Stateedtechgrants
View more presentations from Michael B Schoen.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Technology and School Administration
The children of today are significantly different than any other age. The 21st century generation of students have been referred to as Millennials and have always known technology and the internet. They both, once they are a bit older, will have access to high-speed internet, on-line gaming, cell phones and personal computers. Knowing all of this, as an administrator I must make sure that technology is integrated into my school and that teachers are knowledgeable and willing to use the technology provided.
According to Ray McNulty, "They (today's students) expect technology, which is an ordinary part of their daily lives, will be integral to their education -- yet often it isn't" (McNulty 2010) . As an administrator it is my responsibility to prepare my students for the future. That future will include technology. There are a few hurdles to deal with when trying to bring the technological level of a building up to a higher standard: teachers, school board, and the community (Krueger & Owen 2010). There has to be consensus between teachers, school board and the community for technology. If the teachers do not have buy-in they will be unwilling to implement the changes in the classroom. If the school board does not have buy-in, the technology program may be underfunded or not funded at all. If the community does not have buy-in, there will be constant tension between the parents and the school. Ultimately, it is a matter of educating all the parties involved.
I personally am not afraid of technology. Most of my life is spent in front of a glowing LCD screen; however, this is not true for most individuals. As an administrator, it is my responsibility to educate the teachers and the community about technology. In the article, "The Importance of Modeling Tech Applications", the author gives examples of how some schools have educated their communities through podcasts, blogs, and teacher web pages (Buffington 2010). The district I am currently in already mandates that teachers will create a district webpage, but there is no mandate requiring that the sites be maintained. A few years back, my school district trained all the teachers how to create a blog and helped them set one up, butagain there was no follow-through and most of the blogs were never used again. The problem with technology training is that often there is no continuing education. According to Doug Johnson, a school district must have "leadership and a vision" for technology use (Johnson 2005). I think this might be part of the problem with my current district; there is no set vision for technology integration. As an administrator, I need to make sure that I have a mission and vision for my school and that I follow through with what I implement.
Finally, schools must speak with the most important stakeholders in education about technology, the students. According to Lane Mills, "A rich source of information is the students’ viewpoints. Ask the students about their experiences with technology in a variety of classes" (Mills 2008). Ultimately, we are preparing students for their futures, they should certainly have a say. If we don't teach students how to use technology to learn and research, they may rely on information gleaned from the web that is less than accurate. This is the information age, schools and libraries were once the repositories of information in the past, but now students will turn to Google or Cuil. Educators and administrators must become tech savvy, because the students are already using it.
The children of today are significantly different than any other age. The 21st century generation of students have been referred to as Millennials and have always known technology and the internet. They both, once they are a bit older, will have access to high-speed internet, on-line gaming, cell phones and personal computers. Knowing all of this, as an administrator I must make sure that technology is integrated into my school and that teachers are knowledgeable and willing to use the technology provided.
According to Ray McNulty, "They (today's students) expect technology, which is an ordinary part of their daily lives, will be integral to their education -- yet often it isn't" (McNulty 2010) . As an administrator it is my responsibility to prepare my students for the future. That future will include technology. There are a few hurdles to deal with when trying to bring the technological level of a building up to a higher standard: teachers, school board, and the community (Krueger & Owen 2010). There has to be consensus between teachers, school board and the community for technology. If the teachers do not have buy-in they will be unwilling to implement the changes in the classroom. If the school board does not have buy-in, the technology program may be underfunded or not funded at all. If the community does not have buy-in, there will be constant tension between the parents and the school. Ultimately, it is a matter of educating all the parties involved.
I personally am not afraid of technology. Most of my life is spent in front of a glowing LCD screen; however, this is not true for most individuals. As an administrator, it is my responsibility to educate the teachers and the community about technology. In the article, "The Importance of Modeling Tech Applications", the author gives examples of how some schools have educated their communities through podcasts, blogs, and teacher web pages (Buffington 2010). The district I am currently in already mandates that teachers will create a district webpage, but there is no mandate requiring that the sites be maintained. A few years back, my school district trained all the teachers how to create a blog and helped them set one up, butagain there was no follow-through and most of the blogs were never used again. The problem with technology training is that often there is no continuing education. According to Doug Johnson, a school district must have "leadership and a vision" for technology use (Johnson 2005). I think this might be part of the problem with my current district; there is no set vision for technology integration. As an administrator, I need to make sure that I have a mission and vision for my school and that I follow through with what I implement.
Finally, schools must speak with the most important stakeholders in education about technology, the students. According to Lane Mills, "A rich source of information is the students’ viewpoints. Ask the students about their experiences with technology in a variety of classes" (Mills 2008). Ultimately, we are preparing students for their futures, they should certainly have a say. If we don't teach students how to use technology to learn and research, they may rely on information gleaned from the web that is less than accurate. This is the information age, schools and libraries were once the repositories of information in the past, but now students will turn to Google or Cuil. Educators and administrators must become tech savvy, because the students are already using it.
References
Buffington, P. (2010). "The importance of modeling tech adoption". The School Administrator
v. 67 (3). http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=12392
Johnson, D. (2005). "What does a tech-savvy administrator look like?". The School
Administrator v. 62 (5). http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=8566
Krueger, K & Owen, A. (2010). "Checklist for implementing new technologies". The School
Administrator v. 67 (4). http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=12828
McNulty, R. (2010). "Student expectations unmet: Where are the electronics?". The School
Administrator v. 67 (1). http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=11040
Mills, L. (2008). "A personal evaluation of integration". The School Administrator v. 65 (7).
http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=4998
v. 67 (3). http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=12392
Johnson, D. (2005). "What does a tech-savvy administrator look like?". The School
Administrator v. 62 (5). http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=8566
Krueger, K & Owen, A. (2010). "Checklist for implementing new technologies". The School
Administrator v. 67 (4). http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=12828
McNulty, R. (2010). "Student expectations unmet: Where are the electronics?". The School
Administrator v. 67 (1). http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=11040
Mills, L. (2008). "A personal evaluation of integration". The School Administrator v. 65 (7).
http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=4998
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