Reflective Blog Entry 3 EDUC 638

Reflective Blog Entry 3

In the reading of The Technology Director’s Guide to leadership the power of great questions chapters 5 through 8 by Don. Hall. Integrating technology into district leadership, management and operations will empower people to do their jobs more efficient and effectively. Information, content and resource management systems can help leadership team and school. To be an effective technology leader, you must model innovative uses of technology and empower educators, parents, students and the community with technology solutions. Embracing technology can and will illustrate commitment to changing the culture of education in any school district. And a chief technology officer or chief information officer who reports to the superintendent can help districts keep technology front and center and manage the critical components of the district’s technology strategy.

In reading Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology by Anthony Picciano chapters 7 through 13. Picciano talks about the impact on professional development and how important it is to have programs in place for teacher to get technology training and to have members of staff well aware of the districts polices. Being very new to the school system I can agree that professional developments has and will continue to com e in handy for me and others I work with. Another key point that Picciano talks about is hardware.  Hardware has become a big part of the school system. Repairs, maintenance and upgrades are very vital to any ITRT and IT Directors.  What I have seen working in a new school is some of the same issues that older school may have which are repairs and maintenances.  What must be seen is that regardless of how the district and or school plan for replacement of devices, the effective manager should look towards the replacement of technology devices before it is a necessity. (Picciano, 2011, p 240.) What has also been talked about by Picciano is how financial planning is important. Financial planning effects the how technology programs are expanded though out school districts. Picciano states that financial planning should not be the only thing that drives the IT department but it should be something that is consider.  In many school systems I have hear that they may not have updated technology due to the lack of funds where they live. What I have seen that a school system where I live had brought all new computers to distribute to the school in their area but they never  give any of the computer out to the school that they were supposes to.  A school spokes persons later said that they never knew that the computer where sitting in the warehouse. So for over a year the IT department had to keep they older computer working even though the equipment they had was very old and out of date. Here is a link to that story City school computers remained unused in warehouse http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/article_c8d79ae7-af5d-5a5f-9dab-18c621b1944e.html?mode=image&photo=0

References 

Hall, D. (2008). The technology director’s guide to leadership, the power of great questions. ISTE. Washington, D.C.

Picciano, A. (2011). Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.