Technology and School Leadership: Leading Around, Leading Of, and Leading With Technology

This workshop will balance both theoretical exploration and hands-on practice with tools and frameworks that participants can use and facilitate in their schools with their teams. Using a framework used with master’s and doctoral students at Teachers College, Columbia University, participants will examine “leading around technology” (calibration), “leading of technology” (vision), and “leading with technology” (practice).

This hands-on session will provide timely insights and actionable takeaways for leaders at all levels to bring back to their schools.

PART 1 - Leading Around Technology

Participants will come to understand the importance of staying attuned to the technological environment that exists in our work and life – things that are largely out of any individual’s control – while considering ways to calibrate school mission, philosophy, and operations to the current context.

PART 2 - Leading Of Technology

Moving towards decision-making within a leader's sphere of influence, whether that influences a team, a department, or the entire school. We will explore how developing and leading towards a vision for excellence is critical for modern leaders.

PART 3 - Leading With Technology

We will examine the individual choices leaders make to enhance their leadership practice, modeling for others what effective communication, organization, and execution can look like, supported by ideally ‘invisible’ technology.

Leveraging Technology for Human-driven Creativity

Whenever technologies emerge it is important for school leaders to consider that they might augment and amplify, and not replace, what people do best. This is especially evident as AI continues to influence and inspire new innovation.

In this workshop, participants will delve into strategies for leveraging technology to introduce and increase creative potential within their teams and educational institutions. This workshop offers practical approaches and strategies for leveraging technology in today’s school in three main parts:

PART 1

We will explore the historical intersection of technology and creative leadership and how recent technology “pushes” fit within that context. By engaging in activities and discussions, participants will identify the creative strengths and gaps within their own professional and personal situations.

PART 2

Beginning by examining a few “ingenious” cases, participants will come to better understand the ways that technologies can support, but never replace, the human creative process. We’ll focus on the teams participants work most closely with, whether as the leader of the team or as an engaged member, and build and expand toolkits for fostering creative thinking, supported by modern tools, at the leadership table.

From collaborative digital platforms to innovative project-based learning initiatives, attendees will discover actionable insights and engage in easily replicable tasks to inspire creativity among administrators, faculty, and ideally students.

PART 3

By engaging in reflection and planning, participants will create mini-action plans to put in place immediately upon return to their schools. Whenever technologies emerge or evolve, it is important for people – and certainly school leaders – to consider how those technologies augment and amplify what a person does best. This is especially evident as generative artificial intelligence (AI) continues to influence and inspire new innovation.

In this 2.5-hour workshop, you will practice your own strategic creativity. Through a series of hands-on activities, you will delve into strategies for leveraging emerging technology to introduce and increase creative potential within your teams and educational institutions.

Visit the FLC24 Resource Library to access any handouts and resources speakers have shared for their session(s). Please check back for late additions.