Running head: EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Educational Leadership and Implementation of Technology Terry Gallivan Liberty University EDU 638 October 2, 2012

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP Educational Leadership and Implementation of Technology

Since the beginning of time, education has been in a continual evolution of change. As Jesus said, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Mathew 19:14, KJV). There were no textbooks to learn from only the spoken word. After the invention of the Johannes Gutenbergs printing press in 1440, students have learned from the printed materials and the face-to-face spoken word. Now in present time, there are the internet and technology applications added to the equation of learning. Students no longer require the hard copy printed material to access knowledge just the keystrokes to relay requests for information to the computer to the internet. Change can be difficult and even more so in relinquishing control of the past practices in the classroom. Leadership is essential in promoting such change in the world of the educational instructors. The question is what does it take to be a good leader in the school environment? What qualities are exhibited in a school leader? How does an educational leader implement school technology? In the words of John F. Kennedy, Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other (Whitehead, 2009). What does this mean? Leadership is a continual learning process where change is a constant viable. How can a leader be great if there is an unwillingness to examine other means of accomplishing a task? In order to bring technology into a student oriented learning environment all involved professionals need to break away from the history of the way things were taught. Realizing it is not a matter of eliminating the role of the teacher but creating a new vision for instructing students. A teacher must extend beyond the classroom walls to explore innovated means of introducing and implementing lessons. This leads to how teachers are going to be motivated to discover and learn the technology to assist in the quest to create

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP technological perceptive students. Leaders, good leaders, come into play to accomplish a desire to change the existing curriculum design. Leadership can create an environment of trust and respect or an environment where teachers are retreating into their classroom cave. Teachers have been accountable for the decline of student performance on state tests creating an environment where the concern has become strictly devoting instruction to increasing scores. A question under consideration, is the teacher or the educational leadership the issue on student performance? It has always been easier to let the snowball roll down the hill opposed to crediting the real blame to the leaders of the school. Hands have become entangled with the outcome of test scores instead of implementing innovative avenues to reach the performance goals of each student. "A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and

acclaim him, worst when they despise him. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, 'We did this ourselves.'" Lao-Tse (Winston Churchill Leadership, 2007). In defining the meaning of leadership, it must be noted the ten pillars of leadership as described in the article, Pillars of Leadership. These pillars are a) custody of values, b) willingness to listen and hear, c) ability to articulate the heartfelt concerns and desires of people, d) dispensing hope, e) foresightedness, f) knowledge with common sense, g) integrity of character, h) courage to think and act anew, i) sharing of oneself and j) motivating people to act. What exactly do these ten pillars represent? A leader is someone who desires to commit to the achieving of goals in educating students while maintaining a commitment to help others meet the goals with them. A great leader will guide teachers in accomplishing the vision and provide the tools necessary to make the endeavor a reality.

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP Technology is a valuable resource but as with any tool, instruction must be given to the

operator. Could you use a chainsaw without cutting off a bodily limb without first learning how to use it safely? Yes, you could but there would be many trials and errors before you became a proficient user. The same is true with technology it can be a dangerous tool in the hands of the unaware user. Teachers need to be trained and have opportunities to have hands on practical experiences to become proficient users. The students can then be instructed in the same manner to open up new worlds for learning. The Apple Project stated, One of its findings was that merely providing the technology does not lead to changes in instructional approaches (Davies, 2010). The leaders of the school must encourage change in a manner that does not alienate the teachers from wanting to learn and apply technology to their lessons. Great efforts must be made to ensure change through relevant professional development sessions on technology and its implementation into the course curriculum. All participants in the education process for

students must be willing to apply technology to lessons to better facilitate learning. This starts with the leadership in implementing positive reinforcements for using technology and allowing feedback on the technology utilized in the classroom. Unfortunately, there are reluctant leaders who fight nail, tooth, and comb to resist change. It is written: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away (1 Peter 5:2-4). Technology creates an environment of entering unchartered waters, thus, a loss of their comfort zone may emerge. The implementation of technology takes time and effort on everyones part. The focus of education is still on state tests performance for accountability; therefore, in a vast majority of technology

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP takes a back seat to new innovations of learning. The stakes are high and some leaders are

hesitating to try something new when it is obvious the pre-packaged curriculums are not assisting in raising the test scores. As Albert Einstein, so cleverly, stated the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (Brainy Quotes, 2012). Another consideration is financially funding the technology in the classroom. It is a well-known fact, that athletes need state of the art stadiums to bring in revenue for the districts. There is no immediate profit for purchasing technology for every teacher, student or classroom. The rewards only can come from increasing student performance and test scores. In providing technology to the students, it will produce a citizenry of high performing individuals for the 21st Century workforce. If the goal is to enable students to become competitive in the worlds workforce than technology must be purchased and established for all students to use. Higher order thinking can be taught in the traditional manner but with technology the window becomes clearer. Students are digitally incline in their private lives, therefore, they ease into the challenges of technology with little difficulties when presented by a teacher who is proficient in conveying the new technological concepts. Once again, the issues with measuring the growth of the students and the competence of the teacher by the score on a one-day test will certainly hamper the implementation of technology in the classroom. Politics has a way of interweaving itself among school staff. A possible theory would be in order to establish job security when scores are low; one needs to be in great standings with the administration. It is a sad fact but the teacher with the higher scores is not the one with job security always. Teachers often buy-in to the concept of compliance opposed to the commitment of going beyond the classroom walls to help students grow in their educational journey. There are incompetent administrators who would rather keep the dogs tail wagging

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP instead of becoming the junkyard dog ready to fight for the teachers who excel in creating student growth. Administrators must surround themselves with a survival pact in order to have

job security as well. It would seem it is more simplistic to do the easier choice oppose to barking loud and willing to bite as necessary. Unfortunately, there are too many administrators willing to look the other way and this does trickle into the heart of the school. Why is it essential to have a strong leadership in the school community? Strong leadership will bring results in the growth of teachers and more impressively the students. Leaders must be able to delegate responsibility that will make results a team effort. Leaders are willing to change from the status quo opposed to trying to redefine insanity. Leaders have obtainable goals and know it takes effort, trust and integrity to get others to follow. If technology is truly to be implemented, it takes a leader to obtain the resources and training to initiate it into the classroom. Leaders have the valor to create an environment where change is an option to the unwilling. Leaders have the ability to generate excitement in learning technology. The leader through actions not words shows integrity. All school members build the momentum through hard work and the leaders easily motivate others to work as hard. A supportive hand is given to encourage those teachers who struggle with the new technology. The leader is able to look beyond the state tests to see growth in teachers and student successes. How does the school system utilize the information and communication technology (ITC)? The ITC committee must discern the needs of the students. What are the best ways to engage students? The ITC committee must be able to share the vision by providing substantiate professional development opportunities. Standards must be established to ensure equal access to the digital networks and technology applications. Indeed, it is an enveloping energy with a huge momentum and the potential to alter how, when and where learning occurs, if we elect to

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP support change of this magnitude (Webber, 2003). In the past, a teachers primary responsibility has been to educate the students in the classroom. Currently, the teacher is not only an instructional leader but also must now incorporate into their scheme of lesson planning ways to improve the school and district as a whole. In defining the roles of administrators and lead teachers, Teresa Northern and Gerald Bailey have identified seven competencies of professional leadership. A leader must have vision and the flexibility to alter the vision as necessary. There must be strategic planning, which includes knowing where the school is now and what direction the plan must take to see substantial improvement. Change is continual and a good leader can implement advances without a major interruption in the school environment. The major key to succeeding is the ability to

communicate effectively to all individuals affected by the changing environment. A good leader is able to incorporate the walk by modeling the high expectation, which is set forth to the teachers. In creating an encouraging and developmental environment so, no teacher will feel alienated from the process of decision-making; a leader gains respect and trust. A leader must disrupt the status quo to eliminate mere compliance by some teachers without sinking the ship. In addition to the above-mentioned competencies, a great leader will note, A mans heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). How does good leadership play into educating the students? The obvious answer would be the difference between success and sliding through the system. Teachers want to engage their students through a variety of mediums to provide the best on the students educational journey. Students must be able to collaborate among each other to develop communication skills and team building skills. Lessons need to incorporate a diversity of real world applications into the learning environment. Higher order cognitive skills need to be nurture to apply solutions to

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP problems. Many students have access to a multitude of technology away from the school

environment. Students problem solve while playing massively multiplayer online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft. Students build on their communication skills while using I Pads and cell phone devices as well as written communication using Facebook and Twitter. The question is can these devices be used in the classroom setting to foster academic growth? The answer is yes if the technology is available to all students. There was a time when bringing the television and video players into the classroom were for entertaining the students oppose to educating with purpose. There are many restrictions in place by the district where it is difficult, if not impossible, to view educational media online. For instance, YouTube is blocked at many schools as well as educational games for enriching the learning through practice and fun. It is critical that education not only seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two worlds more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain (Klopfer, Osterweil, Groff, & Haas, 2009). MMOs and other game consoles such as WII have a purpose that incorporates many of the same concepts that teachers want their students to learn. The interactive playing the virtual game environment is equated students learning social networking. The games provide situations where players must complete quests and even dungeons with team building in place. Teachers implement problem-solving tasks for their students but do so without the skills of technology in place. How can the worlds of gaming and the classroom setting come closer for the sake of the students learning? Can students learn from the gaming environments? An example of students learning is the game Civilization IV where players work as teams to create a society. The players must collaborate in decision making and develop strategic move to have the ultimate world for them. Some of the creation of a civilization includes where to build the new cities, societal advances and handling

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP the neighboring cities (friend and enemy). The players choose from Aztecs, Romans, Mongol, and etcetera to base a model for their civilization. The technologies introduced range from pottery making to nuclear fusion. This is what students learn from the lessons in Social Studies but the learning is not hampered by the mundane rote and memorized lessons in the classroom. This is an innovative way to learn about history, terminology and many other applications beyond the typical learning experience in the class setting. Students build this society as a learning experience with collaborative support from their team. What a fun and motivating way to learn social studies! Although Civilization IV is a time consuming game there are other possible technologies to promote the learning journey. It will take bold and innovative leaders to bring the technology

possibilities into the classroom setting. Education is embarking on an adventure of technological advances and students should given a ticket to ride. As mentioned there should be sacrifices made to bring the most up-to-date technology into the class for all students to learn. The community must stand in the forefront for changes to be made which benefit the students. Districts need to create bonds for the voters to make way for the technology needed in the schools. Administrators must collaborate with vendors to ensure technology brought today is not obsolete next week by obtaining upgrades as necessary. Teachers must be willing to learn the new technology by attending relevant professional development. Students have the right to be prepared for the future, which is and will continue to advance in technological applications. Students need great leaders to advocate for them. The question is will you be a great leader?

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP References Brainy Quotes (2012). Albert Einstein quotes. Retrieved October 2, 2012, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html

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Davies, P. M. (2010). On school educational technology leadership. Management in Education, 24(2), 55-61. Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., Groff, J., & Haas, J. (2009). Using the technology of today, in the classroom today. The Education Arcade: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, , 1-23. Webber, C. F. (2003). New technologies and educative learning. Journal of Educational Administration, 41(2), 119-123. Whitehead, D. P. (2009). Learning matters. Childhood Education, 32. Winston Churchill Leadership (2007). Leadership quotes - T's. Retrieved October 2, 2012, from http://www.winston-churchill-leadership.com/leadership-quote-part11.html

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