is to the future.
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his shift depicts awareness that standards strategies by themselves are not powerful enough to accomplish large-scale, sustainable reform" (emphasis in original, p. 14).
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Transformational leadership can be thought of as a set of behaviors of individuals who accomplish change.
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Anything that leads to change is transformational "
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- dentifying and articulating an organizational vision.
- Fostering acceptance of group goals.
- Having high performance expectations.
- Providing appropriate models.
- Providing intellectual stimulation.
- Developing a strong school culture (Lashway, Mazzarella, & Grundy, 1995, pp. 60-62)
- A strong sense of moral purpose.
- An understanding of the dynamics of change.
- An emotional intelligence as they build relationships.
- A commitment to developing and sharing new knowledge.
- A capacity for coherence making (enough coherence on the edge of chaos to still be creative). (Fullan, 2002, p. 15)
Fullan (2002) studied the characteristics of successful business and school leaders and found five qualities or "action-and-mind sets" that distinguish transformational leaders:
- dentifying and articulating an organizational vision.
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- Vision and moral purpose: Ethical leadership; the alignment of vision and purpose to strategic initiatives; leadership as a way of being.
- Relationships: Reciprocal relationship between leaders and members; collective leadership and participation; relational leadership.
- Complexity: The cognitive and creative capacity of leaders to operate within highly complex situations; importance of perspective and multiple frames; strategic decision making; situational leadership.
- Change: Transforming leaders and cultures; leaders as change agents and social activists; organizational learning as a response to change.
ecentralized models of school governance with site-based management and decision-making structures require a more inclusive model of leadership to respond to dramatic change and the challenge of school reform. This model requires all educators to be leaders. The following themes are found in the current literature on leadership (Fullan, 2002; Zaccaro, 2001):
- Vision and moral purpose: Ethical leadership; the alignment of vision and purpose to strategic initiatives; leadership as a way of being.
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School leaders are expected to be both participants in and agents of change in their school organizations as they respond to the increasingly complex and chaotic changes in the external environment, including new standards for student learning and performance, school accountability and school choice, decreased funding for education (despite escalating costs), and the rapid pace of social and technological change.
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- Executive leaders engage in planning and policy creation within longer time horizons than lower-level leaders.
- Executive leaders interact more frequently with external organizational constituencies than lower-level leaders.
- Executive leaders engage in more network development and consensus-building activities than lower-level leaders.
- Executive leaders develop a broader and more comprehensive cognitive map or frame of reference of an organization and its environment than lower-level leaders.
- Executive leaders engage in planning and policy creation within longer time horizons than lower-level leaders.
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Imagine a job that requires an Army officer's leadership skills, a CEO's management expertise, a lawyer's negotiating talents and an educator's understanding of how to teach children. That's what it takes to be a school superintendent [principal or director] in the 21st century." (Hurwitz, 2002, p. 1)
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understanding the change process is less about innovation and more about innovativeness.
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Reason. The change should have a clearly articulated reason that has urgency and a possible solution. Some examples of articulated reasons are diminished resources, dramatically different new expectations, or significant loss of key staff.
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Representative and Enabled Committee. A committee addressing change should have sufficient membership to provide representation credibility, expertise, and necessary management skills to create confidence and ownership.
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- Comprehensive Needs Assessment. Any needs assessment should accurately convey the internal and external weaknesses, challenges, strengths, and opportunities.
- Vision. A vision needs to define the why of the change, the desired direction, and other general parameters of what needs to be done in order to determine whether the change was successful.
- Measurable Objectives. Measurable objectives need to communicate the general strategies that define the what, how, who, when, and where of the desired change.
- Work Plan. Work plans need to have clearly defined tasks, benchmarks, and specific accomplishments that the organization needs to accomplish by a specific date. Work plans need to specify accomplishments that will allow participants to know what they have or have not accomplished. A work plan needs to have clear articulation of who has accountability for overseeing and accomplishing each task.
- Communication. It is extremely important that the vision, measurable objectives, and general aspects of the work plan be communicated to stakeholders at all levels. As time goes on, it is equally important that those responsible for accomplishing the objectives communicate progress.
- Evaluation and Revision. Even the best plans will need to be modified as projects mature. Evaluations, at minimum, need to ask the following questions: (1) Are stakeholders doing what was planned? (2) Are they doing it effectively, efficiently, and on schedule? (3) Are stakeholders experiencing the change feeling satisfied with what is being done, and do they continue to support that effort? In addition, evaluation needs to provide information for possible revisions and should ask the following question: (4) Are the selected priorities still the right work to continue doing?
- Comprehensive Needs Assessment. Any needs assessment should accurately convey the internal and external weaknesses, challenges, strengths, and opportunities.
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change cannot be managed. It can be understood and perhaps led but it cannot be controlled…. Change can be led, and leadership does make a difference" (
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- Clarity. The knowledge must be understood clearly—not be fuzzy, vague, or confusing.
- Relevance. The knowledge must be seen as meaningful, as connected to one's normal life and concerns—not irrelevant, inapplicable, and impractical.
- Action images. The knowledge must be exemplified in specific actions, clearly visualized. People must have an image of "what to do to get there."
- Will. There must be motivation, interest, action orientation—a will to do something with the knowledge.
- Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Technology. " 1. Human innovation in action that involves the generation of knowledge and processes to develop systems that solve problems and extend human capabilities. 2. The innovation, change, or modification of the natural environment to satisfy perceived human needs and wants."
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Educational technology. "Using multimedia technologies or audiovisual aids as a tool to enhance the teaching and learning process."
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School leaders need to help students become technology literate,
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he need to prepare students to function in an information-based, Internet-using society; (2) the need to make students competent in using tools found in almost all work areas; and (3) the need to make education more effective and efficient.
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School leaders also need to consider increasing educator technology effectiveness and modeling it after nationally accepted guidelines, such as the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (International Society for Technology in Education, 2000).
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- "The technology keeps changing; as hardware and software evolve, new educational opportunities appear."
- "Educational technologies are used in classroom settings which rarely provide optimal conditions for their use."
- "It is inappropriate to take research results and generalize their findings across grade levels, students, subject matter, types of technologies, and applications."
- "The teacher is a key variable in technology implementation and effectiveness."
- "Technology's impact on teachers and their practice should be considered as important as student effects, for students move on but teachers remain to influence many generations of students." (p. 1)
in considering research on technology, several caveats must be taken into account:"
- "The technology keeps changing; as hardware and software evolve, new educational opportunities appear."
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In other words, to ask if technology works is almost the equivalent of saying 'Do textbooks work?' Yes, some textbooks 'work,' in some conditions, with some teachers, with some students, but these same textbooks may not 'work' in another educational context. Clearly, the question of technology effectiveness requires us to be clear in what results we seek, how we measure success, and how we define effectiveness." (Fulton, 1998, p. 1)
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- Accessing information, especially from the Internet, and using that information to communicate findings to others by using graphs, illustrations, and animations.
- Reading and language arts, for phonological awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling.
- Mathematics, to support mathematics curricula that focus on diagnosing and remediating, providing support for fundamental knowledge deficiencies, and for simulating and solving real problems with tools that are similar to tools that mathematicians use.
- Science, to simulate and solve real problems, especially when scientific probes and other technology tools are used to assist with laboratory experiments.
- Social studies, to simulate events and when students are allowed to use the multimedia power to demonstrate student work.
- Health, for research and for personal, family, and community health self-assessments.
- Music, to teach musical theory and composition.
- Art, to view virtually the greatest artworks and to learn art composition and design.
Research studies (Chang, Henriquez, Honey, Light, Moeller, & Ross, 1998; Mann et al., 1999) indicate that technology may be most effective when it is used in:
- Accessing information, especially from the Internet, and using that information to communicate findings to others by using graphs, illustrations, and animations.
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09 Sep 13
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04 Sep 13
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Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students.
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14 Jul 13
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08 Jul 13
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05 Jul 13
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Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students.
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Change is not entirely predictable. In his book Leading in a Culture of Change, Fullan (2001) cautions that "understanding the change process is less about innovation and more about innovativeness.
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Obviously, addressing the needs of all students through technology use is a long-term and systemwide effort.
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Learn and use effective ways to integrate technology into the curriculum, and use technology in ways that enhance instructional opportunities and successes for all students.
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all students
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03 Jul 13
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02 Jul 13
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ISSUE: Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students.
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on leadership qualities of superintendents and principals, responses to change, and effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership.
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This Critical Issue uses several definitions of leadership. In Leadership Without Easy Answers, Heifetz (1994) says leadership is a change or adaptive process "to address conflicts in the values people hold, or to diminish the gap between the values people stand for and the reality they face" (p. 22). In The Elements of Leadership, Noonan (2003) defines leadership as "developing potential and building community" (p. 3). In Developing the Leader Within You , Maxwell (2000) defines leadership as simply "influence."
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"At a minimum, we can be sure they [school districts] want someone who can carry out a long list of specific duties. The new principal will be expected to arrange class schedules, resolve discipline problems, administer a labor contract, evaluate teachers, and apply the oil of public relations to points of friction with the community. And that's just in the morning." (Lashway, Mazzarella, & Grundy, 1995, p. 15)
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- Identifying and articulating an organizational vision.
- Fostering acceptance of group goals.
- Having high performance expectations.
- Providing appropriate models.
- Providing intellectual stimulation.
- Developing a strong school culture (Lashway, Mazzarella, & Grundy, 1995, pp. 60-62)
- Identifying and articulating an organizational vision.
-
- A strong sense of moral purpose.
- An understanding of the dynamics of change.
- An emotional intelligence as they build relationships.
- A commitment to developing and sharing new knowledge.
- A capacity for coherence making (enough coherence on the edge of chaos to still be creative). (Fullan, 2002, p. 15)
- A strong sense of moral purpose.
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(1) the coordination and maintenance of the organization as a whole, and (2) the purpose and direction of the organization
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Vision and moral purpose
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Relationships
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Complexity:
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Change
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School leaders at all levels must collaborate with staff members and school personnel to create a vision for the future and a process for change, ensuring that schools and school districts are viable and thriving learning communities for students, staff, and community members.
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The role of leaders and managers is to " be-in-the-world with responsibility "
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in planning and policy creation within longer time horizons
-
more frequently with external organizational constituencies
-
more network development and consensus-building activities
-
broader and more comprehensive cognitive map or frame of reference of an organization and its environment
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Successful leaders recognize that each situation may require them to modify their style or even stretch their typical or preferred way of working with others to meet the needs of people and the requirements of the situation:
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Given the multifaceted nature of leadership, it becomes clear that transformational as well as versatile leadership skills are necessary in making decisions.
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Cue sense
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Clue sense
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Negotiating sense
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Perhaps the most important asset of an organization is people and their capacity to learn.
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A strategic plan provides a blueprint for achieving educational excellence.
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The change should have a clearly articulated reason that has urgency and a possible solution
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Any needs assessment should accurately convey the internal and external weaknesses, challenges, strengths, and opportunities
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A vision needs to define the why of the change,
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be communicated to stakeholders at all levels
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understood clearly
-
meaningful
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specific actions, clearly visualized.
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Possible different skill requirements in jobs
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These reasons include the following: (1) the need to prepare students to function in an information-based, Internet-using society; (2) the need to make students competent in using tools found in almost all work areas; and (3) the need to make education more effective and efficient.
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technology keeps changing
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rarely provide optimal conditions
-
Technology's impact on teachers and their practice should be considered as important as student effects, for students move on but teachers remain to influence many generations of students." (p. 1)
-
technology may be most effective when it is used in
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08 Feb 13
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10 Jan 13
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06 Jul 12
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This Critical Issue focuses on leadership qualities of superintendents and principals, responses to change, and effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership. It is not concerned with the more technical leadership provided by information technology and network specialists, however.
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First, the Critical Issue will examine important findings associated with leadership in general and considerations specific to education. Next, it will provide summaries of major factors associated with change in general and their implications for education. Finally, it will examine research findings and best practices as they impact technology leadership and educational productivity.
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- Identifying and articulating an organizational vision.
- Fostering acceptance of group goals.
- Having high performance expectations.
- Providing appropriate models.
- Providing intellectual stimulation.
- Developing a strong school culture (Lashway, Mazzarella, & Grundy, 1995, pp. 60-62)
- A strong sense of moral purpose.
- An understanding of the dynamics of change.
- An emotional intelligence as they build relationships.
- A commitment to developing and sharing new knowledge.
- A capacity for coherence making (enough coherence on the edge of chaos to still be creative). (Fullan, 2002, p. 15)
ransformational leadership can be thought of as a set of behaviors of individuals who accomplish change. As stated by Lashway, Mazzarella, and Grundy (1995), "Anything that leads to change is transformational " (emphasis in original, p. 60). Transformational leaders make decisions based on a broad perspective, organizational vision and mission, group goals, and network development. Some of the "behaviors" of transformational leaders—applicable in both educational and business settings—may include the following:
Fullan (2002) studied the characteristics of successful business and school leaders and found five qualities or "action-and-mind sets" that distinguish transformational leaders:
- Identifying and articulating an organizational vision.
-
School leaders are expected to be both participants in and agents of change in their school organizations as they respond to the increasingly complex and chaotic changes in the external environment, including new standards for student learning and performance, school accountability and school choice, decreased funding for education (despite escalating costs), and the rapid pace of social and technological change. Leaders must understand the impact of complexity, chaos, and disequilibrium as factors for growth and change; they must be mentally and emotionally able to work within increasingly complex situations.
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03 Jul 12
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Because technology is credited as being a significant factor in increasing productivity in many industries, some people believe that more effective use of technology in schools could do more to improve educational opportunities and quality.
-
appropriate technology use can be very beneficial in increasing educational productivity
-
The shift from operational responsibilities to instructional leadership has created substantial and often excessive workloads:
-
current need for a renewed focus on leadership: "What standards were to the 1990's, leadership is to the future. This shift depicts awareness that standards strategies by themselves are not powerful enough to accomplish large-scale, sustainable reform"
-
The school leader's role is not to identify and promote any particular reform strategy but to develop leadership and collaborate with the staff, parents, and community members to increase the school's success and improvement efforts over time. This shift in leadership focus—from locating the "right" reform initiative to people development and collaboration—parallels the change in corporate leadership models as well.
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Transformational leadership can be thought of as a set of behaviors of individuals who accomplish change.
-
- Identifying and articulating an organizational vision.
- Fostering acceptance of group goals.
- Having high performance expectations.
- Providing appropriate models.
- Providing intellectual stimulation.
- Developing a strong school culture
- Identifying and articulating an organizational vision.
-
- A strong sense of moral purpose.
- An understanding of the dynamics of change.
- An emotional intelligence as they build relationships.
- A commitment to developing and sharing new knowledge.
- A capacity for coherence making (enough coherence on the edge of chaos to still be creative).
- A strong sense of moral purpose.
-
School leaders at all levels must collaborate with staff members and school personnel to create a vision for the future and a process for change, ensuring that schools and school districts are viable and thriving learning communities for students, staff, and community members.
-
Perhaps the most important asset of an organization is people and their capacity to learn. A critical component of organizational learning is the development of its people. The role of the leader is to ensure that learning is a core strategy for ensuring the organization's success. The goals of learning involve building knowledge, analyzing systems and problem solving, and generating creative responses to the future. Much of what is experienced as organizational learning is obtained through a process of sharing collective wisdom and creating opportunities for people to develop new perspectives and understanding.
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Relational leadership involves being attuned to and in touch with the intricate web of inter- and intra-relationships that influence an organization" (p. 28). Six competencies in the area of relational leadership include the following: (1) leading employees, (2) interpersonal savvy, (3) work team orientation, (4) conflict management, (5) managing change in others, and (6) effectively confronting problem employees (p. 29). Dyer's definition of interpersonal savvy is closely related to social intelligence and maturity. A leader with interpersonal savvy "demonstrates skill in building and mending relationships, evidences compassion and sensitivity, is able to put people at ease, and understands and respects cultural, religious, gender, socioeconomic and racial differences"
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"understanding the change process is less about innovation and more about innovativeness. It is less about strategy and more about strategizing.
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Educational technology. "Using multimedia technologies or audiovisual aids as a tool to enhance the teaching and learning process."
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There are several reasons why education leaders are expected to know and utilize instructional technology, especially those technologies related to computer use for accessing and finding information and for creating and communicating new knowledge. These reasons include the following: (1) the need to prepare students to function in an information-based, Internet-using society; (2) the need to make students competent in using tools found in almost all work areas; and (3) the need to make education more effective and efficient. School leaders need to help students become technology literate, as outlined in enGauge® 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age (NCREL & Metiri Group, 2003). School leaders also need to consider increasing educator technology effectiveness and modeling it after nationally accepted guidelines, such as the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers
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- Social studies, to simulate events and when students are allowed to use the multimedia power to demonstrate student work.
- Social studies, to simulate events and when students are allowed to use the multimedia power to demonstrate student work.
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Technology is very important for a diverse population of students, especially for those who do not have access to computers at home. To illustrate the role of schools in addressing the digital divide issue, a recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2001) reported the following:
"Among the group of children and adolescents who access the Internet at only one location, 52 percent of those from families in poverty and 59 percent of those whose parents have not earned at least a high school credential do so at school. In comparison, 26 percent of those from families not in poverty and 39 percent of those with more highly educated parents do so only at school."
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- Understand and support the importance of students learning to use information technology tools as an important component of their preparation for further education, work, and life in general.
- Demonstrate support of technology use by developing skills, knowledge, and strategies necessary to model effective uses of technology.
- Learn and use effective ways to integrate technology into the curriculum, and use technology in ways that enhance instructional opportunities and successes for all students.
- Learn uses of technology that provide assessment feedback to parents, students, and teachers about how well students are learning and then use that data to improve learning productivity.
- Understand and instill into their students the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the uses of technology.
Teachers
In National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers, the International Society for Technology in Education (2000) suggests the following technology responsibilities for teachers:
- Understand and support the importance of students learning to use information technology tools as an important component of their preparation for further education, work, and life in general.
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14 Mar 12
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21 Feb 12
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Critical Issue: Technology Leadership:
Enhancing Positive Educational Change
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10 Nov 11
Rosemary WhiteThe mission of the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Technology Studies is to prepare ethical and reflective practitioners, researchers, and scholars for work in K-12, higher education, and other educational settings.
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13 Aug 11
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11 Aug 11
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22 Jul 11
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ISSUE: Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students. Many school administrators may be uncomfortable providing leadership in technology areas, however. They may be uncertain about implementing effective technology leadership strategies in ways that will improve learning, or they may believe their own knowledge of technology is inadequate to make meaningful recommendations. Because technology is credited as being a significant factor in increasing productivity in many industries, some people -
people believe that more effective use of technology in schools could do more to improve educational opportunities and quality
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20 Jun 11
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School leaders at all levels must collaborate with staff members and school personnel to create a vision for the future and a process for change, ensuring that schools and school districts are viable and thriving learning communities for students, staff, and community members. The focus on the purpose and direction of the organization (as a strategy for change work) is to ensure the long-term stability and quality of the educational program. All leadership roles have some management and executive tasks, and the difference between superintendent, principals, and directors is a matter of degree. The scope of the work and the scale of the operation change at each level of leadership. But regardless of a leadership level, school leaders need to make every effort to understand people in lower positions and discuss with them different perspectives. They must go beyond managerial roles and a "facts-and-methods" view of management and focus on the executive challenges of leadership to survive and thrive.
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26 Apr 11
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13 Apr 11
Sam GladsteinISSUE: Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students. Many school administrators may be uncomfortable providing leadership in technology areas, however. They may be uncertain about implementing effective technology leadership strategies in ways that will improve learning, or they may believe their own knowledge of technology is inadequate to make meaningful recommendations. Because technology is credited as being a significant factor in increasing productivity in many industries, some people believe that more effective use of technology in schools could do more to improve educational opportunities and quality. Research indicates that while there are poor uses of technology in education, appropriate technology use can be very beneficial in increasing educational productivity (Byrom & Bingham, 2001; Clements & Sarama, 2003; Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker, & Kottkamp, 1999; Valdez, McNabb, Foertsch, Anderson, Hawkes, & Raack, 2000; Wenglinsky, 1998).
This Critical Issue focuses on leadership qualities of superintendents and principals, responses to change, and effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership. It is not concerned with the more technical leadership provided by information technology and network specialists, however. First, the Critical Issue will examine important findings associated with leadership in general and considerations specific to education. Next, it will provide summaries of major factors associated with change in general and their implications for education. Finally, it will examine research findings and best practices as they impact technology leadership and educational productivity. -
31 Mar 11
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27 Mar 11
Tara BroomeArticle that discusses the importance of change andleadership roles to make those changes happen. It has to start with the higher ups: superintendents and principals, their responses to change, and the effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership.
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15 Feb 11
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14 Feb 11
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Although the emphasis on standards played a central role in school leadership and reform in the 1990s, Fullan (2002) writes convincingly of the current need for a renewed focus on leadership
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second wave of reform (1988 to the present) emphasized teacher leadership and professionalism and decentralized management structures (Kowalski, 2003, p. 256).
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- Educational technology. "Using multimedia technologies or audiovisual aids as a tool to enhance the teaching and learning process."
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(1) the need to prepare students to function in an information-based, Internet-using society; (2) the need to make students competent in using tools found in almost all work areas; and (3) the need to make education more effective and efficient. School leaders need to help students become technology literate, as outlined in enGauge® 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age (NCREL & Metiri Group, 2003).
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guidelines
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To get those effect sizes, schools must make certain that there is sufficient availability of technology and appropriate software, that the uses of technology have linkages to important educational learning expectations, and—most of all—that teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively model and teach exemplary uses of technology.
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Leaders who are seeking to make technology more effective in improving learning are fortunate that a great deal of thought has been given to creating technology standards specifically for school administrators.
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31 Jan 11
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Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students.
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Research indicates that while there are poor uses of technology in education, appropriate technology use can be very beneficial in increasing educational productivity (Byrom & Bingham, 2001; Clements & Sarama, 2003; Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker, & Kottkamp, 1999; Valdez, McNabb, Foertsch, Anderson, Hawkes, & Raack, 2000; Wenglinsky, 1998).
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Traditional views of school leadership have emphasized managerial or operational functions. Superintendents and principals were expected to serve as efficient managers, directing the day-to-day operations of the school site or district. Possessing positional and command authority, school leaders directed the operations at the school site or district with business management techniques.
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28 Jan 11
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11 Dec 10
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28 Nov 10
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22 Nov 10
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12 Nov 10
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21 Oct 10
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02 Aug 10
Colae LogueThis internet article gives a great report of how teachers' knowledge of technology is improving the classroom environment and how students are learning in today's world.
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Critical Issue: Technology Leadership:
Enhancing Positive Educational Change
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16 Jul 10
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07 Jul 10
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16 Jun 10
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16 May 10
richard pierce"Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned. "
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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- There is fear of failure.
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technology leadership skills
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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Skill. There must be actual behavioral ability to do the action envisioned.
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"Among the group of children and adolescents who access the Internet at only one location, 52 percent of those from families in poverty and 59 percent of those whose parents have not earned at least a high school credential do so at school. In comparison, 26 percent of those from families not in poverty and 39 percent of those with more highly educated parents do so only at school." (p. 7)
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14 Apr 10
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27 Feb 10
Nancy AngelesThe Critical Issue examines important findings associated with leadership in general and considerations specific to education, provides summaries of major factors associated with change in general and their implications for education, and examines research findings and best practices as they impact technology leadership and educational productivity.
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effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership
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use of data for decision making, parental involvement in schools, and more.
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people to participate in reform to ensure its success. The school leader's role is not to identify and promote any particular reform strategy but to develop leadership and collaborate with the staff, parents, and community members to increase the school's success and improvement efforts over time. This shift in leadership focus—from locating the "right" reform initiative to people development and collaboration—parallels the change in corporate leadership models as well.
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Transformational leaders make decisions based on a broad perspective, organizational vision and mission, group goals, and network development.
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ostering acceptance of group goals.
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Providing appropriate models
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Providing intellectual stimulatio
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A strong sense of moral purpose
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An emotional intelligence as they build relationship
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A commitment to developing and sharing new knowledge.
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leadership involves working with others to prepare for the future and respond to change
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11 Feb 10
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10 Feb 10
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24 Jan 10
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17 Jan 10
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03 Jan 10
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23 Dec 09
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understand and interpret information with a larger framework using a systems perspective
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examining the context, relationships, and their connectedness
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identify the underlying patterns of systems
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making a commitment to accomplish what matters
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reason that has urgency
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needs assessment
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different skill requirements
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improvement of the productivity
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technology keeps changing
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if used appropriately, technology can improve education
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sufficient availability of technology
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technology leadership vision
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improved student learning and teacher effectiveness
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needs assessments
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develop action plans to define immediate and long-term tasks, resources needed, timelines, and benchmarks for accomplishing the technology goals
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establish commitment and obtain resources.
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professional development plans
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sufficient knowledge of the change process
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evaluation plans
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shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology
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integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching
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enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity
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systems of effective assessment and evaluation
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social, legal, and ethical issues
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technical support necessary
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Schedule meetings and inform the community about the necessity of using technology in schools
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Communicate the challenges and resource needs inherent in successful educational change
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professional development
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Failure to tie technology use to the required curriculum may result in technology being perceived as an instructional add-on
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encourage and support professional development
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Lack of appropriate technology infrastructure and support also can cause implementation problems that can be most fatal
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12 Dec 09
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02 Dec 09
susan bhullerThis is a good research article to use for research #2.
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Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students. Many school administrators may be uncomfortable providing leadership in technology areas, however. They may be uncertain about implementing effective technology leadership strategies in ways that will improve learning, or they may believe their own knowledge of technology is inadequate to make meaningful recommendations. Because technology is credited as being a significant factor in increasing productivity in many industries, some people believe that more effective use of technology in schools could do more to improve educational opportunities and quality. Research indicates that while there are poor uses of technology in education, appropriate technology use can be very beneficial in increasing educational productivity
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This section of the Overview focuses on leadership. It is divided into four sections: Educational Leadership Then and Now, Transformational Leadership, Versatile Leadership, and Relational Leadership.
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This article goes into detail about the types of educational leadership. I just want to discuss the then and now part.
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Add Sticky NoteTraditional views of school leadership have emphasized managerial or operational functions. Superintendents and principals were expected to serve as efficient managers, directing the day-to-day operations of the school site or district. Possessing positional and command authority, school leaders directed the operations at the school site or district with business management techniques.
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Good background info for research #2 as it shows how the focus of educational leadership has changed over the years.
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During the next two decades, data-driven decision making, test results, and school design were the chief topics of state meetings and professional development workshops for school leaders. School leaders were exhorted to become instructional leaders and focus the staff, students, and parents on student learning by emphasizing effective teaching and learning strategies, use of data for decision making, parental involvement in schools, and more.
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Today, more than 20 years later, school administrators are still managing operations while focusing on student learning, standards, high-stakes accountability tests, performance assessments, and restructuring efforts
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03 Oct 09
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30 Sep 09
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30 Aug 09
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Many school administrators may be uncomfortable providing leadership in technology areas, however.
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Because technology is credited as being a significant factor in increasing productivity in many industries, some people believe that more effective use of technology in schools could do more to improve educational opportunities and quality.
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This Critical Issue focuses on leadership qualities of superintendents and principals, responses to change, and effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership.
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Traditional views of school leadership have emphasized managerial or operational functions.
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with business management techniques
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A Nation at Risk in 1983. This publication was a wake-up call that American education could not continue with business as usual. It clearly indicated that educational leaders could not just be managers but were expected to be leaders in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
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During the next two decades, data-driven decision making, test results, and school design were the chief topics
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he shift from operational responsibilities to instructional leadership has created substantial and often excessive workloads:
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In the 1990s, the emphasis on standards played a central role in school leadership
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A second wave of reform (1988 to the present) emphasized teacher leadership and professionalism and decentralized management structures
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The school leader's role is not to identify and promote any particular reform strategy but to develop leadership and collaborate with the staff, parents, and community members to increase the school's success and improvement efforts over time.
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Transformational leaders make decisions based on a broad perspective, organizational vision and mission, group goals, and network development.
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A strong sense of moral purpose
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An understanding of the dynamics of change
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- An emotional intelligence as they build relationships.
- A commitment to developing and sharing new knowledge.
- A capacity for coherence making (enough coherence on the edge of chaos to still be creative)
- An emotional intelligence as they build relationships.
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Some leaders refuse to make the distinction and simply use the terms management and leadership interchangeably.
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This model requires all educators to be leaders.
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This view of leadership is a response to the idea that the future is unknown and no right model or prediction is likely to be right.
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A leader must help others develop their capacity to respond to changing conditions and then support and guide them through the change process.
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stop thinking of leadership as aggressive action and more as a way of thinking—about ourselves, our jobs, and the nature of the educational process.
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Leadership is an adaptive process to ensure the survival of the organization.
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Due to the interconnectedness of most things, it is not wise for leaders to take action without considering any situation within the larger view of networked systems.
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Executive leaders must have more than one approach to leadership and must understand when a particular style or set of behaviors is most appropriate.
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Versatile leaders have the ability to move from one thing to another with ease and readily apply their talents and skills to each new challenge with a fresh approach
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A critical component of organizational learning is the development of its people.
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Much of what is experienced as organizational learning is obtained through a process of sharing collective wisdom and creating opportunities for people to develop new perspectives and understanding.
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Strategic planning is a key function of executive leadership. A strategic plan provides a blueprint for achieving educational excellence.
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- "The technology keeps changing; as hardware and software evolve, new educational opportunities appear."
- "Educational technologies are used in classroom settings which rarely provide optimal conditions for their use."
- "It is inappropriate to take research results and generalize their findings across grade levels, students, subject matter, types of technologies, and applications."
- "The teacher is a key variable in technology implementation and effectiveness."
- "Technology's impact on teachers and their practice should be considered as important as student effects, for students move on but teachers remain to influence many generations of students
A Framework for Considering Technology's Effectiveness, notes that "in considering research on technology, several caveats must be taken into account:"
- "The technology keeps changing; as hardware and software evolve, new educational opportunities appear."
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Establishing clear expectations can help school leaders increase successful use of technology in schools. The reasons for technology implementation and possible challenges to such an effort should be made transparent to the educational community:
"In other words, to ask if technology works is almost the equivalent of saying 'Do textbooks work?' Yes, some textbooks 'work,' in some conditions, with some teachers, with some students, but these same textbooks may not 'work' in another educational context. Clearly, the question of technology effectiveness requires us to be clear in what results we seek, how we measure success, and how we define effectiveness." (Fulton, 1998, p. 1)
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To get those effect sizes, schools must make certain that there is sufficient availability of technology and appropriate software, that the uses of technology have linkages to important educational learning expectations, and—most of all—that teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively model and teach exemplary uses of technology. Thus, to be effective, teachers need to be highly involved by interacting and providing feedback when using technology.
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- Accessing information, especially from the Internet, and using that information to communicate findings to others by using graphs, illustrations, and animations.
- Reading and language arts, for phonological awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling.
- Mathematics, to support mathematics curricula that focus on diagnosing and remediating, providing support for fundamental knowledge deficiencies, and for simulating and solving real problems with tools that are similar to tools that mathematicians use.
- Science, to simulate and solve real problems, especially when scientific probes and other technology tools are used to assist with laboratory experiments.
- Social studies, to simulate events and when students are allowed to use the multimedia power to demonstrate student work.
- Health, for research and for personal, family, and community health self-assessments.
- Music, to teach musical theory and composition.
- Art, to view virtually the greatest artworks and to learn art composition and design.
- Accessing information, especially from the Internet, and using that information to communicate findings to others by using graphs, illustrations, and animations.
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distance-learning opportunities to students who otherwise would not have access to course offerings.
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IMPROVEMENT GOALS
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Lack of appropriate technology infrastructure and support also can cause implementation problems that can be most fatal. Teachers and students should not be expected to be experts in technology infrastructure and support. The equipment should be dependable and easily accessible. Teachers need to experience technology as something that they can build lesson plans around. They should not have to worry that their planning efforts and schedules may be frequently impossible because of equipment failure or unavailability. A few negative experiences will lead teachers to believe that technology use is more problematic than helpful and will likely reduce their technology use.
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Many authors have made attacking the use of technology in schools their personal mission, and some have important messages about technology use in schools. Fool's Gold: A Critical Look at Computers in Childhood (Cordes & Miller, 2000), Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom (Cuban, 2001), and The Flickering Mind (Oppenheimer, 2003) are the three most recent critiques that have received considerable attention as serious criticisms of technology use in schools. The main criticism in these three books focuses on whether computers are as cost-effective as other interventions such as smaller class size. They also note the obsolescence factor of computers and the ongoing costs of upgrading both hardware and software
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06 Aug 09
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04 Aug 09
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01 Jun 09
Zoe PipeThis paper examines how the knowledge and effectiveness of
school leaders impacts whether technology use will improve learning for
all students. -
17 May 09
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07 May 09
Darren HudginsTransformational Leadership
Transformational leadership can be thought of as a set of behaviors of individuals who accomplish change. As stated by Lashway, Mazzarella, and Grundy (1995), "Anything that leads to change is transformational " (emphasis in orleadership education Technology change research Edtech strategies learning
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06 May 09
EvertonPomCritical Issue: Technology Leadership:
Enhancing Positive Educational Change -
03 May 09
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14 Apr 09
Mark GearyThis sight is set up as an online paper. You can click on different parts of the content within the paper. It covers many on the issues in the leadership in educational technology.
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28 Mar 09
Karen Wester"This Critical Issue focuses on leadership qualities of superintendents and principals, responses to change, and effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership. It is not concerned with the more technical leadership provided by information technology and network specialists, however."
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26 Mar 09
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27 Feb 09
Tod BakerThis Critical Issue focuses on leadership qualities of superintendents and principals, responses to change, and effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership.
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08 Feb 09
Christine SouthardHow can new technologies impact the professional development and leadership opportunities for K-12 teachers?
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07 Feb 09
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09 Jul 08
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28 May 08
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15 May 08
Cherice MontgomeryResearch based outline of key issues in educational leadership and change (esp. re: tech)
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05 Apr 08
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27 Mar 08
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24 Sep 07
csscottCritical Issue: Technology Leadership:
Enhancing Positive Educational Change -
21 May 07
Judy WeggelaarCritical Issue: Technology Leadership:
Enhancing Positive Educational Change -
15 May 07
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08 May 07
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02 May 07
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24 Mar 07
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21 Mar 07
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13 Nov 06
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11 Feb 06
Public Stiky Notes
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