Changing a Culture - Digital Age Learning Culture

According to the ISTE Standards for School Administrators: Standard # 2

Digital age learning culture
Educational Administrators create, promote, and sustain a dynamic, digital-age learning culture that provides a rigorous, relevant, and engaging education for all students.     

• Ensure instructional innovation focused on continuous improvement of digital-age learning 
• Model and promote the frequent and effective use of technology for learning
• Provide learner-centered environments equipped with technology and learning resources to meet the individual, diverse needs of all learners
• Ensure effective practice in the study of technology and its infusion across the curriculum 
• Promote and participate in local, national, and global learning communities that stimulate innovation, creativity, and digital age collaboration

As the CIO and Director of Technology I make it a priority to continue to push my colleagues towards this end.  I feel that it is my responsibility to provide learning experiences for them and give them the resources that they need.  However, I should not take this challenge on all by myself.  There comes a point when everyone in the organization, including teachers and administrators must take it upon themselves to seek out new ways to utilize technology to improve and enhance instruction.

"How can technology be used in an effective manner to improve instruction?"  This question has been asked of me many times over the past year.  Here is the way I answer it...

Everything that we do when it comes to incorporating or infusing technology starts with instruction and pedagogy.  Good pedagogical practices must be in place for technology to even be incorporated.  Without sound instructional practices, technology is a waste of time and money.

Modeling and promoting the frequent and effective use of technology for learning is essential by all stakeholders in the school community.  Principals, assistant principals, directors, supervisors, and teachers all must model innovative practice.

Here is a question for us all to think about.  How do we successfully engage our administrator colleagues in this practice?  By getting all of us to engage in modeling and promoting the use of technology for learning, it will bleed successfully into the instructional program.  But how can this be done?  Do we model it ourselves and hope that other administrators follow suit?  The question is which to change first...the belief that it is important enough to infuse technology, or the structure to allow it to happen on its own?  Feel free to comment.

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