Revolutionizing Education Through Technology by Thomas W. Greaves

Author:Thomas W. Greaves [Greaves, Thomas W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-56484-459-0
Publisher: International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
Published: 2012-04-08T04:00:00+00:00

Policy

School leadership is a key factor for student achievement, and mandates for quality principal development are very helpful. University-level professional growth programs can ensure that theory becomes practice through robust internships, on-the-job coaching, and accreditation. These efforts must include a high level of educational technology theory and practice for both instructional and administrative purposes.

The world is moving from static to dynamic digital resources. Uninterrupted access to the Internet is imperative for a globally competitive education system. Educators, business, and industry will be well served if key decision makers push for resource allocation for last mile and infrastructure development that leads to consistent digital access. Of equal importance is professional training for educators on the effective integration of web-based resources into the curriculum and instructional programs.

Transformed school leadership is needed for school reform. Technology initiatives present new expectations and a shift from traditional to dynamic, self-discovered tools and resources. To effectively use these tools, school leaders need professional growth experiences that help them become nimble thinkers, skilled problem solvers, and confident facilitators of learner-centered models. They must also develop a keen understanding of each staff person’s ability to embrace first- and second-order change. This is difficult work. It is easy to tinker at the edges without affecting the entire system, but only revamping the entire system leads to authentic school reform.

Education leadership programs need to support lifelong learning for administrators to make sure they can keep pace with the skills required for this century. National- and state-level policies should require that school leaders pursue ongoing leadership development and demonstrate their skills through supervised practicums. School boards and district administrators must standardize expectations and accountability systems to help leaders develop and practice effectiveness in today’s schools. National, state, and local policies must set standards of leadership, accompanied by accountability measures that ensure effective school transformation.

It is well established that educators need consistent, ongoing professional development in pedagogy, best practices, research, content, curriculum, and the personalization of instruction. We also know that educators learn best through the on-the-job application of best practices, reflection with peers, and collaboration on how to implement theories in the classroom. Effective school leaders provide ongoing, embedded professional development in order to ensure best practices for new century education. Federal, state, and local policies should support the expectation that principals will actively seek, develop, and implement robust professional learning for themselves and their teachers.

Increased internal capacity for building student achievement and teacher professional growth decreases external support costs. Virtual experiences are cost-effective, at minimum eliminating the costs of travel and substitutes. When educators become coaches and resources for each other, they begin to expect growth and use best practices, leading to increased student success.

Online professional learning will increasingly replace the need to travel to gain knowledge and skills. Online professional networks of best practices will increase just-in-time access to, as well as the exchange and application of, quality instruction, although ongoing face-to-face interaction will still be essential in certain situations. The power of getting people to sit down together to work on a problem cannot be underestimated.

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