New technologies and educative leadership

Abstract

This overview describes the linkages between new technologies and educative leadership, the theme of this special issue. It discusses the tension between the pervasiveness of technology in society and educators’ apparent uncertainty about how to best use information and communication technology. Also, the foci of the following articles that are written from a variety of international perspectives are summarized, and a set of critical questions about how new technologies are reshaping our understandings of leadership are offered. In addition, some of the educational challenges and opportunities associated with technology are described, and a rubric that can be used to consider the capacity to link new technologies and educative leadership is proposed.

Technologies Frequently Used by Elementary Principals

“…University educational leadership programs are not providing the technology training needed for today's public school leaders. Conventionally, university-based educational leadership curriculum have overly stressed management and administrative issues rather than instructional issues [3]. The quality of our principals and other administrators is highly reliant upon the quality of the university-based leadership preparation programs [12].…”

“…The quality of our principals and other administrators is highly reliant upon the quality of the university-based leadership preparation programs [12]. Rakes and Dawson [3] agreed that more principals than not have been inadequately trained or acquired firsthand knowledge in the use of technology. Hope, Kelley and Kinard, [10] have confirmed that principals have technology training needs that have not been addressed.…”

“…With contemporary society, embracing a multitude of forms of technology, technology's presence and dominance in our daily lives has become ubiquitous. Webber [3] stated that, "…technology pervades almost everything in our lives-online banking, shopping, text messaging, movies-on-demand, coordinated traffic flow, light rapid transit scheduling, mobile telephone networks, climate control systems, and medical information access".…”

A Theoretical Analysis of Factors Influencing the Decision of Faculty to Use Educational Technologies in the Context of Institutions of Higher Education

“…ICT helps people access, gather, analyze, present, transmit, and simulate information (See, 1994). ICT creates a learning environment where students deal with knowledge in an active, self-directed and constructive way (Webber, 2003). ICT can develop student's skills for cooperation, communication, problem solving and lifelong learning (Voogt, 2003).…”

Technology integration levels of teacher education faculty

“…Hence, involving the generation of knowledge and processes to develop systems that solve problems and broaden human capabilities, technology attained a solid consensus among many educators and researchers regarding its potential of use for widening educational opportunities, (Jonassen & Reeves, 1996;Means, 1994;Çağıltay, Çakıroğlu, Çağıltay & Çakıroğlu, 2001;Kozma & Anderson, 2002;Webber, 2003;Gülbahar, 2008;Akbulut, 2010). In accordance with this perspective, Grabe and Grabe (2001) maintain that teachers should utilize technology to enhance their student learning due to its positive effect on learners` cognitive behaviors such as thinking, decision making, problem solving and reasoning.…”