Thanks to Scott McLeod for continuing the series!
10) Read Curriculum 21, edited by Heidi Jacobs with your staff, discussing it using the ASCD Study Guide and familiarize yourself with the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators
9) Try to visit every classroom in your school at least once a week, even if only for a few minutes. Talk to students and teachers about what they are doing.
8) Offer differentiated professional development. Do this by asking your teachers what THEY want to learn or what they are struggling with. Don’t offer the same training to everyone, rather base it around their needs.
7) Use your teachers as your best resource. Allow your staff members to run professional development based on their own expertise in the classroom. Hold an all-day or half-day ‘unconference’ in your building where teachers decide the content and teach it. Don’t bring in expensive experts to train your teachers unless you have to.
6) Choose one digital tool to try out that will make your job easier. Maybe email your daily announcements or complete your observations on a laptop or iPad. Create a Google Form to collect information from your staff or students. Start a blog to announce school events and initiatives and celebrate student achievement. For examples of administrators who blog, click here.
5) Reflect on your school’s Vision and Mission. What do you want your school to be known for? How will your school’s mission ensure that you are preparing students for the future? What should teaching look like in your school?
4) Don’t just buy flashy technology because the district next door did it. They may be kicking themselves in a few years. Think about your Vision and Mission. How will technology fit into the picture? Do your research and take your time when making decisions on large purchases.
3) Make tough decisions. As principal Eric Scheninger says, there will always be naysayers. Do what you know is right for your students and your staff.
2) Support your teachers who are using technology in innovative ways and use them as resources to support their colleagues with technology integration. For those staff members who are reluctant, pair them with a technology-using teacher as a mentor and model how you use technology in your every day life. If these teachers don’t see how technology fits into their personal life they will not see a purpose for using it in their classrooms.
1) Be vocal. Connect with other administrators whether it be through Twitter or a network your district already has in place. Share ideas, share successes, share failures. Be a voice for your students, your faculty, your parents and your community. Contact the local press when you are having an event or see an especially innovative project going on in your school. Make sure your school’s website is up to date, accurate and engaging. Start a Facebook page for your school and a Twitter account. Be out there.
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Lyn
mbteach
Ryan Bretag