Best Practices Of Leadership in Educational Technology

Abstract

Leadership in Educational Technology is a relatively new field that is changing as fast as technology itself. Success for an educational leader includes maintaining a firm grasp of how to diagnose the needs of a district, a school, or a classroom while aligning policies, procedures, and protocols into a format that will empower the individual teacher efficacy and student learning outcomes. Being a leader in educational technology includes more than incorporating new technologies into the classroom. Leadership in educational technology requires an outlook that views technology not as a tool for every occasion, but as a tool that when used, will enhance the learning process. An approach of best practices is essential to maintain effectiveness as an educational leader, and yet there is very little research that includes a synthesis of the best practices or approaches that are certain to increase an educational leader's effectiveness. A best practices approach that relies on the use of constructivist teaching method, that strives for continuous improvement through the use of professional learning networks and communities, and that utilizes online professional development will produce the kind of effectiveness in teachers that is associated with positive student learning outcomes.