SETDA's NLI Toolkit 2003 - Technology Leadership Skills


	1. Chapter Summary 2. Declaration of Learning Independence 3. Standards for State Education Technology Directors 4. List of Leadership Strategies 5. Tips for Influencing Public Policy 6. Leadership Resource Bank 7. Resources and Readings 8. Next Steps

Next | Chapter Home | Toolkit Home

Chapter Summary

The role of a state educational technology leader is complex and constantly changing. This is especially true as the use of technology in education becomes more central to all areas of student learning in the 21st century. The Technology Leadership Skills for the 21st Century Work Group came together to develop and provide strategies and solutions to assist state educational technology leaders with the challenges they face in their leadership roles. The group, as a whole, identified key facets of the job of an educational technology leader and the specific challenges these leaders face in each of these roles. The group separated these topics into four key areas of work:

Identifying guidelines for and characteristics of an effective educational technology leader.
Developing strategies to build relationships within the education system.
Developing strategies to garner support for educational technology among external stakeholders-namely policy makers.
Designing a framework for resources that can maximize the efficacy of state technology leaders.

The Technology Leadership Skills Work Group also created a list of compelling examples and reasons for the importance of educational technology. From this list, they worked to build consensus around a common vision statement, The Declaration of Learning Independence. The Declaration outlines the critical role educational technology can play in achieving overall improved student learning. In formulating this statement, the group determined that they must focus on educational technology as an effective means to achieving the overall, more common goal of providing the best possible education for all students. This statement can be used to clearly and effectively communicate the importance of educational technology to other stakeholders.

Objectives

To develop and provide strategies and solutions to assist state education technology leaders with the challenges they face in their leadership roles.
To develop a shared definition and vision regarding the compelling reasons for education technology.

Key Questions

What are the essential characteristics of an effective education technology leader?
What are specific strategies and key resources for maintaining a healthy education technology environment?
How can we, as state education technology leaders, more effectively promote the importance of education technology, both within the system of education and among stakeholders outside of that system?
What are the compelling reasons for education technology?

NLI Work Group Process

During the 2003 National Leadership Institute (NLI), the Technology Leadership Skills for the 21st Century Work Group began by identifying key facets of the job of an education technology leader and the challenges these leaders face in each of these roles. Subgroups were formed to work on the following tasks: standards for education technology leaders, internal communications, external communications, and leadership resources.

One group focused on developing and refining a set of standards and guidelines for an effective education technology leader. Two of the subgroups worked to develop strategies to help education technology leaders communicate and promote the importance of education technology, with one focusing on doing so with individuals and groups within the system of education, and the other focusing on external stakeholders. A fourth subgroup worked to identify key types of resources that would assist education technology leaders in the day-to-day challenges they face and focused on creating a design for an easily accessible forum where such resources could be shared among colleagues from different states. This subgroup also prepared a survey and distributed it to SETDA members to begin the process of compiling the information to make up such a resource bank.

The Technology Leadership Skills Work Group also created a list of compelling examples and reasons for how education technology makes an impact. They then worked together to mold this list into a common vision statement, The Declaration of Learning Independence. The Declaration outlines the critical role education technology can play in achieving overall improved student learning and can be used to more easily and effectively communicate the importance of education technology to other stakeholders.

SETDA Tools to Assist States

Declaration of Learning Independence: a common vision statement identifying the compelling reasons for supporting education technology.
Standards for State Education Technology Leaders: a set of standards and guidelines delineating key aspects and attributes of an effective education technology leader.
Leadership Within the Education System: a list of strategies for creating collaborative partnerships with other departments within the education system.
External Leadership Strategies -- Building External Partnerships to Influence Public Policy: a set of tips and strategies for promoting the importance of education technology among stakeholders outside the education system.
Leadership Resource Bank: a framework for resources that can maximize the impact that education technology leaders are able to make.