The Technology Leadership Primer

We play many roles in our lives — spouse, parent, provider, scout leader, to name a few. Similarly, to be a successful educational technology leader, you need to play several roles.

While you can go to the literature such as the Consortium of School Networking's Framework of Essential Skills of the K-12 CTO for a detailed list of functions required for an educational technologist, in a simpler sense there are three primary roles a technology leader must serve: visionary, politician and orchestra conductor.
 

Technology leaders as visionaries

You can't be a leader if you don't know where you are taking your followers. This is true whether you are a shepherd leading your flock to the next pasture, or you are a technology leader. Thus, it is critical to know how you see the technology program moving and growing in the next 3 to 5 years.

Although numerous books have been written on "visioning," suffice it to say that it is critical to distinguish between creating a vision that can realistically be implemented in this time period and producing a fantasy about a technology world that stands little chance of ever being implemented in your district.
 

Technology leaders as politicians

Having what you believe to be a profound technology vision only to have it ignored or minimized by district leadership and staff frequently leads to depression and general despair. Too many educational technologists take the easy way out by blaming others for this situation without first taking a hard look in the mirror. Yes, there are those higher in the power structure who simply will never understand the role of modern technology, but you need to ask yourself if you have done all you can to sell your vision to those in leadership and other stakeholders.

It is naive to assume that simply because you have a good idea, people will buy into it. No, just as our political leaders do, you must sell your vision to the district leadership, so they buy into both you and your vision. This means getting out of your office to meet with a variety of district personnel and stakeholders, including those on the instructional side of the house, for without their support you are in competition with them for resources.
 

Technology leaders as orchestra conductors

Creating and selling the vision are necessary, but not sufficient conditions for success. Yet many an outstanding vision has foundered on the rocky shores of implementation. Whether due to the hands-on background of so many educational technologists or some other common facet in their career paths, a large number of educational technologists fail as implementers and project managers because of their propensity to do everything themselves.

It would be so much more productive if they would think of themselves as the conductors of an orchestra, getting all the different instruments of the orchestra to play together so they sound as one. So, too, the educational technology leader must get all the units involved in a given technology project — including those that do not report directly to the technology leader — working together in an organized, directed and coherent manner.


About the author: Phil Brody worked in public education for more than 40 years, during most of which he functioned as an educational technologist. He is currently an educational technology consultant.