Hensley’s Ed Tech Talk

This week's material was very enlightening, especially because it emphasized the importance of being missional, rather than instrumental as an educational technology leader. As I mentioned in my module 7 assignment, when it comes to technology integration, it is important to strive towards a much grander objective/goal to ensure that technology use goes beyond simple substitution practices, but rather demonstrates  (to students and teachers) an impact on learning that would not otherwise  be possible without technology. By drafting the questions to be more missional, they were inductive to solicit ideas for what solid professional development looks like for social studies teachers. I think this will end up being much more productive in the end because decisions to implement technology would stem directly from the expressed needs and wants of the teachers. This module and the assignments included therein reminded me that part of my role as a technology leader is to st...

Module 6 Reflection The biggest takeaway from this week's material is that technology integration and the processes and procedures associated therein may look very different between districts and sometimes between schools within districts. Some technology leaders in certain districts have well-developed plans for how they see technology being integrated and used in their district and strive to get all teachers on the same page. Others, as was the case with my former school district, technology integration and use is at the will of the teachers. In this system,  the technology leader for the district stays up to date with the latest emerging technologies and is willing to offer supports to teachers only if they seek support. Where I do not necessarily agree with this model of technology integration and facilitation, I understand that due to first and second order barriers, technology leaders have to be flexible and work within the confines of their school context. However, I feel ...

The biggest takeaway from this week's material were the readings regarding effective communication techniques and behaviors. I think that some of the time communication seems very instinctive; however, leaders can slip into ineffective communication practices due to being busy or making efforts to be more efficient. The most useful strategies from the readings were the intrinsic practices to keep in mind when communicating with others. For example, recognizing when you are getting frustrated in a conversation and taking the time to internalize what is being said before responding. This is important to ensure that communication remains respectful and open and that nothing is said on a whim without being thought through carefully. This week I learned that my results for the interpersonal skills self-assessment were as follows:  Listening Skills (52%), Emotional Intelligence (68%), Verbal Communication (77%), and  Communicating in Groups (83%). I also learned from colleagues th...

The biggest takeaway from this week's material would be that it is to the leader's benefit to take the time to develop and professional growth plan to frame their leadership. Leaders are expected to guide their colleagues and teammates towards their vision, and without careful thought, the risk of not attaining the goal becomes a reality due to unforeseen circumstances. The professional growth plan should be comprehensive and include all the small details that, if accounted for, will lead to the grander objective. I liken this to a mosaic. From a distance, a mosaic appears as one solid image, but as you look closer it can be seen that many smaller pieces make up the bigger picture. In regard to the educational technology goals. If a technology leader sets the goal for all teachers in the district to be proficient at using a certain Learning Management System, such as Canvas, that is the big picture (mosaic). However, the hosting of trainings and professional development for tea...

My biggest takeaway from this week's material is that being a transformational leader in educational technology is crucial for buy in from colleagues, and sustainability. As with any other leadership position, the designated leader should establish a mission with clear expectations for how they envision the facilitation and use of educational technology. A leader must take the time to establish constructive relationships with colleagues and team members in order to receive and give feedback. Taking the time establish the constructive relationships not only allows the leader to become more knowledgeable of team members' individual needs regarding their technology use, but more importantly, allows the leader to build a rapport with colleagues to help the team work towards the overall mission collectively. Something that I have learned about others this week is that motivation and inspiration can look very different depending on the district and by the school. Someone tasked wit...

Module 2 Reflection The biggest takeaway from this week's module is that it it is important to constantly check-in with yourself and conduct self-awareness checks. This is important to make sure emotions are under control, strengths are being utilized to fullest extent possible, and weakness are being challenged. Reflexive practices not only gives us the opportunity to evaluate individual situations, but also grow as a leader. Another beneficial takeaway from this module was identifying my VIA Character Strengths Assessment. I had a pretty good idea of what these strengths were; however, it was nice to conduct an inventory to see what else is present. This gives me a nice benchmark to know where I stand, as well as which elements I can work on building up. This week I learned from others in class that they too find controlling emotions to be salient and sometimes challenging. This makes me feel better that I am not the only one who is challenged by this. Due to multiple variabl...

Module 1 Reflection  My biggest takeaway from this week was to focus on the "why" I do what I do rather than the "how" so much. When I first began this Ph.D. program, my main purpose was to be able to provide future social studies teachers with a cache of strategies, skills, and best practices related to content.  Moreover, I wanted to motivate them to seek alternative methods and think outside the box to make social studies more rewarding and engaging for students. While, I still want to do this, I find that my professional objectives as a future Ph.D., teacher educator, and researcher is much deeper. This week's material, in tandem with the reflective assignments have given me the opportunity to explore my "why" a little more purposefully. I believe that I do what I do because I hope to  champion kindness in education so that people, in all their future endeavors, are willing to be disturbed and challenged to engage in civil discourse with other...