Technology for New Administrators

On your path to education leadership, I suspect you’ll encounter technology on a daily basis. I don’t suspect (or believe) you need to become “more techie” to lead well in this space. (I’m in the camp that believes technology should be becoming more human.) Those of us who get technology understand it’s merely a system for getting something done. Today, when we say the word technology, we often mean a computer system for getting something done. A century ago, it was Ford’s Model T and the use of X-rays in surgery. Time rolls on….

You will want to understand tech well enough to use it effectively for your own work and learning. You will probably be asked for your vision on how to use it in support of your staff and students. You may need to budget for it. Depending on your role, you may also need to troubleshoot it. And, in my perfect world, you’ll have ideas about things you want to do in your schools that technology will be able to support.

In our time together this fall, I want to start with an introduction to technology in our classrooms. The past decade has brought big changes in how we think about and use technology for learning. We’ll talk about the changes and why, in 2016, we’re not going to talk about computer labs and doc cameras and which software to buy. (Hint: we’re going to start with what you want to do and then identify support for figuring out the details.)

I want to end with a list of resources and connections. This conversation we’re having in September 2016? It’s going to be outdated soon. As you begin leading vision and planning in the coming years, I don’t want you to be referring to a list of network speed recommendations, operating system version comparisons, and which NIC is most reliable. (What’s a NIC???) Instead, I hope you’ll be referring back to our conversations and a list of who to reach out to when you have that first set of questions you feel unprepared to answer.

There are incredible administrators who share and connect online. They tell their stories and stories of their schools, communities, and students. They share resources, opinions, challenges, solutions, and empathy. They sometimes share trash talk about Ducks v Beavers.

You don’t have to become Donald Trump on Twitter (not a political remark; he’s prolific on social media and a good, timely reference) to get value from social media, be it Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, or the community that catapults to the top next week. Don’t be afraid to lurk online and learn. I’ve added some good follows to get you started.

This is when we take our introduction and our resources and tackle what I think is important for you to know right now. We’ll have generous time for group discussion and a playful task for reflection.