ET 710 - 4.1 Discussion

MODEL THE WAY - Set the Example

The Action Steps: A leader must align actions with shared values, reflect that the outward persona reflects what one stands for, keep commitments, publicly ask for feedback while making adjustments based on that feedback, and reinforce the behavior that warrants repeating.

How and Where I’m Going to Use Them: I feel as though I set the example most of the time on my campus and in my district. I have become known as a tech leader in a very short amount of time since my employment, and I do my best to act that way. One of the things that the authors say is that people will always test your credibility, and I have accepted that I am ready for that. The things I do and say reflect how I want to be viewed, and I always ensure that I am never going to slip!

INSPIRE A VISION - Envision the Future

The Action Steps: A leader must make a list of all the things he/she wants to accomplish and ask “why” those items need to be accomplished, be curious about things going on around him/her and inquire as to why things are working/not working, listen to others in regard to what is important about their future, and get others on the same page/path about where they all are going.

How and Where I’m Going to Use Them: Once again, I feel as though I am already doing a lot of these things. This assignment makes me feel good, that’s for sure! At my own campus, I do try my best to unify others as a tech leader. I recently conducted a PD about what the tools we have could be doing in a sense that they can go beyond substitution. It could have easily been a tutorial, but getting the idea in the minds of those who aren’t quite up to speed yet may generate a greater sense of thinking about WHERE they can go.

CHALLENGE THE PROCESS - Experiment and Take Risks

The Action Steps: A leader must emphasize personal fulfillment results, continuously experiment with such things as pilot projects and model sites, remind others of the progress they’re making while also reminding them that setbacks are only temporary, debrief successes and failures, and accept the idea that one should NEVER stop experimenting.

How and Where I’m Going to Use Them: I am always trying new things and new applications that may or may not further my students’ development. I do my best to keep in mind that my progress is key even when setbacks happen. Furthermore, I always try and build up my tech-reluctant team by reminding them how far they have come in such a short amount of time. The thing I can work on, though, is being better about debriefing my successes and failures. I do understand that this is a key component not only for myself as a leader but also for my team. That tool could be a crucial key in helping them grow, too.

1.2 Discussion: Defining Leadership

In Kouzes and Posner, the authors assert that leadership has five traits: Those traits are modeling the process, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. These all are pretty straightforward except, perhaps, for the notion of “encouraging the heart.” What this means is that a leader must celebrate successes of the followers and encourage them to keep going even when circumstances become difficult.

As educators, we must become leaders for our students to succeed in a world where technology is becoming more present by the second. Sheninger claims that “...even though today’s active learners have grown up with technology, it does not always follow that they know how to use it effectively for learning. This is the responsibility of the schools” (17). We must, as Kouzes posits, model the right way to use these tools for our students and inspire them to use these tools as a force for their benefit.

I believe that we as educators can all be leaders, and that role begins by checking our behaviors to see if they are in-line with being leaders for our students. I also belive that the most important of Kouzes five traits is the thought of encouraging the heart. Many of our students will feel inadequate at times, and it is our duty to assure them that they can power through the difficulties of life and the system of education. Though we as technological educators have grand visions of what learning will become, the system itself is still crawling to evolve into the entity we know it can be.