School and District Leadership for ICT Integration

To be a leader in Computer and Information Technology integration, a person needs to have knowledge of the infrastructure within the Board and an understanding of what infrastructure is needed to implement new technologies throughout the Board.  If the infrastructure is not there, new technology will only be a cause of frustration if it is not able to run properly within the networks available in the schools.  There also needs to be knowledge of Ministry supported software such as D2L so that course shells can be set up for teachers with as much content already there as possible.  They need to be able to support teachers that wish to add their own content to their courses as well as have a knowledge of how to do that.  With the new implementation of All About Me and the IPP, this person needs knowledge of how to create an e-Portfolio and provide PD to staff and students to meet these Ministry requirements.  The most difficult knowledge for this leader is to be aware of new technologies and be able to analyze whether or not they are going to be a good fit to meet the Board’s Strategic and Learning Plans.

This leader is also going to need to be innovative and creative.  Technology integration, as I read in the readings for this module, is not about what is put into classrooms, but how the technology is used.  This means that the leader needs to model innovative uses and be willing to provide PD and support to teachers in the classroom as the need arises.  Organization is important since there is only one person doing this job in my Board, all of the responsibilities fall to one person so along with organization, using key players within the Board to delegate is also going to be important.  Most Boards have leaders within individual schools that could assist the leader with implementing changes and leading PD sessions with staff.  The leader needs to be able to organize and manage the IT team that has been hired and ensure that the needs of the student are always front and centre.  Many IT team members follow a business model that does not always work in an education setting, so this leader needs to be in constant communication with this team to prioritize the needs of the Board.

I believe that the 21st Century Competencies apply to required competencies of the leader in technology integration.  Every competency listed applies to the this role.