Learning in the 21st century requires that students have technological skills to locate resources, assess and comprehend information, interpret information, communicate information, and evaluate their products and processes. Computer technology has the power to not only increase achievement in literacy and numeracy, but also to create lifelong learners who are confident in using technology to solve problems, to develop critical thinking skills, to communicate ideas, and to work collaboratively.
I believe that educational leaders must be well versed in the use of technology for educational purposes. As leaders we must model the use of technology in meaningful ways and expect educators to use technology in all areas of the curriculum.
I have the following questions.
1. What technological skill set does todays principal need?
2. How can principals best support teachers in using educational technology?
3. With accountability becoming a huge expectation on schools, and the variables surrounding technology, what are suggestions for including technology in data driven school improvement plans?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Monday, November 12, 2007
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12 comments:
Learn to think backwards.
Rather than find ways that technology can improve "x", find small ways that "x" can be improved with technology. Make sure that "x" is something that makes a difference in student achievement.
Establish a "parent communication" goal in your improvement plan and then find ways technology can make it easier. It sounds like semantics, but it's much better received than "our technology goal about communicating with parents".
For yourself...learn to build an online support network.
Jeanette Johnson
http://principalblogs.typepad.com/jeanettejohnson
and
Chris Lehman
http://www.practicaltheory.org
are two great principals to start with.
today's educators need zero competence in tech tools - Lord knows I have none! But yet I am integrating with zero knowledge. I think determination is much more important. Knowledge is collective and not held with any one of us.
principals can best support us by at least feigning interest and arranging for us to have the tools we need to integrate and the time to get the job done. allowing time off for conference attendance is a biggy.
thirdly, we are accountable to educate tomorrow's citizens in the tools they will use. we need to integrate these tools now and use them daily, not for ourselves, but for our learners (they used to be called students - their role has evolved too). if i can integrate these tools, and i really am laughable, then what is everyone else's excuse?
Welcome to the blogosphere. Let me give you some advice if I may.
The sustainability of this blog will rely largely on your ability to create a network and in reality that is the greatest thing you can do as a leader to model effective use of technology. It's not about being well versed in programs or tools, that will come as you build your network.
The exponential rate of change requires the building of networks. As Chris Lehmann I principal in Philadelphia once said, "you're only alone if you want to be". In other words the ability to build a learning network is pretty straight forward. It begins with you reaching out and finding others. Leave a thoughtful comment on a blog, with your blog address. Do this enough in combination with some thoughtful work on your end and soon you'll have a few that you can begin to rely upon.
There really is no right or wrong way to do this. As educators, we all bring our experiences and learning to the table. This simply creates the transparency for others to learn from you.
All the best but I'll warn you: most blogs die within the first 3 or 4 months. Be diligent, do your part commenting and reaching out to others, be patient and make this a priority and you'll succeed.
good advice so far...
1. What technological skill set does today's principal need?
I don't know that that the skill set is as important as a willingness to listen and support their teachers, to take risks, and to learn along with their teachers. I think a principal who can recognize and embrace technology doesn't necessarily need to do it all himself. For example, to integrate podcasts, our principal has the student school board members summarize the meeting in the form of a podcast. He doesn't have to do a thing but come up with the idea, and support the kids.
2. How can principals best support teachers in using educational technology?
For me it is about flexibility and respect. A principal who recognizes a teacher who goes above and beyond and then is flexible in letting them attend an additional conference, is the principal who will find himself with folks willing to come back from that conference and spend more time sharing what they learn. Flexibility and communication are keys.
3. With accountability becoming a huge expectation on schools, and the variables surrounding technology, what are suggestions for including technology in data driven school improvement plans? for this one I think it is important not to create additional work or force data to work for certain purposes. It is important when collecting data to make sure that the activity in which the data is gained is relevant to student achievement and that folks are trained to USE the data to drive their instruction.
Welcome to your new blog. I hope it's valuable for you. If you stick with it, I believe you'll find that it is.
I'm only going to take a swing at your second question - I think the first one is contextual and, for that matter, so's the third. Okay - so's the second - but there's at least one thing that you can do that will be helpful to everyone in regards to leading with technology:
Walk the walk. If you want someone to use a particular tool, you'd better use it first. And regularly. Be able to teach when necessary - and to stay out of the way, too. Getting stuff our of the way of your teachers who are leaders will be helpful, too.
Good luck to you on your journey. It's a big deal that you are taking the first steps. As Dean says, blogs usually die in the first few months. Don't let that happen.
Thanks for all the valuable comments. I am a rookie in the admin world but one of the reasons I got into it is to model and walk the talk. The great part of it is I also get to teach and so all the things that I have been teaching in my former role in staff development, I get to do with kids. I believe I have demonstrated a number of ways to infuse technology into the curriculum in our all school assemblies and more and more teachers are asking me to advice. I like the feeling of being a team and I think that it is something that hasn't been encouraged in education.
Hello from Australia. Even though we are in different systems I believe that anyone involved in education can gain benefit fro being part of the edublogosphere. We learn so much from each other and we learn together. The questions we ask at the beginning of our journey may be different to the questions we ask later on. But like Bud says keep going with the blog and take other opportunities to build your network. The answers will be become clearer as we go along, I am sure.
A lot of good advice here, that I won't repeat but will agree with.
One element that has not been mentioned yet: time. Give teachers release time to learn the tools. If teachers are expected to increase their toolkit on top of their current workload, it won't happen.
Cheers,
Bill
Hi Laurie. Welcome to the party. I think you've had some great comments here so far, but I have one small thought to add - have fun, and make it fun! That includes you, the teachers and the students - you are all learners.
I think this addresses your second question more than your other ones, but I will agree with Bud that these are too contextual to provide some specific answers, which is probably what you are looking for, right?
Glad that you've decided to think out loud and join in the idea sharing that happens in a blogging community.
Welcome Laurie. As a fellow administrator, I hope that you will find the people that you meet and the conversations that you have to be as helpful as I have.
You've some good advice here and I won't duplicate what's been posted. For me, the one skill set you need is to fear no technology. Be like a student and try things even if you aren't sure about how they work. Ask people you meet in the edublogosphere what they do and what they find useful.
As for supporting teachers, that is going to depend on so many factors from the willingness of the teachers to try new things to the type of school within which you work. Ask them. See where they are, what they are thinking about and this doesn't just apply to technology. Talk with your teachers about what they are doing in the classroom, visit them and listen to their conversations.
With school improvement becoming so important, using technology to track whatever your school is doing is a first step in using the technology. That may seem like a nobrainer but I'm surprised at the administrators who don't do this. What are the PLC's doing? Areas of strengths? Weaknesses? For example, we have a number of students with reading difficulties so we have embarked on a program in which students read stories out loud that are recorded on the computer. They then check for the mistakes themselves at first with help and then by themselves. We are finding that reading fluency is improving.
Most of all, this is a place to ask your questions and examine your own thoughts and ideas.
Welcome!
Lots of comments have been really great so far, I just wanted to add that TappedIn is an online environment for teachers to communicate and share ideas. They also have scheduled online chats about different topics.
I really feel that we have to incorporate games into our class that will help our students think that they are playing while the are really learning in depth lessons. Of course, they don't exist yet to my knowledge, but that is what we need.
In response to Bill's comment, time is an issue. However, I think we have to think outside the box when we think of time. Attending professional development sessions is one small way of building in time for technology learning. I am thinking the "just-in-time" support that Fullan discusses is just as if not more important. In my new role as a teaching vice principal, I model the use of technology throughout the curriculum. For example, yesterday I brought our mobile cart to my math class. Half of the class was working online with virtual manipulatives and the other half was doing a problem solving task. Aside from the fact that it was one of the most engaged math classes I have seem of my grade eight class this year, other teachers see me using using technology with their students. I have had four requests for assistance over the past two weeks to assist teachers in their classroom as they try to integrate technology into their classroom. I do a quick lesson with the students . The teacher sees how motivated the students are and they learn about the technology themselves. I first heard the phrase "networks of knowledge" from Alec Couros. I have been using this terminology all week with my two upper elementary classes. I see "networks of knowledge" being created at my school amongst the staff as we help each other integrate technology. My best day this week was when three students in my class wanted to know if their math problem was correct. I suggested they work together to try to figure this out. Soon there was a group of six gathered on the carpet in the classroom AND they asked if they could spend recess together to continue to work it out....only at recess there were twelve gathered together to discuss their solutions. For me myself, this blog serves as a network of knowledge. Good advice given so far.
I followed a link from one of these replies the other night to a site of an ESL teacher who uses Web 2.0. She calls her classroom a learning studio and it is not set up like a traditional classroom. I can't remember her name and I can't seem to find her site again. Has anyone else come across her site?
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