PowerPoint Presentation

1Technology-ready school administrators ,as transformational leaders , inspire and empower stakeholders. They seek to change the mindset andbehavior of the entire school community by leading the transformation of the existing school culture to maximize student achievement and staff productivity.

Transformational Leadership

2To emphasize, the transformational leader: engages and enables teachers through genuine concern and accessibility to become better problem solvers illustrated through intellectually stimulating, encouraging questions;facilitates a collaborative, professional school culture by inspiring others and focusing the team effort through ongoing discussions, observations, critiques, and planning sessions; and fosters ongoing staff professional development to build a shared vision and facilitate change, The transformational leader as a technology-ready school administrator accomplishes these tasks while acting with consistency and integrity.

Identifying and communicating a clear vision is one of the most important functions a Technology-ready School Administrator can perform. Leaders should understand the basic elements of visioning, how to create a clear, shared vision, and how to communicate that vision.

A good vision: Identifies direction and purpose Builds loyalty through involvement Sets standards of excellence that reflect high ideals and a sense of integrity Is persuasive and credible Inspires enthusiasm and encourages commitment.

Once a vision is created, it must be communicated and articulated effectively so that it becomes the shared vision of everyone in the district. It is not always easy to spread a vision throughout the school community, so the key part of a shared vision is actually articulating and communicating it.

3

ExamplesOur school will provide nothing less than the finest technical and academic education possible for all students.

Our students will be inquisitive, open-minded learners who use technology in a balanced & responsible manner along the way to becoming discerning, self-directed life-long learners.

The technology vision statement is a compelling, succinct statement that has been created with input and approval from all members of your technology team. The statement should reflect the interests of your various stakeholders and paint the picture of how your library will function with the mission-driven use of technology. Think of the vision statement as the best case scenario for technology in the library - where the library wants to be.4

To improve learning and teaching and stay current with technology trends, an educational institution must change. Shifting fundamental patterns and beliefs in a schools culture is key to transformation. Altering individual beliefs, knowledge, or attitudes entails careful planning by the leaders responsible for the change process. Technology-ready School Administrators who attempt to implement change recognize the process commands sufficient time and effort to be effective.

An understanding of the steps required to progress or change toward the desired vision is critical or little change will take place.

5

Step 1: Assess Readiness

To effectively lead change, the Technology-ready School Administrator as a transformational change agent should determine if the climate is ready to undergo a reform. Prior to commencing with any new initiative, the Technology-ready School Administrator is advised to examine other leaders and staffs attitudes in the school about the potential change, as well as past change efforts. 6

To assess your schools readiness for change, use Figure 1.6. By using this assessment, the Technology-ready School Administrator can discover the Early Adopters, Late Adopters, and Laggards. Also, this can help reveal if there are any outside forces that may inhibit change readiness, such as a bad experience with past change attempts

and identify support along with resistance(Figures 1.7, 1.8, and 1.9).7

Successful implementation of a change initiative demands a commitment and capacity for change. If the leaders and staff lack these variables, then a high probability of failure exists.The commitment to change (Questions 1-7) consists of two primary factors: will (Questions 8-14) or the emotional commitment to implement change and conviction or the intellectual understanding for necessary change. The capability to change consists of two chief considerations: individual skills (Questions 15-21) or the level of knowledge and ability to implement change and enabling attributes (Questions 22-28), such as systems, structures, and technology to facilitate successful change.

If a variable score is low, then the wise decision would be to delay the start of the change initiative. The Technology-ready School Administrator should offer staff development to advance individual skills or provide a clear rationale to improve conviction for example.

If Overall Readiness (Questions 1-28) is high, then it is safe to begin the change process and there is a high likelihood of success.

8

Step 2: Identify Supports and BarriersSelf-interestsNegative PerceptionsFear of the UnknownSuspicionConservatismConscientious Objections

Step 2 of the change process identifies supports and barriers. Barriers of resistance to change may be due to self-interests, negative perceptions, fear of the unknown, suspicion, conservatism, or conscientious objections. 9

Step 3: Analyze Stakeholders and Resistance

In analyzing the stakeholders and resistance in a team approach, the knowledgeable change agent and committee realize managing change and considering strategies around barriers require looking at a variety of factors, such as:Who will be impacted by the change?Who is sponsoring the change?Who will benefit by the change?Who will be harmed by the change?Is there a cultural fit for the change?What are the available resources?What is a reasonable timeframe for implementation?When is the proper time to start?How will things be better with the change?

10

Step 4: Create Action Plans

In Step 4 the leadership team creates detailed action plans to achieve successful execution, including a discussion of the technology vision statement. These action plans should determine the goal, tasks, accountable individual, resources, assessments, and evidence that tasks are completed.11

Step 5: Determine Communication Strategies

Once the plan is complete, the rollout of the change begins with communication. The leadership team communicates a clear, concise message that is understood fully. Listening to the audience and responding appropriately to concerns are equally important. When rolling out the change plan, it is important to start with the most receptive people as it helps to get early wins. Keeping the message simple helps while using different mediums like memos, group meetings, one-on-one meetings, and the website. The Technology-ready school administrator and team understand that implementation often wanes before it gets better. If this occurs, then it is vital that communication is increased with a focus on what is ahead and with as much information as possible. The team should acknowledge the pain of change and validate the feeling of resisters.

Above all, the team should focus on letting go of the familiar past, confronting feeling about an uncertain future, and redesigning a focus on new realities. 12

After achieving milestones, Step 6 celebrates the fact that progress has been made. Recognizing advancements maintains motivation and stakeholder interest. Implementing long-term, permanent change is neither an easy process, nor a quick one.13

Technology Trends

Flipped Classroom

Blended Learning

Mobile Learning

Web 2.0

Game-based Learning

15Advocate for a specific emerging trend with supporting rationale to implement in your school andproduce a persuasive video to promote this movement.

What do you think the school will look line in 10 years? In 20 years?

16

This concludes the presentation on transformational leadership and the change process. 17