Week 2: What is an EdTech Leader?

I recently had the opportunity to hear from two local leaders in educational technology about their experiences in the field. Their insight and advice has redefined my understanding of an EdTech leader and encouraged me to consider the ways in which technology leadership will become an integral part of my role as a classroom teacher.

image courtesy of wix.com

Last week, two local educational technology leaders visited our class to lead a discussion on the various roles and responsibilities of EdTech leaders. Before this conversation, I had a very limited understanding of what it means to be a leader in educational technology. To me, EdTech leaders were like a school's personal GeekSquad--they just fix the computers and troubleshoot a never-ending list of tech questions and complaints. Right?

Wrong. Way wrong.

EdTech leaders, simply defined, are those who advise school corporations in how to most effectively and efficiently integrate, manage, and sustain technology in schools. It is true that these leaders maintain students' school-issued electronic devices and instruct the teachers in their appropriate use, but their impact extends far beyond the classroom environment. As one of our visiting EdTech leaders explained, nearly every aspect of a school's operation is now connected to and dependent upon technology, from communication with staff and parents, to school security, to GPS-tracked school buses. I was shocked to discover this, that educational technology leaders are responsible for so much more than just the care of laptops and tablets. I never understood before just how much we rely on EdTech leaders to make schools run smoothly.

Because EdTech leaders influence almost every part of a school, their responsibilities are numerous and diverse. One of their primary roles is, of course, making decisions about the adoption of electronic devices for classroom use. EdTech leaders are responsible for every step in this adoption process, from acquiring funding for the devices to their maintenance after finally being implemented. In order to do this well, these leaders must collaborate to devise a plan for the devices' roll-out and maintenance and perform tests to evaluate the effectiveness of their plans. They must also take steps to ensure that the decisions they make are practical and sustainable for the school corporation. Additionally, EdTech leaders are involved in training students and staff to use the devices safely, appropriately, and efficiently. To perform these duties well, EdTech leaders must be:

• good communicators;

• focused on collaboration and team-building;

• flexible and adaptable (receptive to change);

• patient;

• willing to test and evaluate plans before adopting them;

• knowledgable about innovation in educational technology;

• personable and approachable; and

• dedicated to the ethical management and use of funding.

According to our the current EdTech leaders who visited us, the most important of these are the willingness to collaborate with others and perform extensive tests on plans before implementing them. Developments in educational technology happen at an exponential rate; current trends will become outdated almost as quickly as they were created. This is why it's imperative to seek the counsel of other EdTech leaders and pilot-test programs before committing to them.

EDTECH LEADERSHIP IN MY CLASSROOM

Like traditional EdTech leaders, I will need to make many decisions regarding the implementation and management of technology in my classroom as a teacher. I will be responsible for judging when the use of technology makes sense--when it is appropriate to include as a tool to make learning easier and more efficient for my students. This will likely involve testing and evaluating the technology and lesson plans prior to class, as well as collaboration with my colleagues regarding how best to effectively incorporate the technology into our lessons. I will likely rely heavily on the feedback and advice from other teachers, learning from their experiences and mistakes. Though I would only be in charge of my classroom, not an entire school or school system, I think these responsibilities would still make me comparable to an EdTech leader.

Overall, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with and learn from the valuable experience of two current EdTech leaders last week. They taught me so much about just how integrated with technology schools have become and subsequently how important good EdTech leaders are to the smooth operation of our schools. They truly inspired me to identify myself as both a classroom teacher and an EdTech leader, which is something I look forward to exploring more in the future.

For now--Carpe diem!

-Miss Hennings