Connected Educational Leader
One of the most important activities we do as educational leaders is to share information with other leaders. For this blog post, I decided to take a look at "Working at the Edge" by Randy Ziegenfuss. I chose this specific educational leader because he works in Salisbury Township School District. This is near where I grew up, so I am familiar with the area.
In Ziegenfuss' most recent blog post he discusses many "How might..." questions that deal with technology. Some of the questions that he attempts to answer are:
How might learning with technology look different if every educator (teachers and leaders) held a bold but fluid vision for learning with technology?
How might learning with technology look different if every school and school system had a leader that promoted the vision and removed barriers to its enactment?
How might learning with technology look different if our professional learning reflected the vision for learning in the classroom?
He asks the first question, in my opinion, because many teachers are wary of new technologies and changing their ways as teachers. Many teachers think "I've been teaching this way my whole life and it's been successful, Why do you want me to change?" The second question is discussed because there are many educational leaders that are also stuck in their ways. If they do not model what is new, they are missing out are new teaching opportunities. He asks the third question because it is easier to teach something if you were taught that way as well. More creativity by educational leaders will lead to more creativity for teachers.
As a leader, you must always be questioning your process and reading up on the processes of others. That is why I think that these questions are very important and must be asked. The writer does a great job of breaking down important questions and answering them to the best of his ability. To see this speific blog post for yourself, please use the link below.
http://workingattheedge.org/
When reading your blog, I encountered the same thoughts. How and why do I want to change? Being a dynamic leader incorporates so many things and how will I accomplish them all? I am glad to see that I am not the only one is gaining more knowledge to move beyond the basic ideology of leadership. As long as I have access to technology, I will continue to have a platform to work with. The only thing I need to remember is that I need to enhance my technological skills yearly and further the skills of others.
ReplyDeleteI agree, as long as we have access to technology, it is possible to learn, grow, and change. It's so important for us to remember that we need to enhance our skills, like you said, yearly, but with the way technology is moving, we probably need to brush up on our skills much more often. But you're right, everything is possible if we have the right attitude and we continue to research and build on our skills. We all have the desire to lead and helps others, so we are all capable of being dynamic leaders.
DeleteAs I read your blog and reflected upon the 3 questions, I had many thoughts. Technology will continue to enhance the learning process and the technology which we use will continue to change. I agree that attitude is the important piece. Administrators and teachers must be willing to continue to learn and develop their technological skills.
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ReplyDeleteI really think that teachers, by nature, are creatures of habit. They largely get into teaching because they enjoy working with kids and can control their environment. Asking them to change and try new things goes against their basic nature but it is necessary for TEACHERS to embrace LEARNING too! I enjoyed the post.
ReplyDeletethis is from Mark Aquilante... I messed up the profile part so it entered me as Unknown
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