Paving the way..Leaders in ICT

LEADER: the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country (dictionary.com)

For Integration of Information and Computer Technology, being a leader means paving the way for fellow colleagues, students and parents. Leader and Leadership will, for the remainder of this post be referred to as "IT"

It means helping colleagues discover ways to revamp old assignments, by introducing them to things like SAMR. 

It means helping them access new resources and apps by showing, sharing and teaching them how to use them. It means embracing new technology but not hoarding it for yourself but sharing it within your department, school and board. It means being available and wanting to communicate how to use and integrate new technology into different classes. To be a leader who can lead their colleagues you need to be organized and prepared. Have websites, resources and practical plans that can help your colleagues learn how valuable technology can be. You need to have knowledge, by remaining informed on current trends and up-to-date or current apps, methods in tools which can be used in the classroom. Staying "in the know" by frequently visiting websites like EduTopia and Digital Trends.

It means guiding students to create a positive online presence by both teaching them the skills and demonstrating them yourself. It means seeking out information and activities from a plethora of different resources to help them teach students about digital citizenship, responsibility and their own digital footprint. To be a leader who can lead their students, you need to be innovative with the technology that you introduce and expect your students to learn. You need to create blended learning opportunities that allow your students to develop the learning skills they need in a technology driven world.  You need to establish open lines of communication.

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It mean educating parents about the "going-ons" both inside classrooms, schools and the community. To be a leader who can lead parents through the integration of communication and technology, you need to have an active, positive online presence. You need to give parents access to your classrooms by communicating with them through Email, Twitter, Classroom Blogs. You need to  knowledgeable and provide parents with resources to  help them educate themselves and their children. Again, you need to be available and establish open lines of communication between yourself, parents, admin and students.

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