Principals of Technology

Becky Fisher

&

Paula

White

Albemarle County Public SchoolsCharlottesville, VA

Who are we and why are we here?

• You– How many principals are here?– How many district-level technology people are here?– How many school-level technology people are here?– Who are the rest of you?

• Us– Paula White (pwhite@albemarle.org)– Becky Fisher (bfisher@albemarle.org)

http://www.k12albemarle.org/CTIP/Paula/ASCD04

A survey

• how many schools/divisions have clear technology expectations for principals…

• that are different from teachers…

• and connected to student learning?

VITAL

http://www.virginiaedleaders.org/

http://www.k12albemarle.org/VITAL

Design 2004

Under what conditions does technology improve student

achievement?

http://caret.iste.org/

A discussion

• What do you expect principals to know, understand and be able to do related to technology?

• Virginia’s TSIP - http://www.k12albemarle.org/Technology/TSIP/home.html

• ISTE NETS*T and NETS*A - http://cnets.iste.org/ - Visit ISTE at Booth 2501

• http://www.k12albemarle.org/ctip/paula/Leadership/home.html

I think leadership is creating a state of mind in others.

Barbara Mikulski (1917 - 1984) Indian political leader

Leadership and Vision:

• develop a collaborative, technology-rich school improvement plan, grounded in research and aligned with the district strategic plan.

• Discuss role of technology planning in SIP and vice versa.

• Share story from the B. F. Yancey Elementary SIP team.

• Discuss Design 2004 and the role of the Principal. http://www.k12albemarle.org/Technology/Design2004/home.html

Education does not mean teaching people to know what they do not know; it means teaching them to behave as they do not behave.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) US novelist, journalist, river pilot

Learning and Teaching:

• collaboratively design, implement, support, and participate in professional development for all instructional staff that institutionalizes effective integration of technology for improved student learning.

• How is allowing your technology leader 5 minutes at a faculty meeting going to make any difference?

• Don Vale and the AppleWorks stories• Share “You are the principal teacher”

stories from VITAL - http://www.k12albemarle.org/vital/

What do YOU do about the “reluctants”?

"Results indicate that the factor combination of •amount of technology training, •time spent beyond contractual work week, and •openness to change best predicted classroom technology use.“

http://www.iste.org/jrte/36/3/abstracts/vannatta.cfm

More on the Reluctants…

One man practicing sportsmanship is better than a

hundred teaching it. Knute Rockne (1888 - 1931) US football coach

Productivity and Professional Practice:

• use current technology-based management systems to access and maintain personnel and student records.

• access to data vs meaningful data analysis

• Principals and SASI• DSA and Flanagan spreadsheets • Data warehousing• Ashby Kindler and ERC focus on

feedback

When was the last time you…

• e-mailed a teacher a curriculum-related link you found in working on the web?

• read ASCD’s SmartBriefs or another e-newsletter?

• forwarded an article from SmartBriefs or another e-newsletter?

• published something (SIP, for example) on the web?

A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than

a great idea that inspires no one.

Mary Kay Ash (1915 - 2001) US businesswoman

Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874 - 1960) US oil magnate,

philanthropist

Support, Management, and Operations:

• provide campus-wide staff development for sharing work and resources across commonly used formats and platforms.

• Don Vale and Design 2004 Portfolio

• Debbie Collins’ use of B. F. Yancey’s server to share documents

How easy is it for a teacher to…

• share a Word or Excel file with you?

• organize a set of bookmarks for students to visit?

• plan for and implement a technology-enriched unit that requires additional computer access for a multi-day period?

True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.

Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) English statesman, author

Assessment and Evaluation:

• implement evaluation procedures for teachers that assess individual growth toward established technology standards and guide professional development planning.

• Don Vale and Professional Development plans

• Design 2004 school-based professional development

• TSIP implementation• CTIP

What is the…

• best decision you ever made about educational technology?

• How do you know that?• worst decision you ever made about

educational technology?• How do you know that?• last evaluative comment you made

to a teacher about their use of technology?

The world has achieved brilliance without conscience.

Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.

Omar Bradley (1893 - 1981) US army general

Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues:

• secure and allocate technology resources to enable teachers to better meet the needs of all learners on campus.

• Carol Tomlinson’s work with us on Technology and Differentiation - http://www.k12albemarle.org/technology/di/

When was the last time you…

• asked questions about homework and access to technology?

• were aware of a teacher violating copyright laws?

• saw patterns like “low” kids working on worksheets and “high kids” on engaging projects in your school?

From national standards to the principal’s office

• What are the challenges in taking these standards from print to practice?

• Bennett 1996 – most principals do not have teaching experience with technology

• Tips for Leading in School Technology (Curriculum and Technology Quarterly) - http://www.ascd.org/publications/ctq/2003summer/wrisley.html

Model the technology use you expect of the staff and the

students.• Debbie Collins (Yancey

Elementary) and Don Vale (Henley Middle School)

• Desire to be connected to the instructional server

• Providing teachers templates• Conducting technology

enriched faculty meetings

Support…

all ideas for grants, innovative technology practices, and integration of technology in learning – then celebrate them!

• Shannon Grants• Oral History grant• Partnerships – UVA, National

Gallery of Art, etc.

Showcase the school.

• Open the doors of your school and your classrooms – teacher and principal field trips

• School web sites• Encouraging teacher-

presenters at conferences• Year 3 of Design 2004 plan

Focus budget resources on equipment.

http://www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/findings/report_6/

Provide learning opportunities.

• School-based professional development – before and after Design 2004, including CTIP

• Division-level professional development – TSIP, VITAL, Opportunities, Making Connections, NTTI, CAI, etc.

• VSTE and other conferences

More on CTIP

Growth of the CTIP Program

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More on CTIP

• Curriculum comes first!

• Requires principal commitment

• Partnership between school and central office

• http://www.k12albemarle.org/CTIP

Develop teacher leadership.

• CTIP• IC/Leads• Mentors• CAI• GRT• LMS• Literacy Specialists• SIP• Achievement Teams• Design 2004

Catalysts

• Positive pressure on superintendent – Henrico laptop deployment

• Seed projects and people• Opportunities for superintendent to develop

vision – Apple Leadership Institute, orchestrated “field trips” within division

• Expand seed projects (Design 2004) and seed people (CTIP)

• Opportunities for principals to develop vision – VITAL

• Making Connections 2003

VITAL II

http://www.virginiaedleaders.org/

http://www.k12albemarle.org/VITAL

In Closing

• What is it principals in technology-enriched learning environments do that other principals don’t?

• How can principals help teachers increase the level of technology implementation within the context of best practices?

• How can technology improve student achievement?

In Closing

• How is technology integration reflected in school improvement plans and other artifacts of a principal’s day-to-day work?

• Explore connections between integration of technology into classroom instruction and actions taken and decisions made in the principal’s office.

• Be prepared to interact with tough questions and to leave with an elevated understanding of the role technology can play in increasing student achievement and teacher expertise.