IEJLL: International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning
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Technology Integration: Best Practices–Where Do Teachers Stand? 5(11)
No full textAs technology becomes more available in k-12 classrooms and teachers apply it their teaching, it is important to consider how we are going to evaluate the technology integration efforts of teachers. This article summarizes the stages of technology integration, and then goes on to present examples of best technology integration practices. Finally, it offers questions to consider when assessing teachers and their uses of technology.
The idea of "technology integration" has evolved during the last several decades from teaching programming, to utilizing drill and practice, to implementing integrated learning systems, to addressing computer literacy skills, to participating in web-based communities. A more current view of technology integration involves the practice of using technology in ways that are both curriculum-based and future-oriented. According to Ertmer (1999), teachers should focus on meeting content objectives within the "three Cs": communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. It also requires that attention be given to preparing students for the future: theirs, not ours. The challenge for today’s educators is not programming the computer or learning cumbersome DOS commands. It lies in using computers and other technologies in ways to promote meaningful learning for students.
The purpose of this paper is to describe teachers’ transformation process into technology integrators, to explore best practices in teaching with technology, and to suggest how administrators might consider evaluating teachers’ integration efforts. Now that computer technology is more prevalent in classrooms, it is becoming less a decision of whether or not to adopt, and more of a dilemma of how to implement it effectively into instruction
Leadership for Cultural Change: Developing a Community of Learners in Teacher Education, 5(10)
No full textIf we understand ‘culture’ (in its simplest sense) to be ‘the way of life’ or ‘the way in which we do things,’ then asking the staff of a university faculty to adopt student-centred approaches and embed them in an outcomes-focused environment is expecting of them quite a degree of cultural change. What many staff are faced with is a massive reassessment of their role — what they are expected to know, to do and to be — even those who thought they were (and were acknowledged as) good teachers in the first place. An outcomes approach to education requires a shift in emphasis from focusing on teaching to focusing on learning. A student-centred approach to education requires focusing on the learner rather than on the syllabus. For most academics, this is a major shift in their understanding of ‘the way in which we do things’ in a university.
This paper describes how Faculty of Education staff involved in a university-funded Learning Effectiveness Alliances Program (LEAP) have gone about this process of cultural change, some of the alterations they have made in their practices as university teachers and some of the challenges they have met and grappled with along the way. After two years into a five year project, no one, including the leadership, is totally clear where the end point, if any, might be or what it will exactly look like if they do get there. By listening and responding to the teachers and students as the program is implemented, flexibility is maintained, adaptability encouraged, and ownership achieved. What is already evident is a renewed excitement in the process of education and how it can and should be pursued in a Faculty of Education. For this group at least, it is once again a community of learners with the teachers providing a thought-provoking model for their students.
While the program and changes are by no means complete at this stage, and indeed may never be (we keep telling participants and interested parties that it is in draft form only), the challenge of educational leadership roles and cultural change has not been easy for both teaching teams and management. However, one of the most pleasing outcomes has been the success of the collaborative approach to curriculum development and teacher planning with a close working relationship maintained between management and teaching staff
The Principle of Coherence: The Coherent Principal, 5(12)
No full textThe practices of school leaders who apply the principle of coherence to their decision making were studied. The principle of coherence translates reflective practice into a framework for analyzing a school leader’s decision making. A case study of a Catholic school principal provides an explicit example of the principle of coherence. An analysis of the case study provides insight into contemplative practice (Schuttloffel, 1999b). Next a public school principal personifies school leaders who adhere to beliefs central to democratic citizenship. The principle of coherence portrays how school leaders purposefully transmit a moral code to members of their school community
Dean, Judge, and Bishop: Lessons from a Conflict and Implications for School Leaders, 5(17)
No full textThis article utilizes a court-resolved 1870s conflict between two clergymen, Edward Cridge and George Hills, to present a model for conflict analysis that is relevant for the preparation and professional development of school leaders. The five elements of the model include: a defining reality, reinforcing events, critical incident, response patterns, and outputs and outcomes. The incident is used with guiding questions to demonstrate the use of case study technique for learning purposes. The case is presented as an example of "woodenheadedness" in interpersonal relations and of "folly" in governance policy in terms used by Barbara Tuchman (1984)
Reducing Incivility in the University/College Classroom, 5(4)
No full textUncivil student behavior against faculty in higher education has gained increased media attention. According to recent reports, such behavior may be increasing, thus jeopardizing the welfare of faculty, students, and the overall educational process. This paper identifies factors contributing to uncivil interactions between students and faculty and provides practical strategies designed to avoid or diffuse student-faculty conflicts
Governments and School Improvement, 5(9)
No full textThis paper looks at the gap between growing knowledge of school improvement and public policy for education. I examine the likelihood that governments will actually adopt improvement-friendly policies, and the factors both supporting and militating against their doing so. A main section of the paper discusses the nature of government decision-making processes and the possibilities and limits these create for reform. A final section provides some recommendations to researchers interested in school improvement as to how they could have more impact on public policy
The Next Generation of Basic Education Accountability in Alberta, Canada: A Policy Dialogue, 5(19)
No full textThe action research reported here considers extant issues regarding the design and implementation of the accountability model for basic education in Alberta, Canada. The paper reports a dialogue between accountability policy implementers and policy makers and considers how accountability processes can evolve into a more collaborative process. While accountability has long been a focus in schools, statutory requirements contained in the Alberta Government Accountability Act have altered perceptions and practice. Accountability would be most effective if the field and government purposes for component of practice. Similarly, a more dialectic approach to accountability would be facilitated by redesigned approaches to program evaluation and data analysis premised on richer, shared data that held meaning for practitioners as well as policy makers. The model of accountability illuminated in this paper, because it is more professional, comprehensive and transparent, points to the benefits that are achievable when those educators who are accountable feel personal and professional ownership for the accountability model mandated by the state.accountability were congruent and an inheren
Walking the Talk: Collaborating and Thriving in an Adversarial Culture, 5(2)
No full textYears of cultural conditioning have trained us to respond to conflict from a "closed" perspective in which we are either competitive or self-protective against the possibility that others will exploit us. This habit can be problematical for transformational leaders who recognize that it is easier to get their own needs met when someone is not actively opposing their efforts.
It is possible to nurture habits of collaboration in a traditionally adversarial world by finding ways for the system and its key actors to foster an "open flow of information" that encourages more productive responses to conflict and a reframing of customary organizational interactions and functions. There are specific habits and behaviors that can be mindfully cultivated by organizational leaders in order to ensure that they are maximizing their ability to collaborate without worsening the risks of exploitation by those who are more inclined to compete
Review Essay: Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching by Palloff and Pratt, 5(14)
No full textThe Needs of L2 Teachers in the Application of Instructional Technology, 4(14)
No full textThis paper reports findings from a qualitative study with teachers in second language (L2) education on their needs in the application of instructional technology. A phenomenological approach was taken to understanding problems and difficulties L2 teachers experienced. A teacher-initiated learning-by-using strategy was used to identify possible solutions through an ongoing process of co-operative learning and interdisciplinary collaboration for professional development. The findings showed both preservice and veteran and both Caucasian and minority teachers knew well about traditional technologies. While all of them needed to learn more about interactive software programs and on-line resources, the veteran and minority teachers needed more help to use computers and the Internet. The strengths and weaknesses of traditional and new technologies were discussed. Several ideas about how to balance the use of traditional and new technologies in L2 instruction were presented. Five suggestions were made for effective professional development in the use of instructional technology in L2 education