Technology from an Administrator's Perspective

As educators, we are constantly reminded about technology and how it's implementation is vital to the success of any school and/or district.  Pertaining to educational leaders, we are charged with the daunting task of "staying fresh with technology" during a time in which technology can be intimidating to some school leaders providing a feeling of uncertainty.




As an administrator, my goal will be to constantly model technology to faculty and staff members.  By modeling, I will exhibit behaviors that will allow others to follow or incorporate in their daily technological use at school.  For example, instead of formal faculty meetings, I would post a blog (via email) to everyone in the building.  By doing so, this will cut down on lengthy meetings while allowing teachers to focus more on instruction.  Personally, I see this as an innovative way to foster alternate forms of communication with others.




Another example of modeling would be for faculty and staff members (in my school) to train each other in the building through professional development while reaching out to other schools within the district to introduce this new form of communication while promoting it's effectiveness.  This would be a great time for teachers to showcase what they know by sharing information to stakeholders and others in the community while gaining the perspectives of others.




Finally, I will strive to keep my faculty and staff abreast of the changing face of technology through imparting information through professional development and explaining how this will benefit students through instruction.  The primary objective is meeting student needs while incorporating a vision of how this will look not only in a single classroom but in a academic department, career tech department, fine arts department, foreign language and special education department.  Regardless of the department, the goal and vision should look the same.




In closing, no program will be successful without evaluating it's effectiveness.  As the administrator, conducting formative assessments at the duration of each school year will not only assist the staff on the changes needed to help the school move forward, it will assist my technological prowess as well.