Elements That Drive Change
- Nov 20, 2016
- 3 min read
The world is changing. More and more, the world around us is becoming digital and connected. Technology is changing the way business is done, and it is changing the way life is lived. Schools need to adapt and change to meet their goals, mainly to prepare students to enter the work force and to become productive members of society. If schools don’t change, the students will be stunted in their growth and development.
But change is hard, especially for those who don’t know much about technology or don’t trust it. Because of these issues, change needs to occur slowly and deliberately. Sheninger gives six elements that drive change in schools. These elements are connectedness, vision, value, support, professional development, and embracement.
Connectedness refers to the availability of the school on social media websites and through the internet in general. Community members should be able to access the school information and contact school personnel through a variety of means. This will allow for some collaboration opportunities between the school and the community.
Vision refers to the why and how of technology integration. All stakeholders, including parents and community members, should be a part of developing this mission. With the inclusion of all stakeholders in the development process, the school can ensure that it will have a vision that the community will be behind.
Value refers to the value that is placed on technology in the schools. For many, technology is an afterthought, something to add to a lesson if there is time. But it needs to be an integral part of the lesson, so much so that the lesson would not be able to be done without the technology.
Support refers to the support given to the school by the stakeholders. It is important for the various stakeholders to support what the school is doing. By gaining the support of the community, the school is removing an obstacle to technology integration.
Professional development refers to the training of the teachers on how to use the technology that is available to them and how to best integrate it into their lessons. But the professional development should go beyond that. They also need to understand why technology integration needs to happen and develop an appreciation of that.
And embracement refers to the vision being accepted by stakeholders. Once stakeholders understand why the technology is needed, and once they see how it can benefit the students, they can embrace the school’s use of technology. An important factor here is the understanding that technology will be a big part of their students’ lives once they leave school. Because of this, technology needs to be a big part of their education.
As a technology leader, my understanding of these elements that drive change will help me to push for these changes in my own district. By involving the community as a whole, I can gain allies in the effort to bring change about. Getting the parents on board will help them to reinforce the use of technology for educational purposes with their children. And helping the school board to understand the role technology plays in education will make securing funds much easier.
One of the best ways to help the stakeholders understand the impact technology has on education is through data. Data that is collected, whether through surveys or tests or other means, can shed light on the effectiveness of technology. Data involving future careers and what technology will be used as well as data regarding the testing that is required of students will help present a solid case for making necessary changes.
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
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