Facilitating Administrators’ Instructional Leadership Through the Use of a Technology Integration Discussion Protocol

Abstract

Digital learning tools are increasingly prevalent in classrooms, yet too often technology integration efforts by educators replicate rather than transform traditional instructional practices. Opportunities to take advantage of the new affordances that technologies bring to the learning environment thus become forfeit. Administrators’ use of a targeted discussion protocol can be helpful for facilitating analysis and revision of educators’ technology-infused lessons and units. This article describes how administrators in schools and preservice preparation programs can utilize such a protocol to enhance their instructional leadership and foster the success of their schools’ technology integration and implementation efforts.

Principals’ digital instructional leadership during the pandemic: Impact on teachers’ intrinsic motivation and students’ learning

“…In this context, the lacuna in the knowledge of digital instructional leadership is cardinal. The existing literature is mainly theoretical (McLeod, 2015;Pollock, 2020;Sorenson et al, 2016), and the few empirical studies available were based on self-reporting and focused on principals' knowledge and confidence in digital technologies used to lead learning (Sanchez Corona, 2019;Shepherd and Taylor, 2019). The present study greatly expanded empirical knowledge.…”

“…Recently, scholars addressing principals' instructional leadership have distinguished between its two types: regular (i.e. at the school site) and digital (Arar et al, 2021;McLeod, 2015;Pollock, 2020;Shepherd and Taylor, 2019;Sorenson et al, 2016). Although the two manifestations have many shared aspects, it has been suggested that some differences exist between the two (McLeod, 2015;Pollock, 2020;Shepherd and Taylor, 2019).…”

“…The limited literature on digital instructional leadership is mainly theoretical (McLeod, 2015;Pollock, 2020;Sorenson et al, 2016). The few empirical studies used only principals' self-report, which focused on their knowledge and confidence in the use of digital technologies for leading learning (Sanchez Corona, 2019;Shepherd and Taylor, 2019).…”

Pedagogy Leadership during COVID-19 Pandemic: New Kinds of Practice

“…Instruc-tional leadership integration with technology is identified by Byrom and Bingham (2001) as the "single most important factor affecting schools' successful integration of technology". McLeod (2015) highlighted the need for integrated protocols to utilize the power of information technology for classroom learning.…”

Cultivating Innovation in an Age of Accountability: Tech-Savvy Leadership

“…Leaders must be innovative and not content with replicating status quo. As McLeod (2015) noted, “digital learning tools are increasingly prevalent in classrooms, yet too often technology integration efforts by educators replicate rather than transform traditional instructional practices” (p. 227). Thus, school leaders should think about innovation in schools as not about the tools, but about how the tools can transform the learning environment and offer new, meaningful, and powerful learning experiences.…”