Getting Teachers on Board

The future requires "quantum leap" in digital leadership
More administrators say they are leading by example by encouraging educators to use more digital technology in the classroom. They say this type of leadership will become increasingly important as districts work to implement the Common Core State Standards. "Modeling is crucial. If you want your kids and teachers to be users of 21st-century tools, ... you have to show that you can do it too," said Spike Cook, principal of an elementary school in Millville, N.J. "It shows that I'm still a teacher -- I can still instruct and still learn." Digital Directions (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (2/6)

I was very excited to read that Superintendents, in several school districts in the US are doing to promote digital technology in their schools, is what we are also trying here at ASF. Patrick Larkin, Assistant Superintendent in Massachusetts, “practices as he preaches”. He is a firm believer that to get teachers on board with the technology initiative, as a leader, it is your role to model the use of technology.
As a Digital Literacy Coach (DLC), we try to get administrators to tweet, blog or use their iPad or devices as working tools to show teachers that it is not difficult, it is just a different way of accomplishing work being done.  Some teachers have the feeling that if they are not tech savvy, their students might think they don’t know. As al DLC, I help teachers understand that students are the ones that are the experts with devices. Teachers are the guides or facilitators of content and should worry about teaching skills like organization or digital literacy.
An important part of a successful initiative is to get the parents involved. This article mentions that parents were involved by teaching and informing the parents what and how technology was being implemented in their schools. Here at ASF, our department organizes Parent Coffee once a month in Lower School and Middle School. In these Coffee sessions we inform the parents of apps we are using in the classroom, we talk about social media and why is this so important for their children. We want to keep the parents involved in their children’s learning and that the generational gap does not become so big.
It is critical that school leaders embrace their digital integration program by becoming users of 21st century tools like Twitter or blogging. Modelling is the best way to begin teachers, parents and students to venture in this new learning and teaching era.