Well, this day seemed so far away just twelve days ago. That day was pretty exciting, but the next day - when everything started sinking in - was a little nerve-wrecking. Funny thing is, all of these people whom I thought more knowledgeable than I, were thinking the same thing. Well, some of them were.
This was a incredible two-week stint. I have learned so much that I think I will not realize half of it for a month or so. I have been trying to think of adjectives for my classmates, and some little thing that I can remember them for ... still working on it.
Everyone is so thoughtful and diverse. Many are intimidating without meaning to be, but others are so kind you think of them and smile.
I hope we get to work together during the winter course - now that we know each other, distance is no issue!
Hey, join our Facebook group! And start posting things ...
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wow - was I ever wrong.
One thing I am continuously learning about myself is that I have a problem with assuming how things will be instead of being open-minded.
Today when we had a video conference with Bette from Alberta Ed. I thought - it would not be very interesting. Politician = not exciting.
But Ms Grey is not a politician, although she is certainly aware of that aspect of her position.
She was engaging and informative and entertaining.
She understood where we were coming from and gave us all the impression that not only were we being heard, but that she WANTED to hear from us.
There is too much to write about, but I really appreciated her candor. She demonstrated great leadership skills and the important message for us is that we need to be able to reframe our ideas so that a larger audience will listen to it. It isn't that we are changing our ideas, it is that we will be able to get ideas out to more people in order to get things moving forward.
What wasn't said is that we have to be ready to compromise in order to get some movement. She mentioned that problems are sometimes forgotten when solutions do not seem to be forthcoming. That told me that we cannot be so committed to our idea of change that we are willing to let the whole thing die. That will be a big lesson for all of us.
Anyway, I cannot even begin to think about all of the things I have learned from classmembers and guest speakers. I cannot believe there is only one day left. I am excited for the changes I will be bringing to the next semester and the next class we will be taking.
One more day ...
Today when we had a video conference with Bette from Alberta Ed. I thought - it would not be very interesting. Politician = not exciting.
But Ms Grey is not a politician, although she is certainly aware of that aspect of her position.
She was engaging and informative and entertaining.
She understood where we were coming from and gave us all the impression that not only were we being heard, but that she WANTED to hear from us.
There is too much to write about, but I really appreciated her candor. She demonstrated great leadership skills and the important message for us is that we need to be able to reframe our ideas so that a larger audience will listen to it. It isn't that we are changing our ideas, it is that we will be able to get ideas out to more people in order to get things moving forward.
What wasn't said is that we have to be ready to compromise in order to get some movement. She mentioned that problems are sometimes forgotten when solutions do not seem to be forthcoming. That told me that we cannot be so committed to our idea of change that we are willing to let the whole thing die. That will be a big lesson for all of us.
Anyway, I cannot even begin to think about all of the things I have learned from classmembers and guest speakers. I cannot believe there is only one day left. I am excited for the changes I will be bringing to the next semester and the next class we will be taking.
One more day ...
Monday, July 13, 2009
Gary Spence director of IT
Today we met another great leader. Very engaging speaker who obviously uses humour in his relationships.
The salience is far too expansive to cover in this format. There truly was too much to cover.
However, the process was simple - don't do anything that the teachers won't use or that doesn't increase student learning.
This is inspirational that these leaders are all worried about learning above anything else. I can tell why they are successful leaders - there goals are the goals of education. I am sure they inspire those who work with as well.
Characteristics: I was impressed with his respect for others; some of the things he said that exemplify his characteristics:
Be committed to kids, staff, and excellence; have integrity ("open and honest" - again!); have dignity and respect; be visionary – know where you are going; be humble – recognize everyone is important; you can’t know it all, rely on your peers, give credit to others often! – "be hard on ideas and soft on people", be technical savvy - know what you don’t know and know who does know it, but don’t allow yourself to be mislead; Pedagogy – stay up on research, always consider the teacher eye-view; Other: remember that technology is neutral, be transparent, be pragmatic, be a strong negotiator and an advocate for students.
The salience is far too expansive to cover in this format. There truly was too much to cover.
However, the process was simple - don't do anything that the teachers won't use or that doesn't increase student learning.
This is inspirational that these leaders are all worried about learning above anything else. I can tell why they are successful leaders - there goals are the goals of education. I am sure they inspire those who work with as well.
Characteristics: I was impressed with his respect for others; some of the things he said that exemplify his characteristics:
- "Reasonable people will come to the same conclusion if given enough information."
- “Every voice is important”
- if it doesn’t fit the vision, don’t do it
- and once again: relationships built on great communication skills!
Be committed to kids, staff, and excellence; have integrity ("open and honest" - again!); have dignity and respect; be visionary – know where you are going; be humble – recognize everyone is important; you can’t know it all, rely on your peers, give credit to others often! – "be hard on ideas and soft on people", be technical savvy - know what you don’t know and know who does know it, but don’t allow yourself to be mislead; Pedagogy – stay up on research, always consider the teacher eye-view; Other: remember that technology is neutral, be transparent, be pragmatic, be a strong negotiator and an advocate for students.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
John Percevault director of technology Lethbridge SD #51
I tried to get his seven things down while he was reviewing them, but I was not very successful with that.
So, here is what I have:
SEVEN THINGS (JUNE ’07 – JULY ’09)
· Equitable schools (win the trustee over by comparing the schools)
This was a huge accomplishment in this district. This speaks to that leadership skill of being a good communicator and visionary. He knew that the people he had to impress and win over were the trustees, and their job is to make sure all the schools have equal access to technology. This may not have been one of the things that made things move, but it was the main goal of the whole project.
· competitive wages for tech (having the right people)
He did not speak about this very long, but it is important that he had the right people there - that includes the technological staff and the superintendent who were able to and wanted to make these advancements.
· Systemic organization (middle control)
This was a huge factor. Again this was visionary - to know that the decentralization that had been occuring was the cause of the lack of equitable access (among other things!) To have the vision of the long-term plan and the organization skills to pull it together, made this work.
· Collaboration of key stakeholders and creation of a unified vision (collaborative vision)
Communication, communication, communication. This is another example of the important skill of communications and how it builds relationships. Also in this context, there is a case for inclusion of everyone so that their is a sense of having a voice in the process.
· Long term financial planning and sustainability of budgets to continue
This is essential. To plan the money, get your hands on the money (through grants, etc.) and then know what is needed immediately at the same time as planning for the future. This will make sure that the situation he came into does not return.
· Buy in from teachers through PD (Job embedded PD) around the three cornerstones of 21st Century classrooms, differentiated learning, and assessment for learning.
This was a genuis plan to help meet the requirements of grants and teacher buy-in. I am wondering, though, how the teachers recieved the idea of working longer hours with students in order to give up time to have these meetings. This was an addition to their job already and teachers are often pressed for time as it is.
· Clear mandate from the superintendent
Leadership from the top is essential. But the leader was not making unreasonable demands. Although John did make it seem that the principals and teachers were not willing to test the superintendent. What I mean is, maybe there was some buy-in due to fear of reprisal?
Overall, this was interesting to learn about from the IT side. Very interesting is that John is super-organized. He even has the agenda for the first two meetings for the upcoming year. IMPRESSIVE!
I tried to get his seven things down while he was reviewing them, but I was not very successful with that.
So, here is what I have:
SEVEN THINGS (JUNE ’07 – JULY ’09)
· Equitable schools (win the trustee over by comparing the schools)
This was a huge accomplishment in this district. This speaks to that leadership skill of being a good communicator and visionary. He knew that the people he had to impress and win over were the trustees, and their job is to make sure all the schools have equal access to technology. This may not have been one of the things that made things move, but it was the main goal of the whole project.
· competitive wages for tech (having the right people)
He did not speak about this very long, but it is important that he had the right people there - that includes the technological staff and the superintendent who were able to and wanted to make these advancements.
· Systemic organization (middle control)
This was a huge factor. Again this was visionary - to know that the decentralization that had been occuring was the cause of the lack of equitable access (among other things!) To have the vision of the long-term plan and the organization skills to pull it together, made this work.
· Collaboration of key stakeholders and creation of a unified vision (collaborative vision)
Communication, communication, communication. This is another example of the important skill of communications and how it builds relationships. Also in this context, there is a case for inclusion of everyone so that their is a sense of having a voice in the process.
· Long term financial planning and sustainability of budgets to continue
This is essential. To plan the money, get your hands on the money (through grants, etc.) and then know what is needed immediately at the same time as planning for the future. This will make sure that the situation he came into does not return.
· Buy in from teachers through PD (Job embedded PD) around the three cornerstones of 21st Century classrooms, differentiated learning, and assessment for learning.
This was a genuis plan to help meet the requirements of grants and teacher buy-in. I am wondering, though, how the teachers recieved the idea of working longer hours with students in order to give up time to have these meetings. This was an addition to their job already and teachers are often pressed for time as it is.
· Clear mandate from the superintendent
Leadership from the top is essential. But the leader was not making unreasonable demands. Although John did make it seem that the principals and teachers were not willing to test the superintendent. What I mean is, maybe there was some buy-in due to fear of reprisal?
Overall, this was interesting to learn about from the IT side. Very interesting is that John is super-organized. He even has the agenda for the first two meetings for the upcoming year. IMPRESSIVE!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Reflection on today's guest speaker
Today in class our guest speaker was the superintendant of the Lethbridge school district. After reflecting on his strengths as a leader, I was reminded of Michael Fullan’s list of leadership styles from our readings. Barry provided evidence as to how he met criteria for three of those styles. These styles are ones that Fullan identifies as having “a significant positive impact on climate and performances.”
Barry reiterated the importance of building relationships in a leadership role. Good leaders use communication (Carey?) to build relationships. This is evident in many of our course readings. Trust is a key characteristic of effective leadership; trust is a cornerstone of relationships; relationships are built upon communication. Therefore communication is an important characteristic of leadership. Barry has been honest with those he works with (he called it being open and up front with people) and this has earned him their trust. Because they trust him, they are willing to take the risks of making changes. He uses an affiliative leadership style; he is a people person with strong soft skills.
Barry noted that the most important part of the administrator’s job is “to hire good people and get out of their way”; a great leader can recognize when others do not need to be led. Barry is cognizant of his strengths (being a visionary) and weaknesses (not being creative). This honesty with and about himself add to his appeal; it makes him a people person. This type of person makes a good leader because people are not only willing to follow him, they want to follow him. This is where he demonstrates authoritative leadership skills.
IDENTIFY THE NEED! This is the main goal for finding a central direction for his district. By meeting with administrators and holding town hall meetings, he has helped all stakeholders identify the most pressing needs in the district. (Note that there again communication is a vehicle to change.) In his district’s case it is to have dependable technology within each school in an equitable manner. If the input into goal setting for the district comes from the stakeholders (and a few members-at-large) and they see those goals as obtainable, then those goals are far more likely to be met. Through this process Barry uses a democratic leadership style.
If we want to be effective leaders, Barry advises us to:
- learn from others; watch what they do in their situations and implement and adapt what we have seen into solutions for our circumstances.
- be able to develop a vision and therefore a plan.
- build relationships by making connections with colleagues through communication.
As the course progresses, I am sure that we will meet other strong leaders that will help us develop our own effective leadership styles. I hope they are all as informative as Barry!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Assignment 2
The Nature of Effective IT Leaders: Characteristics and Outcomes
Our division’s Moodle coordinator, J.C., is a SMART Board specialist, podcast expert and general technology consultant. She encourages reluctant teachers, who started their careers struggling with reel-to-reel film projectors, to use innovative technology in their classrooms and facilitate eager teachers comfortable with technology to advance their skill set. Her ability to communicate effectively, an important leadership quality according to David Carey (2005), is her greatest leadership characteristic.
Effective communication assists in building relationships and relationships are an underlying element to successful leadership (Leithwood & Duke, 1999; Fullan, 2001). In J’s position it is vital to be able to communicate with teachers and with technical staff. Hollingsworth reports that superintendants identified the ability to “[communicate] with both educators and the technical community” as an important quality (2008, pp 59). The relationships that J builds are with the educators as well as the technicians.
J connects with teachers by understanding their situations; she is a teacher herself. Experienced teachers have watched fads come and go and J recognizes that forcing them to learn a new way of doing things can bring about resistance and resentment. J simply demonstrates how the new technology can save them time. She speaks their language; teachers trust J. They become willing to take risks with technology in their classrooms.
J also recognizes the importance of meaningful professional development. She delivers sessions in the classrooms where the teachers will be using the technology. She uses a mix of affiliative, democratic and coaching leadership styles to educate the educators about technology (Fullan, 2001). These more affable styles empower teachers to choose for themselves the extent of which they will use the technology. J understands that “reculturing” (Fullan, 2001, pp 44) is a process. She is there to suggest how technology can be used to increase differential instruction, not demand how it must be used. J speaks the language of a teacher, but she is also a technologist, and able to communicate with information technologists.
Speaking the jargon is an essential skill when interacting with IT staff. J can facilitate understanding between IT and teachers. She is a technology translator of sorts, increasing the functionality of the IT team. The technologists appreciate the alleviated stress provided by J. They trust her and they listen to her suggestions regarding technology in the schools. However strong the relationships are between J and the teachers or J and the IT staff, the students are the beneficiaries.
These relationships help J to reach her ultimate goal: the enhanced education of students. She knows technology is a means to differentiated instruction which increases student understanding. Installing technology in schools does not guarantee its use. Teachers need to embrace technology as a means to engage students and J has used her dual knowledge of technology and students to inspire teachers. She has become a trusted mentor to the teachers. She has modeled how their instruction, therefore their students, can benefit from the technology available in their schools. J has led the way toward improved educational practices and that is a solid first step.
References
Carey, D. (2005) Some Reflections on Leadership. CIO Canada. November 13(11) p. 6.
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: Wiley & Sons. p. 35 & 51-76.
Hollingsworth, M. (2008). Excellence in IT/ICT Leadership: Building Blocks to the Future. An Alberta Education funded research project. pp. 59. Retrieved June 21, 2009 from http://people.uleth.ca/~m.hollingsworth/itl/excellence/itlexcellence.pdf
Leithwood, K. & Duke, D. (1999). Chapter 3: A Century’s Quest to Understand School Leadership. In Murphy, J. & Louis, K (Eds). Handbook of Research on Educational Administration. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA. pp. 65-67.
Our division’s Moodle coordinator, J.C., is a SMART Board specialist, podcast expert and general technology consultant. She encourages reluctant teachers, who started their careers struggling with reel-to-reel film projectors, to use innovative technology in their classrooms and facilitate eager teachers comfortable with technology to advance their skill set. Her ability to communicate effectively, an important leadership quality according to David Carey (2005), is her greatest leadership characteristic.
Effective communication assists in building relationships and relationships are an underlying element to successful leadership (Leithwood & Duke, 1999; Fullan, 2001). In J’s position it is vital to be able to communicate with teachers and with technical staff. Hollingsworth reports that superintendants identified the ability to “[communicate] with both educators and the technical community” as an important quality (2008, pp 59). The relationships that J builds are with the educators as well as the technicians.
J connects with teachers by understanding their situations; she is a teacher herself. Experienced teachers have watched fads come and go and J recognizes that forcing them to learn a new way of doing things can bring about resistance and resentment. J simply demonstrates how the new technology can save them time. She speaks their language; teachers trust J. They become willing to take risks with technology in their classrooms.
J also recognizes the importance of meaningful professional development. She delivers sessions in the classrooms where the teachers will be using the technology. She uses a mix of affiliative, democratic and coaching leadership styles to educate the educators about technology (Fullan, 2001). These more affable styles empower teachers to choose for themselves the extent of which they will use the technology. J understands that “reculturing” (Fullan, 2001, pp 44) is a process. She is there to suggest how technology can be used to increase differential instruction, not demand how it must be used. J speaks the language of a teacher, but she is also a technologist, and able to communicate with information technologists.
Speaking the jargon is an essential skill when interacting with IT staff. J can facilitate understanding between IT and teachers. She is a technology translator of sorts, increasing the functionality of the IT team. The technologists appreciate the alleviated stress provided by J. They trust her and they listen to her suggestions regarding technology in the schools. However strong the relationships are between J and the teachers or J and the IT staff, the students are the beneficiaries.
These relationships help J to reach her ultimate goal: the enhanced education of students. She knows technology is a means to differentiated instruction which increases student understanding. Installing technology in schools does not guarantee its use. Teachers need to embrace technology as a means to engage students and J has used her dual knowledge of technology and students to inspire teachers. She has become a trusted mentor to the teachers. She has modeled how their instruction, therefore their students, can benefit from the technology available in their schools. J has led the way toward improved educational practices and that is a solid first step.
References
Carey, D. (2005) Some Reflections on Leadership. CIO Canada. November 13(11) p. 6.
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: Wiley & Sons. p. 35 & 51-76.
Hollingsworth, M. (2008). Excellence in IT/ICT Leadership: Building Blocks to the Future. An Alberta Education funded research project. pp. 59. Retrieved June 21, 2009 from http://people.uleth.ca/~m.hollingsworth/itl/excellence/itlexcellence.pdf
Leithwood, K. & Duke, D. (1999). Chapter 3: A Century’s Quest to Understand School Leadership. In Murphy, J. & Louis, K (Eds). Handbook of Research on Educational Administration. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA. pp. 65-67.
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