As I Learn to Become a 21st. Century Educational Leader

Ten years ago, the conversation between a superintendent of schools and his IT system administrator could go like this:

Oh, no!” cried Mrs. Superintendent, “John, I don’t know where to start when it comes to computers and technology!”
“That makes two of us Mrs. Superintendent…”
Mrs. Superintendent shook her head after examining next year’s budget. “I can only allocate 5% of our funds for technology!” She threw the budget binder on the desk. “I want our teachers and students to have computers, read their e-mail, and maybe have a computer lab!.”
"Technology is here to stay Mrs. Superintendent. A day will come when you will have a whole educational technology department, with its director and staff.”
“Yes, you’re right. I am aware.”

Today, the word is not aware anymore. Educational communities across the globe have now an educational technology department. The head of that department works closely with the rest of the district’s leadership team, including heads of curriculum, student services, college preparedness and superintendents. Nevertheless, the responsibilities and challenges of a technology director in a parochial school system in South America would be different from those facing a technology director in a one-campus school district in Africa; and those challenges and responsibilities are all together special inside a rather complex, large urban school district in Illinois.

The role of today’s educational technology leaders is to build better educational communities of practice. In defining communities of practice, every educational technology leader must consider both his personal views, but most importantly, the views of the community he serves.

Yesterday’s visionaries of educational technology are today’s leaders in our educational communities of practice. They are paving the road of innovation, creativity, ethics and collaboration. Many them could be the rightful recipients of two or three honorary doctoral degrees and I am sure that every year, these leaders are carefully considered in many Honoris Causa committees, if they are yet to receive the call. Formal education is imperative for the rest of us, just entering with wondering eyes into the field.

I am thrilled to be a 21st century digital learner. As part of my formal education in technology leadership, I see a challenging opportunity. I am to work closely with the leadership team in my educational community to identify technological excellence and innovation in teaching that facilitates learning. The faculty in my team will seek my guidance when they develop effective methods for delivering instruction and I must have the knowledge of today’s technology tools to assist them.

As an educational technology leader, I need to use data from different evaluation tools provided at the local and govermental levels, to assess technologies’ instructional impact, learning space design and learning management systems. To complement existing evaluation tools, I am to develop unique measurement systems that will serve my learning community best.

It is important that I, as an educational technology leader, share information
regularly with faculty through the use of technology tools and e-presentations. This is perhaps would be the best way to “walk the talk”. And it could only be attained through research of safe educational technologies, knowledge of new educational technology initiatives; and ethical practice, guidance and assistance on using technology in support of teaching.