Technology Leadership: Shaping Administrators' Knowledge and Skills through an Online Professional Development Course

This research examined changes in administrators’ ideas about technology integration and technology leadership while participating in an online professional development course. Eight administrators, enrolled in a semester-long course, participated in 15 discussion forums related to k-12 technology implementation issues. Preand post-course surveys indicated significant changes in ideas about technology integration as well as methods used to support teachers’ integration efforts. Analysis of interview and course discussion data suggests that administrators view technology leadership as a “shared responsibility” that requires both administrative skills and technical knowledge. Theoretical Framework According to the SouthEast Initiatives Regional Technology in Education Consortium (SEIR*TEC, 2000) "leadership is the single most important factor" influencing the successful integration of technology within our schools. Based on their extensive work in k-12 schools, SEIR*TEC noted that the schools that have made the most progress toward technology integration are those with energetic and committed leaders. Stegall (1998) reported that this influence held true despite wide differences in schools' enrollments, locations, and operating budgets. Few educators today would argue with the notion that the principal plays an important role in facilitating technology use in the schools. According to Crystal (2001), building administrators are the "nexus through which all issues flow" (p. 36). Yet many of our administrators are novice technology-users and have gained little experience or training in the knowledge and skills needed to be effective technology leaders. Even though administrators understand the importance of implementing and supporting technology use in their schools (Mehlinger & Powers, 2002), the development of technology leadership skills seems to have been left almost completely to chance. Since it is possible to obtain a principal's license without knowing anything about technology, how, then, are our administrators expected to develop these critical skills? Unfortunately, there is very little research delineating best practices for preparing administrators to be technology leaders. Most school administrators are simply acquiring their technology knowledge and skills on the job, with occasional training provided by assorted vendors, professional organizations, and, to a lesser extent, colleges and universities. According to Mehlinger and Powers (2002), "Graduate school programs generally are doing a poor job in preparing school principals and superintendents to be technology leaders" (p. 218). Still, colleges of education have started to consider ways to address technology needs within their school administration programs (O'Neill, 1999). Furthermore, a national collaborative has recently drafted a set of technology standards for school administrators (TSSA, 2001) that can guide the redesign and/or development of new graduate courses. Given the number of issues that need to be addressed, however, innovative approaches will be needed if administrators are to gain the pedagogical, as well as the technical, knowledge and skills needed. Purpose of the Study This study was designed to examine changes in administrators' knowledge and skills, related to technology leadership, as they participated in a semester-long online professional development course. By requiring administrators to use technology to examine issues of technology leadership, we hoped to support the development of administrators' ideas related to technology leadership, while simultaneously building their confidence and competence related to technology skills. Specifically, the questions guiding data collection and analysis included: • What are administrators' ideas about technology leadership and how do these ideas change while participating in an online professional development course? • What knowledge and skills do administrators need to affect technology leadership in their schools and to what extent can participation in an online professional development course build both knowledge and skills?