Paddle Your Own Canoe

Love many, trust a few, and always paddle your own canoe. Bumper Sticker

I decided long ago that I couldn't afford to wait for our administrators to take formal training in educational technologies. I needed tech-savvy administrators.

So without additional dollars, grants, projects, books, or meetings, these are some of the things our department has done to help "train" administrators:

• Set examples of good communication, planning and record keeping using technology.
• Involve our administrators in all technology staff development activities.
• Provide fast technical support and individualized training.
• Provide clear teacher and student information literacy and technology competency lists.
• Serve on building/district leadership teams.
• Serve as CIO to all administrators, finding and forwarding information of interest.
• Help administrators understand what they need to know.

Under the last one, we developed CODE77 rubrics for administrators even before ISTE came out with NETS-A. (The most recent - 2002 - version links correlates the CODE77 to the NETS-A standards.)

I think the majority of our principals and other administrators use and understand educational technology pretty well. These folks tend to be neither technophobes nor technophiles, which is just fine with me.  

I share the concern that without administrative knowledge and support, technology will not be used well in schools. But we can't wait for the magic wand, a new generation of administrators, or "requirements" from some higher power. We have to "paddle our own canoe" and work daily on the job to develop administrative proficiencies.  

How do you "teach" your administrator?

Comments

[Jeff Utecht]

Thanks for this. Agree with all of it. How do I teach my administrators? Support, support, support. I put my face everywhere and anywhere they are. I've been on every leadership committee, task force, or training that they will let me go to. To the point where they've told me no. I to continue to send them links of interest and although they complain about too much e-mail they never complain about the links and information I send them. I always make a point to point out the 'cool stuff' staff members are doing with technology and take every opportunity to push them to improve their skills. Last year my principal started using her Palm after giving up on it two years ago. This year my principal caught the podcasting bug and now I've created a monster. Administrators are busy people, I've found the more I'm in their face the less they can ignore me...and with passion for what I do...I wear them down. :)

[Joe Poletti]

My approach is radical and opposite of Jeff's. Instead of being in their faces, I try not to be. In the true spirit of site-based decision-making, I am in the process of brokering more and more responsibility to schools as relates to 21C schooling.

I like to know from schools how they are integrating Media and Technology Skills into Curriculum . . . and guaranteeing that package to 100% of our students.

I like to know from schools their professional collaborative models. The who's, the what's, the when's, the how's, the where's...

Then from this basis, I like to know from schools what resources they need to accomplish their educational priorities...and why, especially if it involves technology, these resources make such a difference to teaching and learning.

See how this process can cause disequilibrium? See how it can be empowering?

In no way am I abandoning the schools and the principals as I paint with this broad brush. In fact, I continue to give guidance, feedback and vision. My aim is for schools to color in the details.