Educational Blog EDTE 611

Leadership of Technology in Education - Lynn Boswell 02

“Ever-changing technology and a generation of ‘digital-native’ students challenge pace, especially in preparing students for a successful future in an increasing advanced world.” Excerpt from Susan Brooks-Young book on Critical Technology Issues for School Leaders. In her book, she highlights four areas of focus of critical significance for practical application for technology strategies:

• New Literacies: the latest technology advances and opportunities for integration in schools
• Engaging Teachers and Students : tools and strategies for professional development, establishing a web presence, classroom blogs, and distance learning.

• Providing a Reliable Infrastructure: tech-ready facilities, cost management, software and networks, and the role of technology coordinators

Legal & Social Concerns: Internet safety and security, precautions, copyrights and plagiarism concerns, home-school communications, and much more.

As new teachers with varying levels of competency with computer technologies we will face many barriers in our attempts to bridge the gap between technology practices with teaching with technology as a tool. We must consider the areas list above in order to establish effective technology leadership both in the classroom and with our colleagues. Simply being proficient in computer technology on personal bases by no means is directly transferable into a proficiency level of development in the application of computer technology as a teaching tool.

"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)

According to Valdez, “Knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important in determining whether technology use will improve learning for all students.” His article is directed more at principals and other administrators but is also applicable to teachers bringing in new ideas.

Valdez explains it clearly:

Technology use, if it is to be successful, needs to be implemented systemically rather than in isolation. Failure to tie technology use to the required curriculum may result in technology being perceived as an instructional add-on. Teachers may be frustrated when they realize that to use technology effectively, they will need not only to learn technology use and integration but also to modify their instructional and assessment
practices. Administrators need to share the change process, beginning with why the
change is necessary, what the benefits expected are likely to be, and what the
consequences are of not making any changes, with respect to the emphasis
on providing a full education to all students. Administrators need to encourage
and support professional development opportunities related to technology. Because
some teachers are less comfortable with technology than with other aspects
of their teaching, they need constructive feedback that will enable them to take
risks using technology in even more ways. (17)

Valdez indicates the push to use technology in the education system is a result of its positive impact on the productivity level in many industries. As a result some people believe: more efficient use of technologies in schools could do more to improve educational opportunities & quality.

Pros for utilizing technology in the school environment cited by Valdez:

• Need to prepare students to function in an information-based, Internet using society
• Need to make students competent in using tools found in almost all work areas
• Need to make education more effective & efficient

Barriers to the implementation of technologies in all classrooms referenced from Fulton (1998), in an essay titled A Framework for Considering Technology's Effectiveness included:

• "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)

Acknowledging this article was written 10 years ago, these caveats remain transferable to today – change is slow outside the ‘computer world’.

Valdez concludes: “Technology will always have critics. Some believe that technology reduces hands-on and active participation on the part of the student. Others believe technology reduces important human contact. In the final analysis, one can conclude that identified uses of technology can have different critiques depending on one's personal values and perspectives of what is good and bad in education.” (18-19)

What is your perspective?

http://books.google.ca/books?id=4QQVBmwoWWIC&dq=cirtical+technology+issues+for+school+leaders&pg=PP1&ots=TQelqf-jwI&sig=0PfvitXqSNdiJQ_TWjVrGQFaVUw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPP1,M1

http://www.ncrel.org/tech/nets/rubrics.htm

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le700.htm



http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?level1=C00&currTree=Subjects&catLevel1=&level2=CK0&prodId=Book228837


http://www.pallisersd.ab.ca/u/mhollingsworth/itl/itl_research.pdf

eduction site of interest

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/edinfo/archives/volume7/070921.htm