A colleague and I wrote a grant last year and obtained about $50,000 worth of technology---30 laptops and a cart. This has been a wonderful asset to our middle school students. Last week, as I introduced writing to 110 sixth graders (who have had very little experience with writing since their writing test in 4th grade)...I "sweetened the pot" by rolling the laptop cart into the classroom. Talk about motivating!!!! We finished up on Friday, but the kids came in this week asking if they were going to get to write any this week.....okay, maybe the writing itself is not what they wanted, but hey, I will take motivation in any form at this point! Especially when it comes to middle schoolers and writing! Just wanted to share a positive experience related to technology in my classroom :)
Okay, so all in our LEED class seem to agree that technology is captivating for our students, and that teachers must be knowledgeable and capable when it comes to tech saviness.
What about principal/leaders? Should the principal (and/or AP) be held to the same tech accountability as the teachers in the building? I have known a principal who pushed the teachers to use tech, but did not know how to create a simple PowerPoint (did not even really know how to do all the things he needed to with his email account...AP helped him).
Since so many of my LEED peers want to be principals or APs one day, thought it would interesting to hear your opinions on this! Let's Blog 'bout it!
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15 years ago
My first thought is that principals are leaders. Leaders lead the way! Principals may not know everything but they should be willing to learn. How powerful would it be to sit beside a principal or AP in a technology workshop? I think the teachers would think, "Wow, if it is important enough for him/her to learn, then I should learn it, too!". Teachers are okay with the fact that principals do not know everything; however, it should be evident that they are willing to learn. Especially, if they are pushing teachers in that direction.
ReplyDeleteAs teachers, our goal is to meet the students where they are. Wouldn't a principal need to meet the teachers where they are? I read an article that said that principals should align their day to spend 50% of the school day in the classroom. It went a step farther to say that they should not be simply observing, but performing the same tasks as the teachers they lead (teaching, remediating, conferencing, planning,etc.). If that is the case, principals and AP's should definitely be held to the same tech accountability as the teachers in the building!
I think it is very important for administrators to be advanced in technology. If the administration is not at this point, I believe they should work on getting there. They lead and set the stage. Teachers need support, and the principal and assistant principals should be knowledgeable in order to be supportive. I think they should be prepared to act, model, and help their staff become more competent with technology and not just verbalize their support.
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