Leadership in Technology

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

This bible verse took me back to how Max was able to “reach” Stan and helped him succeed. I also appreciated how Max answered the question of what it takes to be a great leader. His answer included several components – having a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish; encourage all stakeholders to see the importance of their contributions; recognize the value of all those involved; take responsibility, etc. (Hall, 2008). This represents one leader’s definition. The essence and concepts of leadership may be similar but the details will vary from individual to individual. Just as leaders evaluate and provide feedback to team members, leaders should also seek feedback from them. “To build an environment that values feedback and uses data as a vital part of an ongoing growth process, you must model for your staff this same desire for and openness to feedback” (Hall, 2008, p. 152). It all goes back to being a good role model and being accountable.

Picciano’s text offers a clear yet detailed overview of the steps that need to be followed when planning for the use of technology in education. It definitely does not mean just buying computers, software, hardware, and applications left and right. It does require much research and planning to successfully implement a technology plan that addresses the needs of all students and teaches them the importance of learning and applying 21^st Century Skills. The mindful use of technology by students and professional development for teachers/staff are integral aspects of this process.

This trend in educational technology will only continue to grow in the US and all over the world. This growth will require that many leaders continue to research the benefits of incorporating technology in education.

References

Hall, D. (2008). The technology director’s guide to leadership: The power of great questions. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

Picciano, A. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Link to screencast-performing a mail merge

Description - I created this tutorial because at my current job I am required to send surveys to participants for whom we do not have email addresses. Mail merges are helpful because they allow me to complete a task that could be very time consuming in less time. They can also be used by teachers when sharing newsletters with parents. Adding personalization is beneficial to fostering a sense of community.

This is the link to my video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMYhVXLcCtQ

Written transcript

This tutorial will provide you with step by step directions on how to create a mail merge. For this specific exercise we will complete the mail merge to send letters of request to fifteen different individual and instead of having to type all their information on each individual letter we can create an excel spreadsheet with the names and addresses of these fifteen individuals. This will also allow you to print your mailing labels. You will also need a word document with the letter that we’re going to send. So that is the letter of request document you see here. And once we have these two documents ready we can get started with the process of the mail merge. Let’s begin by opening the word document first; and this dialog box will come up and this is just asking you for kind of permission to link the information on the database to this letter so I am just going to say yes. Once you open the letter you can see that there is really no personalization whatsoever but we are going to change that very easily and very quickly. I am just going to move my cursor one line below the date and I am going to select the “mailings” tab and I am going to go to where it says select recipients. If you click on it you have different options but this time I am going to use “use existing list” because I already have a list ready with all the information that I need and so I am going to go look for that file on my desktop which is where I placed it for ease of access and so it’s right here, it’s called addresses, I will double click on it and another dialog box opens and I am going to use the information on sheet 1 and you always want this box to be checked because we do have column headers. And then just simply say OK. And again there’s really no change just yet. But if you go to where it says “insert merge field” and select the drop down menu you see the different headers that we have on the columns so we are going to use these for the letter. I am going to start by inserting the “first name” add a space and then add the person’s “last name”. I will go to the next line and add the ”title” of the person and on the next line we are going to add the “organization” where that person works; on the next line I will add the “address” field, followed by the “city”, “state” and “zip code”. So that completes the heading part of the letter. And I still want to personalize it even more so I am going to go here where it says “Dear” and include a “salutation” first, a space and then person’s “last name” followed by a comma. So now you can see that you have all the merge fields integrated into the letter and once you do that you can go to “finish and merge” and you want to edit individual documents, click on that and you want to merge all the records and say OK. You can see that it creates a new word document but this document now has all the letters. So there is a letter for Mr. Jones and if you scroll down your screen you will notice that you have your letter for Ms. Smith and so on and so forth; you have fifteen different letters that you can easily go print on your letterhead so they’re all there-all fifteen of them-and that makes it very simple to complete a mail merge. If you have 200, 300 even more documents that you need to send out this will be a very effective tool to address those needs. I hope this tutorial has been helpful to you. Thank you.

EDUC638 Staley_Gabriela_Week 4 Forum

            Slavin (2012) explains that the majority of the students in today’s classrooms have had high levels of exposure to technology and most also feel comfortable and proficient with technology. He also highlights the important role of teachers in guiding students in the mindful use of technology by creating lessons that allow them to find valuable information and develop new skills to complete assignments and projects of all kinds. “Mindful use of technology implies using critical reading skills to decide what is likely to be true and useful in a body of information, and using learning-to-learn skills to plan a search for information and select from it, summarize knowledge, and create reports or other new materials based on the summaries” (Slavin, 2012, p. 277). 

            There continue to be disagreements regarding the value of using technology for instructional purposes. There are those who see technology as a tool to be incorporated into instruction to help students be more successful and there are others who don’t see any benefits at all. Technological applications continue to evolve resulting in better outcomes in many areas, not just education. Teachers can effectively use these applications in their instruction just as long as they are carefully researched and thorough planning takes place. “Computer technology is also merging with other technologies to create a variety of new instructional applications” (Picciano, 2011, p. 111). These new applications are “pedagogically more stimulating than anything that the individual technologies alone provided in the past” (Picciano, 2011, p. 111).

            Hall (2008) provides a thorough analysis based on the need for changing instructional strategies. He focuses on three teaching models that incorporate technology into the instructional process: anchored inquiry (students use technology to solve problems); project-based learning (students transfer what they learn into practice); and brain-based learning (understanding how connections are made).

            Reflecting on all this information I can conclude that the actual practice of incorporating technology when planning instruction will be the best indicator of its effectiveness. It is still imperative to focus on the development of 21^st Century skills such as critical thinking and problem solving to help students be successful in an increasingly digital environment.

“Behold I command thee, take courage, and be strong. Fear not and be not dismayed: because the Lord thy God is with thee in all things whatsoever thou shalt go to” (Joshua 1:9). I selected this verse because of how this course has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone to learn about applications that I would have never thought to use and how in education this is something that needs to be embraced by many who do not feel comfortable with technology.

References

Hall, D. (2008). The technology director’s guide to leadership: The power of great questions. Eugene, OR: ISTE.

Picciano, A. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Slavin, R. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Reflective Blog/Week 2/Planning for technology & leadership

Having read chapters 1-3 from Picciano’s text has provided me with information that will be useful when considering the planning and implementation of technology in educational settings. “One of the major issues impeding the establishment of successful technology programs in schools is the lack of careful and effective planning” (Picciano, 2011, p. 10). While many areas (such as corporate) have seen a steady growth in the use of technology, education has not. There continue to be major gaps that are not easily addressed. I understand that when an organization is exploring opportunities to expand the use of technology in the classroom, there should be a shared vision and mission, collaboration and commitment and that the process does not stop once a program has been implemented; assessments are required to analyze its effectiveness.

           

            It is also important to remember that we, as educators, in addition to knowing and utilizing technology effectively, should also be aware of issues that affect the use of technology in education; examples include gender stereotypes, digital divide issues (minorities, poverty, students with LEP, rural settings). The education level, income, or race of a parent/parents also affect the ability to own technology for use at home.

            As far as leadership styles, I’ve enjoyed reading Hall’s analogies. I don’t have much experience in leadership roles in the corporate world (yet) but I would like to be able to find a balance (sage-oracle-sensei). I see myself as giving guidance and being an example to others; delegating and allowing others to succeed and get the credit they deserve. In my place of work, I am able to identify all three types and how each leader is flexible depending on the individual(s) they interact with at any given time.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you, (John 13:12-15). I selected this scripture passage because it helps me to remember that we are all made in His image and also because in practicing fair leadership I can set a positive example for those I come in contact with, whether they are students, teachers, parents, or other school staff.

References

Hall, D. (2008). The technology director’s guide to leadership: The power of great questions. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

Picciano, A. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.