Through the Technology for Leaders course I have started to realize how broad a technology leader's range of responsibilities is. I have learned how technology leaders need to be a leader, manager, and change agent all at the same time in order to be the most successful. I think that the area I have learned the most about through the course is what it takes to be a change agent, and how important it is to think through decisions and actions in order to really incite change. Through reading the book Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath, I have realized how important it is to strategize before trying to implement a change and determine things that will motivate, encourage, and guide others through the change. The strategies learned in the book have given me guidance for hopefully implementing future changes.
As a technology specialist, I must take on a leadership role. I believe that the role of managing individuals would be the hardest part of being a technology leader for me. My passion for technology integration makes it easier for me to develop a vision and share that vision and excitement with others. This allows me to help them see the benefits of making a shift towards engaging students with technology. However, I know my greatest struggle is managing the individuals to ensure the change takes place. I know that it is important to take responsibility to make sure the change occurs and hold others accountable for their part in the process. However, I often struggle to maintain the authoritarian role and know that it is an area where I need to work on developing stronger skills. In a survey I recently participated in, I realized that the way I present my ideas are often not persistent or urgent enough and may send the message that they are not as important. I am working on becoming more confident so that others will see the importance of taking action.
In this class I have developed a pilot project to encourage teachers to use technology tools for formative assessments to measure student learning and inform instruction. The planning, preparation, and beginning of implementation went smoothly. I was able to work with the math team leader to provide the training and support for teachers and we also worked closely with the teachers to plan out specific times in their lesson when they could use the formative assessments. The teachers have begun to use the technology tools for formative assessments in their classes. The next step of the process is to collect data on how the formative assessments were used in order to analyze the impact of the pilot.
References:
Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2011). Switch: How to change things when change is hard. London: Random House Business Books.
