Management vs. Leadership
After listening to Dr. Newberry's podcast, I immediately began thinking of an administrator that I had several years ago who is no longer with my district. This administrator was definitely a technology leader. Not only did she manage all of the paperwork associated with technology like creating a technology plan, scheduling trainings for teachers on how to implement new technology, looking at the cost effectiveness of certain software, etc. She also engage both the staff and students with power point presentations, digital camera videos of students within their classrooms and outside on the playground. She encouraged the staff to try new technology and not to feel inadequate if they were unable to utilize it. She wanted to make sure each staff member had the opportunity to learn how to use technology and then incorporate it into the classroom. She was never pushy and did not give deadlines as to when a program needed to be mastered, instead she teamed up individuals that could help or learn from one another in order to make the transition to technology less painful. I have not had an administrator like that in a long while, nor have I seen many managers step up to plate as far as technology goes. It would be nice to train managers to be leaders especially where technology is concerned. There are many senior teachers out there that would love to learn about all of the new technology that is available to them. It just needs to be presented in a different manner.
Activity log:
I watched the podcast by Dr. Newberry and the read several post from my classmates. I then created my own post based on my experience of managers and leaders. And am now working on redefining my project topics.
4 comments:
Good job! I'm glad that I found your blog.
Good morning Michele,
You are very welcome to this class.
It seems that you are using and applying most the resources for classroom. Isn't it a must? I would feel incomplete to do my job, if I do not have, at least, the basic knowledge of the integrated technology for the classroom.
I also love to have a website too. I think it is nice to link all the available sites to show students in class when needed. Especially in my line of work (automotive technology), I found that a picture tells thousand word. I found the animation of many automotive systems, and they are life-saver. It would take me a lot of effort to explain some systems, and I may not reach all students. With animation of these systems, students enjoy seeing them, and they have better understanding of how it works. All I have to do is making comments, answer the questions students have, and do the demonstrations in the work shop. These animations also are the visual learners’ favorite.
I am also one hundred percent for supporting technology.
Good to see you in this class and to read your posting
De Nguyen
It is nice when you get an admin with a flar for technology. It is also nice when it is not pushed down your throat. :-) Nice post.
Michele,
It is nice to have adminstrators who act like they care about the faculty and staff enough to take an interest in helping them out. I have experienced an administrator at my school who sounds as if they would fit the description that you listed. They were very good at technology and wouldn't make you feel down if you didn't know how to use a certain technology or had questions regarding it. We need more people like that.
Great post!
James
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