Topic
of the Day: The
Impact of Technology on Leadership Styles
Within an ever-changing technological
environment, how does a leader respond to:
- changing roles and responsibilities of school leaders
- fostering a climate that supports change and innovation
- building for the future while preserving the strengths
of the past
using the new communications tools to reach all constituents
- planning
for all the essential conditions for effective technology use
Housekeeping:
Assignments: Your
next assignment "Annotated Bibliography" is due October 12. You might
use the email activity from module one as a starting point.
Thoughts, ramblings
and critical questions
Study after study shows that a crucial factor in determining whether
schools—and school districts—succeed or fail is the quality
and stability of their leadership. Yet we know that leadership styles
vary and that more than one style can offer a successful environment
for change. Look at the following sites to get a brief overview of
different leadership styles.
What is “Transactional
Leadership”?
What
is Facilative Leadership?
What
is Transformational Leadership?
What is Moral Leadership?
Leadership for technology integration involves
much more than establishing a task force (or technology
committee) to layout what needs to be done, when, and by whom. The
tasks of the leader are much broader. They include: ensuring
on-site support (Webster, 1999; Bozeman & Hiatt, 1999);
providing the time and resources to develop skills for
technology integration (OTA, 1995;
Gay, 1997); having a vision (Fullan, 1992; OTA, 1995);
understanding the change process (Bridges and Mitchell,
2000; Webber, 1995); and embracing
a democratic process wherein stakeholders are included
in decision making (Webster, 1999; Maney & Brooks,
1996; Fullan and Miles, 1992; Wheatley, 1995).
Bridges and Mitchell (2000) note that the process of leading
for change requires that leaders understand the organizational
and individual
dynamics of change. As individuals experience change,
they also experience transition:
…
transition occurs in the course of every attempt at change. Transition
is the state that change puts people into. The change is external (the
different policy, practice, or structure that the leader is trying to
bring about), while transition is internal (a psychological reorientation
that people have to go through before the change can work) (Bridges & Mitchell,
2000, p. 3).
Change is a personal matter. Policies can be implemented and change
mandated, but ultimately, it is the individual teacher who either
changes or refuses
to change. Leaders who are sensitive to issues associated with personal
change and continual teacher growth are better prepared to lead (Leithwood,
1992; Poplin, 1992) enhancing their chances of experiencing successful
technology integration at their sites.
It may be the case that a teacher's willingness or unwillingness
to change is associated with the broader issue of meaning. Wheatley’s
(1994) view that there is a “call of meaning in our organizational
lives” (p.
134) highlights such a notion. Leaders strive to improve education,
to integrate new technologies, or to embrace a new model of teaching.
But
what, ultimately, is being done? Rather than identifying a particular
item to integrate, whether it is technology or open education, the
'call of meaning in our organizational lives' demands more. It
demands that
organizations both prod and help individuals make sense of their
professional lives; to understand what they do and why, and
to ultimately judge whether
or not they should be doing so. Their actions are grounded in a moral
purpose.
In this weeks readings, Fullan introduces the idea of
Moral leadership. He accurately states: "Whatever one's style, every
leader, to be effective, must have and work on improving his or her
moral purpose". (p.13)
I want you to consider the following questions.
- What is my leadership style?
- What is moral leadership and how does it relate to my
work in education?
- How are moral leadership and technology integration
related?
Glossary
and Resources for the Week:
Sergiovanni, Fullan, Leithwood, Hargreaves...all
key authors in school reform movements and change. Begin to take
the time to search for resources in educational change and leadership.
Hughes, M & Zachariah,
S. (2001). An Investigation into the Relationship Between Effective
Administrative
Leadership Styles and the Use of Technology. International Electronic
Journal for Leadership in Learning, 5 (5). Available online: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~iejll/volume5/hughes.html
Lakomski, G. (1995). Leading and Learning:
From transformational leadership to organizational learning. Leading
and Managing 1(3), 211-225.
Lashway, L. (1995). Can instructional leaders be facilitative leaders
be facilitative leaders? ED381893, Number 98.
Leithwood, K. A. (1992). The move toward transformational leadership.
Educational Leadership, 49(5), 8-12.
Ertmer, P. A. , Bai, H., Dong, C., Khalil,
M., Park, S. H., Wang, L. (2002). Online professional development:
Building administrators’ capacity
for technology leadership. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education,
19 (1), 5-11.
This research examined changes
in administrators’ ideas about
technology integration and technology leadership while participating
in an online professional development course. Eight administrators,
enrolled in a semester-long course, participated in 16 discussion forums
related to k-12 technology implementation issues. Pre- and post-course
surveys indicated significant changes in ideas about technology integration
as well as methods used to support teachers’ integration efforts.
Analyses of interview and course discussion data suggest that administrators
view technology leadership as a “shared responsibility” that
requires both administrative skills and technical knowledge.
Hord, S. (1992). Facilitative Leadership:
the imperative for change Southwest Educational Development Laboratory,
Austin, Texas.
http://www.sedl.org/change/facilitate/
[23/9/03]
Module Activities:
|
Leadership
and Technology