Thinking like a School Technology Leader

Abstract

School technology leaders can be school principals and assistant principals, teachers, technology specialists, professional development coordinators, central office administrators, curriculum directors, and a variety of others (or a composite of people) within a school. This chapter presents important issues for emerging school technology leaders to consider in understanding the technological culture and conditions in educational settings. The concepts and critical questions listed in this chapter are utilized to enhance readers’ abilities to begin thinking like a school technology leader and to successfully implement, manage, change, and lead technology in schools. These points are derived from over six decades of the authors’ collective experiences in leadership and educational technology. The “take-aways” for readers are practical, experience-based knowledge and critical, guiding questions. The propositions in this chapter are based on the concept of “leadership through inquiry” as school technology leaders attempt to better understand both “where they are” as well as “where they want to go” with technology in schools by learning how to ask the right questions and understand the technological status of a school.