6.++What+are+the+professional+implications+for+technology+administrators?

Technology Administrators and Professional Learning Communities
Technology Administrators play an important role in Professional Learning Communities in two ways. First, technology administrators function as PLC leaders who offer direction to teachers by sharing research about best practices and technology integration, by jointly developing mission statements and setting goals, and by modeling effective collaboration. In this way, Technology Administrators function much like Building Principals.[| Here is a slide show]about how effective building principals work within Professional Learning Communities. If you simply replace the word "Principal" in the slide show with the words "Technology Administrator," it is easy to see that these two leadership roles are both very important in Professional Learning Communities.

Technology Administrators must do all of the following when working within in the context of a Professional Learning Community:
 * They must lead by example
 * They must understand and effectively communicate how technology improves student learning.
 * They must make decisions based on a shared vision for technology integration.
 * They must involve teachers in the decision making process
 * They must provide staff with the information and professional development they need to utilize technology for instructional purposes
 * They must be results oriented
 * They must use data to identify areas for improvement.

Here are two links ([|1], [|2]) that discuss the role of an administrator in developing and successfully implementing Professional Learning Communities. It is easy to replace the term "Principal" with "Technology Administrator" in either of these articles. It is also easy to see how Technology Administrators could use the concept of Professional Learning Communities to deal with a lack of funding for adequate professional development in the area of technology integration. Clearly, PLCs offer a consistent, collaborative, and effective means of sharing information with teachers about how technology can improve and impact student learning. Professional Learning Communities also provide Technology Administrators with an efficient way of disseminating ideas about technology integration.

The second way that Technology Administrators can positively impact Professional Learning Communities is by providing staff with the technology they need to collaborate with other teachers more effectively. [|Here is an interesting blog]about how technology can be used to foster learning among teachers and administrators. The author even discusses how being connected to other educators outside one's building is incredibly important too. Many teachers are already part of larger and more specialized on-line groups called Professional Learning Networks. [|In this article] the author even argues that Professional Learning Communities must naturally become Professionally Networked Learning Collaboratives. This makes a great deal of sense to me as Professional Learning Networks like listservs, nings, and blogs already abound in educational circles.

In light of technologies ability to provide educators with a means to collaboratively solve problems, it is incredibly important that Technology Administrators make their staff aware of how to use Professional Learning Networks ([|1], [|2],[|3]) as a means of continuous and timely professional development. After all, in order to build true PLCs, everyone must be committed to the idea that learning is a process that never ends.

These concepts are also mentioned here in [|ISTE's Technology Standards for Administrators].



