LeadershipThis artifact demonstrates the attributes that are important for a 21st Century EdTech Leader. In my opinion, these skills are needed to effectively and efficiently lead technological change in any organization. If you look at organizations that lead change, there is generally someone that possesses most of these traits leading that change.
As a change agent in my district, I feel as though I possess many of these skills. That being said, everyone has flaws, and I know that I must work to better myself daily and strengthen these skills. As an example, I have always struggled with communication. This is especially true in when speaking in front of groups of people. I have had to be cognizant of my weakness and work hard every day in an attempt to overcome it. |
Click a label to view the glossary entry for each attribute
Glossary
Creativity- the ability to create new ideas and think "outside-the-box"
It is important for a 21st century EdTech leader to be creative. The ability to think "outside-the-box" and solve problems creatively allows a leader to look at current issues in education and apply technological solutions accordingly. Let's look at an example: A K-12 school district needs to streamline their processes for creating all the applicable accounts for newly enrolled students. In the past, the campus secretary would enroll the new student into the SIS. When the student went to their 3rd period computer class, the teacher would call the IT department and have them create the students accounts for logging into the computer. When the student went to the library with their 4th period english class, the librarian would add the student to the book tracking program and online reading program. When the student went to lunch, the cafeteria manager would create their lunch POS account. The technology director looked at this inefficient process and came up with two creative, alternative solutions.
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- Create a Google Form that the secretary would fill out when a new student enrolls. Using the free mail merge add-on AutoCrat, the form automatically sends an email to the IT department, library, and cafeteria to allow them to create the new students accounts as soon as they enroll. The cost of this solution is free, but it is not completely automated.
- Purchase a 3rd party solution that pulls student data from the SIS and automatically creates all student accounts as soon as that students data as it is entered into the SIS. This solution will cost the district several thousand dollars per year, but it is fully automated.
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Communication Skills- The ability to collaborate and convey information, ideas and vision in a clear, concise and timely manner.
The ability to communicate effectively is vital for a 21st century EdTech leader. Being able to create open channels of communication between stakeholders can make or break any tech initiative (or any non-tech initiative, for that matter). For a leader to be effective, they must be able to present clear and timely information to staff, students and the community.
Collaboration is also an important an powerful part of communication skills. The ability to build cross-functional teams and keep those teams on the same page is not a skill that is easy to master, but making it a priority should be a goal of any leader. Wether it is analyzing and evaluating new products, creating new initiatives and rollouts, or even just generally in the day-to-day operations of a K-12 school district, a lack of communication will cause stakeholders to be confused and quite possibly angry or resentful towards change. I have witnessed two very similar rollouts, one with good communication, the other without. The rollout that lacked communication was a complete failure, the one with good communication was successful. When analyzing both of these rollouts, the problems of the first could very easily be tracked back to miscommunication.
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Collaboration is also an important an powerful part of communication skills. The ability to build cross-functional teams and keep those teams on the same page is not a skill that is easy to master, but making it a priority should be a goal of any leader. Wether it is analyzing and evaluating new products, creating new initiatives and rollouts, or even just generally in the day-to-day operations of a K-12 school district, a lack of communication will cause stakeholders to be confused and quite possibly angry or resentful towards change. I have witnessed two very similar rollouts, one with good communication, the other without. The rollout that lacked communication was a complete failure, the one with good communication was successful. When analyzing both of these rollouts, the problems of the first could very easily be tracked back to miscommunication.
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Change Agent- A person or group that acts as a catalyst for change.
People generally take the path of least resistance. In education, this usually means doing things the way that they have always been done. The problem with this mentality is that the real-world is in a constant state of change and advancing at a fast pace. This is why change agents are vital in education. A person or group of people that buy-in to change and are able to evangelize others are the ones that are preparing students for the future rather than the past. George Couros has a wonderful blog post about change agents here.
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Time Management Skills- the ability to plan and control the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.
Time management skills are an important trait in a 21st century EdTech leader . The main purpose of implementing technology is to improve effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. If a technological solution does not improve effectiveness, efficiency or productivity, what is the point of implementing that technology?
A leader must also be able to prioritize not only their time, but also the time of employees that are in their charge. Working in a K-12 district's technology department also comes with its own unique set of time restraints. Between ERate funding, testing schedules, and the general day-to-day reliance on seamless use of technology in the classroom, technology departments generally have very full plates and would not be able to keep the ship afloat without excellent time management skills.
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A leader must also be able to prioritize not only their time, but also the time of employees that are in their charge. Working in a K-12 district's technology department also comes with its own unique set of time restraints. Between ERate funding, testing schedules, and the general day-to-day reliance on seamless use of technology in the classroom, technology departments generally have very full plates and would not be able to keep the ship afloat without excellent time management skills.
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Agility- The ability to move both quickly and gracefully.
Advancements in technology occur rapidly. Add to that that the reliance on technology in the classroom has increased exponentially over the last 20 years, and it is easy to understand how it could be difficult to keep up with managing technological integration in schools. To keep up with the advances, a 21st century EdTech leader must be agile. Leaders must be able to analyze situation, evaluate solutions and then apply those solutions quickly and effectively. Often, if teachers need help with technology, or they need a solution implemented, the given timeline is in hours or days. For this reason, leaders must be able think quickly and move with agility.
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Vision- The ability to make strategic decisions based on a clear, distinctive, and specific view of the future.
Due to the fast moving nature of technology and the limited budget of most educational institutions, 21st century EdTech leaders must be able to take a step back and make strategic decisions based on their view of where technology will be in the future. If a leader doesn't have a clear vision of where technology will be, as apposed to where it is right now, they will spend their time (and their school's limited funding) implementing disjointed solutions that only fix short term problems. A leader must be able to work towards streamlined processes, and without a good sense of vision, this is not possible.
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Positive Attitude- As opposed to a negative attitude; thinking, speaking and carrying ones self in a positive manner.
Negativity is the largest road-block on the highway of progress. A good leader must have a positive attitude and spread their positivity to others. A good leader enjoy the unexpected, approaching every problem as an opportunity. I have found that, most of the time, a positive attitude is contagious. Though it can sometimes be difficult to respond in a positive manner when met with negativity, it is my experience that doing so usually has more favorable results in the long run.
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Adaptability- The ability to change direction to suit the needs of a fluid situation.
A good leader must be able to adapt to a constantly changing environment. Just as the ability to envision where educational technology will be in the future is of the utmost importance, the ability to change direction and adapt to a situation as variables change is just as, if not more, important. Similar to agility, adaptability is a skill that allows a leader to analyze, evaluate and make quick and efficient decisions. A good leader must be able to see when changes need to be made and then be able to pivot quickly.
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Connected- The ability to build useful social, professional, or commercial relationships in both the real and digital world.
Life is all about building relationships. Whether those relationships are digital or analog, having a network of contacts is very important. I believe that my greatest resource in educational technology is my professional learning network. This network includes other edtech professionals and teachers that I collaborate with on twitter, as well as the professionals I collaborate with in person. One of my favorite quotes is one from David Weinberger. He said, "The smartest person in the room, is the room itself". As a lifelong learner, professional relationships are the most powerful tool in my toolbox of learning.
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Work Ethic- Value based on hard work and diligence; Doing whatever is necessary to get the job done.
It is my belief that work ethic is one of the most undervalued characteristics of a leader in the workplace. Hard work is the cornerstone of productivity. A good leader is one that is a servant leader. A servant leader knows that his/her place is to serve first and foremost. He/She realizes that the job at hand is bigger than himself/herself. A good servant leader builds cross-functional teams and then works hard to assist the team in completing the task at hand, often rolling up his/her sleeves and going above and beyond to clear any hurdles in his/her teams way. I have several years of project management experience under my belt, and while I still have a lot to learn, I have come to realize that hard work, humility and communication are the key to building exceptional and efficient teams.
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