Digital Leadership - Developing Capacities to Make A Difference for Today

It was May of 2011, and 94 year-old Grandma Bernice had a problem. She was disappointed that she could no longer read the Chicago Tribune because the font was too small. A bright, intelligent former teacher and school librarian, she was sad that she couldn't keep up with the stories in print. She had tried computers and for a while had made them work but over time it became too complicated. And then, the iPad 2 appeared. With cellular service in tow, she could with two touches to the screen be on the Chicago Tribune and reading an article. By pinching her fingers back and forth she could enlarge the article and read her item of interest. It was magic!
When technology works well, we no longer notice it. It's just there. What we notice is the change in our pattern of behaviors to access the technology. Each day there are so many new things that impact the learning world, shared documents and calendars, collaborative editing, pictures and videos integrated into writing, social media, and wearables. If we see them for the technology, as leaders its overwhelming. However, if we see it for the learning, the scary mountain of technology falls away and the paths of opportunity unfold.
As leaders, it is our role to help our staff, students, parents, families, and community members find the path. In this journey, if we can provide clarity to the learning task, the necessary technology will define itself. For example, if the writing process is the curriculum objective and editing is the learning target, a tool such as Google Docs is terrific. In Google Docs, students and teachers can see the changes that they have made through version history. Peer editors can be added to the group through shared documents, their contributions documented in the version history. Parents can be invited in as collaborators or observers through the sharing process. By defining the learning target one becomes able to define the appropriate tool to fit the needs.
As leaders, it is our role to invest in others. So often, we try to be the expert, the one driving the train. However, we are only as good as the members of our team. Leaders need to utilize their strengths of identifying where we are going while also investing in and learning from others on the journey. Using the Google Docs example, as a leader, one may need to ask the team what tool makes sense and learn from the team how to use it. In this journey, the team does not only include other members of the instructional staff but also the students. Frequently our children are the experts in the tool teaching us adults how to use it while we are experts in establishing and developing the appropriate instructional challenge to help the students grow. It is common within our classrooms and our buildings for students names to be listed on the board with different digital tools they are the experts in. Students become resources for other students and adults within the building. From ages 6 to 14 they are the "geniuses" in our tech support program.
As leaders, we need to go on the journey also. While we don't need to know every tool, like all members of the school community we need to grow our capacity and integrate tools each day a little better than the previous day. This may be as simple as using a shared document for a meeting agenda, emailing out a notice for a meeting, or texting a thank you to a staff member. Integrating technology into our daily practice may seem challenging at first, but over time the tools will becomes seamless in our practice. By doing little digital actions, we show we are not simply a digital leader, but a learning leader.

Digital Tools For Everyday Life