Hindsight: Leading the Way Ahead

As I read through the last few chapters of Picciano, I found myself recounting my experiences with the introduction of technology throughout my elementary and secondary education.  I remember when my elementary school got its first two Apple IIe computers.  They were in the library and if we were fortunate, some of us would get to play Oregon Trail or play around with some basic programming.  It was very “cool” to get to play with the computers.  I think that was around 1983.  Just a few years later, in high school, we could take a computer class, Computing I or Computing II if I recall correctly.  We learned some programing in BASIC and PASCAL.  Unfortunately, our teacher was the cheerleading coach so most of the time was spent printing banners for pep rallies and games.  Still, it was interesting.  The advent of the World Wide Web and internet access for most everyone brought changes in leaps and bounds.  Distance learning moved from mailed in correspondence courses and clunky video lectures (similar to my first few classes with Liberty Online) to a very interactive educational experience.  I found myself in a state of awe as I reflected on how much I was a part of these wide reaching changes. 

There is a generation of educators who have experienced all these changes first hand.  We’ve seen where we’ve come from and that has given us a unique position from which we can observe and direct the ongoing changes and technology implementation within schools, corporations, government, and the military.  Many of us have observed the folly of embracing the next hot pieces of technology or software (called apps today).  Too many times has the shiny new toys caught the attention of a technology department leader resulting in a unfortunate expenditure of funds, underutilized equipment, or a untrained, uninterested staff.  Educational technology leaders cannot afford to make snap decisions when it comes to implementing new technology tools.  They must be methodical and intentional with their decisions, carefully considering a holistic technology plan that includes hardware, software, training, and infrastructure.  Even then, the “all mighty dollar” must be factored into the equation as well.  Tax payers won’t stand for wasteful, over the moon like budget requests.  We should expect to do more with less.  It can be an overwhelming thought.  I’ve come to appreciate how Covey approaches these types of leadership challenges.  Begin with the end in mind and take care of the big rocks first.  Everything else will start to come together once the big rocks, or largest, most important concerns, are dealt with first.