What is Technology Professional Development

A significant need in K-12 education is the development of active, school-level technology leaders. The majority of principals and assistant principals receive limited learning experiences to become the effective technology leaders in their schools. This chapter will present an overview of the evolution of strategic educational leadership from traditional leadership theories emphasizing management, operations and processes to systemic, digital driven decision making models through the lens of school level technology leadership. Theories on establishing a technological vision and gaining followership among all stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of strategies will be discussed. Strategic technology leadership in education is operationally defined as: 1) integrating technology in planning, management and decision making; 2) using technology to link district and school initiatives to learning content areas; 3) using technology to support and meet the needs of all learners; and 4) using technology as the key means for providing high quality professional development for all educators (NEIRTEC, 2002).