Leading By Example

I've been a teacher for nine years and, in that time, I have always been impressed by administrators who strive to lead by example.  It's easy to fall back on the old adage, "do as I say - not as I do", and for administrators it must be tempting to rely on that at times, especially when it comes to technology. 

All districts want to witness student achievement that derives from technological innovations, but this can be challenging when even district leadership is uncertain about the possibilities that exist with regards to the use of computers and online services.  Further, if administrators have not been stakeholders in providing a vision for technology at the building level, then teachers will likely fail to provide a similar vision to students at the classroom level.  The result is a school district that had great intentions but got lost at the crucial point of implementation because of weak leadership.

The most important piece of information I received today came from the idea that I will need to be a strategic and thoughtful leader of technology in both design and implementation.  I will need to serve as a model, so that teachers can witness my own "buy in" and thus feel more inclined to accept the challenges associated with an ever-evolving classroom.