Week 8: Efficiency, Interconnectivity, and Globally

Efficiency, Interconnectivity, and Globally

As I went through the readings and videos of this course, I definitely received a good history and outlook of technology. As I have stated in previous posts, I can’t remember a time when I was not able to use the Internet for a report. I have had the Internet since I was in elementary school and was curious as to how this class would help me become a better leader. I admit, I am not a person that really appreciates the “drive” but more the “destination.” I am usually not interested in how we got somewhere, as long as we got there. I did however enjoy learning about how today’s technology all came about and the differences it has made across the globe. As a leader, this class has helped me appreciate the drive a little bit more. Through reading Friedman’s book I have come to see how several smaller events have made such a huge impact on technology. I would have never connected Friedman’s ten flatteners together as being technology advances, but now it all makes sense. The interconnectivity and global awareness Friedman’s book has pinpointed has greatly opened my eyes. It makes me very happy to think about how the entire world could be and is connected. The competition for new technologies is actually bringing people, cities, and countries together more than it ever has before. It is providing a chance for every person, no matter his or her ethnicity, education, or physical appearance, to be a part of something bigger.

In his video, Kelley discussed the idea of “accessing” becoming bigger and more important than “owning” in the future. I think this is going to be an incredibly important concept for leaders to embrace in this digital world. As leaders we need to accept others’ ideas and use them to build off of and create the right balance/product for our companies. The access we have to material is immense and lends itself to creativity within our own realms. This class has shown the different uses of technology for each of our different companies. For instance, while we do not “own” Skype, we each have access to it. While we do not use it for the same purpose, we each benefit from it. This access and sharing of information is what we, as leaders, need to embrace in order to improve our own companies. We have moved the hierarchical nature of leadership and with that, the knowledge base has flattened and several more people have access to it all. Leaders need to embrace this and guide their employees through the information rather than hide it from them.

 I think the biggest thing I am taking from this class goes along with interconnectivity and access. I went into the EdD program thinking along the lines of education and school as a workplace. As I read others blogs and learned about the other business realms outside of the school setting, I was able to stretch my ideas and thoughts on technology much further. I remember thinking in May, why are these people getting a doctorate in Educational Leadership if they are business owners? I have come to refer to the degree as Educated Leadership instead. Thanks to all of my classmates, I have realized how technology is a benefit across platforms. I am thankful for all of the different insights and new technologies I have learned about from my classmates as well as the thought provoking questions we asked each other about their blogs. Being interconnected with business people has made me look at my own school from a business owner’s perspective. Even though I am a teacher, when viewing my students as employees it has helped me think of different ideas to use within my classroom and how to make my classroom more efficient, interconnected, and global.

It is through these three, I am going to try and enhance my classroom as a leader. Classrooms are often thought of as dictatorships. (I have stated in my classroom before that I am the Queen and my students are in my Queendom.) There are so many new technologies to help me change this idea and hopefully change this idea for other teachers as well. The first area, efficiency, is something every teacher strives to get better with. I think in order to do this; I need to embrace and use the technology students have in their hands. The number of students with smart phones in my classes is over seventy percent. I aim to put this to use in the next school year. As a leader, I intend to show my students the proper way to use technology in school and where to access the necessary information. They should know where to get a graphing calculator online if they can’t afford to buy one. They should know where all of their online materials are and what they have access to for tools. By having this knowledge, the time wasted each day referring to where these things are located or what it is I am looking for should be eliminated. Thus providing more time for the teaching of the lesson.

The second area, interconnected, is an area I hope to show other teachers as well. By connecting information across different disciplines, students will be able to better remember and associate the information. Technology will be a huge help with this. I hope to spearhead a project and/or movement within our school bringing different subject areas together. Using Podcasts and videos our different classes will be able to make connections. The graphs shown in history classrooms could relate to the graphs shown in math. The biology information in dealing with the human body could relate to the information shown in P.E. classes. It is through these connections, made possible by technology, the students will be able to better understand the material being presented.

The final area I hope to improve my leadership with is globally. Our school system is very self-sufficient and I think at times this is a downfall. The things we could learn from schools across the nation and the globe are huge. I have discussed having videoconferences with other schools before, but have never actually done it. After going through this class however, I think it is important for me as a teacher and leader for my students to show my students and fellow teachers the vast world there is out there.  This combined with interconnectivity and efficiency can make a teacher’s world so much better. By opening up ourselves as classrooms and businesses to the idea that others can help us out and we don’t have to face things on our own, we are opening ourselves up to the creative world. Who knows what inventions could spur from connecting different disciplines and students? Hopefully I will be able to facilitate this type of creation and guide my students and fellow teachers along the paths to becoming an independent educated leaders as well.