Chapter 6: Leadership and New Tools

 Administrators play an important role in the effort to incorporate new tools and technologies into education. Although not functioning directly in the classroom, administrators guide classroom activities and “set the tone for Internet use at school” (Solomon & Schrum, 2007, pg. 119). According to Solomon & Schrum, school leaders must have a vision for success, must be able to see the big picture, and must be able to incorporate new ideas in order to encourage a positive and forward-moving environment. Blogs are a way for teachers and administrators alike to share their thoughts with colleagues and the community, and receive feedback from interested parties. Sharing news and events, progress monitoring, status alerts, marketing, public relations, community building, customer relations branding, creating “customer evangelists”, thought leadership, advocacy, and replacing the school website are all very valid reasons for an administrator to utilize the diverse features of blogging. In addition to blogging, administrators can use collective documents during professional development sessions in oder to create a running collection of meeting notes. Administrators and those in leadership positions can support the use of Web 2.0 in education by modeling different tools and creating an environment that encourages the exploration and use of these tools. Financial matters become an issue when implementing a new technology on a wide scale. Even though Web 2.0 tools are generally free to use, the maintenance, hardware and software updates, and personnel costs can be somewhat of a burden if not budgeted and managed wisely.

Solomon and Schrum (2007) write, “Policies and actions at the top make it clear where a school or district is headed” (pg. 118). I say this in every one of my blog posts, but the message of this quote is applicable in any field, not just education. Administrators, supervisors, CEOs, Presidents, etc. are a model for the company/school/country. They demonstrate products, provide support, propose change, and relay new findings and ideas to those who support their “company” in the field. For this reason, it is so important that the person(s) in this position are prepared to lead the way in innovation, creativity, and productivity. I would imagine employees are much more likely to happily follow the leader if the leader is actively moving forward and showing interest in the success of the group as a whole.

NETS Standard (Administrators)

1. Leadership and Vision – Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster and environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision. Educational leaders:
   A. facilitate the shared development by all stakeholders of a vision for technology use and widely communicate that vision.
   B. maintain and inclusive and cohesive process to develop, implement, and monitor a dynamic, long-range, and systemic technology plan to achieve the vision.
   C. foster and nurture a culture of responsible risk taking and advocate policies promoting continuous innovation with technology.
   D. use data in making leadership decisions.
   E. advocate for research-based effective practices in use of technology.
   F. advocate, on the state and national levels, for policies, programs, and funding opportunities that support implementation of the district technology plan.

Reference

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007).  Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.  Eugene, OR: International   Society for Technology in Education.

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