Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Leadership for Information Technology in Education: Systems of Practices

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Second Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

Abstract

Information technology (IT) leadership requires that school leaders understand both how IT specifically serves as a means to an instructional end and how to create the conditions that foster such uses. Driven by leaders’ technological leadership content knowledge (TLACK), the system of practices for IT leadership presented here suggests how leaders act to in turn influence teachers’ knowledge and practices to foster student learning with IT. It is suggested that this system of practices encompasses setting directions for IT uses, building relationships and developing people to succeed with that vision, and developing the organization to support school personnel’s efforts towards those ends.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Afshari, M., Bakar, K. A., Luan, W. S., Samah, B. A., & Fooi, F. S. (2008). School leadership and information communication technology. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 7(4), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allan, W. C., Erickson, J. L., Brookhouse, P., & Johnson, J. L. (2010). Teacher professional development through a collaborative curriculum project: An example of TPACK in Maine. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 54(6), 36–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anthony, A. B. (2012). Activity theory as a framework for investigating district-classroom systems interactions and their influences on technology integration. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 44, 335–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beytekin, O. F. (2014). High school administrators’ perceptions of their technology leadership preparedness. Educational Research and Review, 9(14), 441–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho, V., & Wayman, J. C. (2014). District’s efforts for data use and computer data systems: The role of sensemaking in system use and implementation. Teachers College Record, 116, 1–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Courduff, J., & Szapkiw, A. (2015). Technology integration in the resource specialist program environment: Research-based strategies for technology integration in complex learning environments. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching, 8(1), 81–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Courduff, J., Szapkiw, A., & Wendt, J. L. (2016). Grounded in what works: Exemplary practice in special education teachers’ technology integration. Journal of Special Education Technology, 31(1), 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162643416633333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desimone, L. M., & Garet, M. S. (2015). Best practices in teachers’ professional development in the United States. Psychology, Society & Education, 7(3), 252–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devolder, A., Vanderlinde, R., van Braak, J., & Tondeur, J. (2010). Identifying multiple roles of ICT coordinators. Computers & Education, 55, 1651–1655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, S. (2011). School technology leadership: Artifacts in a system of practice. Journal of School Leadership, 21, 166–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, S., & Richardson, J. W. (2017, November). Systems of practice for leadership of IT: A review of the empirical research and its implications for leadership. Paper presented at the annual meeting of University Council for Educational Administration, Denver.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, S., Louis, K. S., & Anderson, R. E. (2009). The roles and practices of specialists in teamed institutional leadership. Journal of School Leadership, 19(4), 445–465.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, S., Richardson, J. W., & Nash, J. (2017). Leadership for technology use, integration, and innovation: A review of the empirical research and implications for leadership preparation. In M. D. Young & G. M. Crow (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of school leaders (pp. 202–228). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Divaharan, S., & Ping, L. C. (2010). Secondary school socio-cultural context influencing ICT integration: A case study approach. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(6), 741–763.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2010). Teacher technology change: How knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42, 255–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2010.10782551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerard, L. F., Bowyer, J. B., & Linn, M. C. (2008). Principal leadership for technology-enhanced learning in science. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 17(1), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerard, L. F., Bowyer, J. B., & Linn, M. C. (2010). How does a community of principals develop leadership for technology-enhanced science? Journal of School Leadership, 20, 145–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiltz, J., & Dexter, S. (2012). Principal leadership and instructional technology support networks. In P. Resta (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education international conference 2012 (pp. 3361–3366). Chesapeake: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hitt, D. H., & Tucker, P. D. (2016). Systematic review of key leader practices found to influence student achievement: A unified framework. Review of Educational Research, 86(2), 531–569. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315614911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inan, F. A., & Lowther, D. L. (2010). Laptops in the K-12 classrooms: Exploring factors impacting instructional use. Computers & Education, 55, 937–944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.04.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, W. M., & Dexter, S. (2014). How teachers learn: The roles of formal, informal, and independent learning. Educational Technology Review & Development, 62(3), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-014-9337-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, M., & Dexter, S. (2016). Conceptualizing school-based teacher learning from teachers’ points of view: Holistically leveraging formal, informal, and independent learning activities. The Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 25(3), 251–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, M., & Dexter, S. (2018). Teacher perspectives on technology integration professional development: Formal, informal, and independent learning activities. The Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 27(1), 83–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leithwood, K. (2012). The Ontario leadership framework 2012 with a discussion of the research foundations. Toronto: The Institute for Education Leadership.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, B. B., & Schrum, L. (2013). Using systems thinking to leverage technology for school improvement: Lessons learned from award-winning secondary schools/districts. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 46(1), 29–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Louis, K. S., Leithwood, K., Wahlstrom, K., & Anderson, S. (2010). Investigating the links to improved student learning. New York: Wallace Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/Investigating-the-Links-to-Improved-Student-Learning.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKenney, S., Boschman, F., Pieters, J., & Voogt, J. (2016). Collaborative design of technology-enhanced learning: What can we learn from teacher talk? TechTrends, 60(4), 385–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0078-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, K. M., Mollette, M., & Corn, J. (2012). Administrative perspectives on the implementation of one-to-one computing. Journal of Information Technology and Application in Education, 1(4), 125–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan, S. C., & Franklin, T. (2011). In-service teachers’ self-efficacy, professional development, and Web 2.0 tools for integration. New Horizons in Education, 59(3), 28–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petko, D., Eggers, N., Cantieni, A., & Wespi, B. (2015). Digital media adoption in schools: Bottom-up, top-down, complimentary, or optional? Computers & Education, 84, 49–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petko, D., Prasse, D., & Cantieni, A. (2018). The interplay of school readiness and teacher readiness for educational technology integration: A structural equation model. Computers in the Schools, 35(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2018.1428007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polizzi, G. (2011). Measuring school principals’ support for ICT integration in Palermo, Italy. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 3(2), 113–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritzhaupt, A. D., Hohlfeld, T. N., Barron, A. E., & Kemker, K. (2008). Trends in technology planning and funding in Florida K–12 public schools. International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership, 3(8), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, M., Grady, N., Fluck, A., & Webb, I. (2006). Conversations toward effective implementation of information communication technologies in Australian schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 44(1), 71–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutkowki, D., Rutkowski, L., & Sparks, J. (2011). Information and communications technologies support 21st-century teaching: An international analysis. Journal of School Leadership, 21, 190–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrum, L., & Levin, B. B. (2013). Teachers’ technology professional development: Lessons learned from exemplary schools. TechTrends, 57(1), 38–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scribner, S. P., & Bradley-Levine, J. (2010). The meaning(s) of teacher leadership in an urban high school reform. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(4), 491–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, B., & Brown, J. (2014). Leadership for a new vision of public school classrooms. Journal of Educational Administration, 52(1), 84–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staples, A., Pugach, M. C., & Himes, D. (2005). Rethinking the technology integration challenge: Cases from three urban elementary schools. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37(3), 285–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, M. K., & Nelson, B. S. (2003). Leadership content knowledge. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25(4), 423–448. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737025004423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, M., Hedberg, J. G., O’Sullivan, K., & Howe, C. (2016). Leading learning: The role of school leaders in supporting continuous professional development. Professional Development in Education, 42(5), 818–835. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2015.1114507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stroud, R., Drayton, B., Hobbs, K., & Falk, J. (2014). Interactive whiteboard use in high-tech science classrooms: Patterns of integration. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 9, 41–49. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v9i9.4141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuart, L. H., Mills, A. M., & Remus, U. (2009). School leaders, ICT competence and championing innovations. Computers & Education, 53(3), 733–741.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svendsen, B. (2016). Teachers’ experience from a school-based collaborative teacher professional development programme: Reported impact on professional development. Teacher Development, 20(3), 313–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2016.1149512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tondeur, J., Devos, G., Van Houtte, M., Van Braak, J., & Valcke, M. (2009). Understanding structural and cultural school characteristics in relation to educational change: The case of ICT integration. Educational Studies, 35(2), 223–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055690902804349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tondeur, J., Krug, D., Bill, M., Smulders, M., & Zhu, C. (2015). Integrating ICT in Kenyan secondary schools: An exploratory case study of a professional development programme. Technology, Pedagogy & Education, 24(5), 565–584. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2015.1091786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trust, T. (2016). New model of teacher learning in an online network. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 48(4), 290–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2016.1215169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers and Education, 102, 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Niekerk, M., & Blignaut, S. (2014). A framework for information and communication technology integration in schools through teacher professional development. Africa Education Review, 11(2), 236–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2014.927159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanderlinde, R., Van Braak, J., & Tondeur, J. (2010). Using an online tool to support school-based ICT policy planning in primary education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(5), 434–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, E. L., Li, S. C., Choi, T., & Lee, T. (2008). Insights into innovative classroom practices with ICT: Identifying the impetus for change. Educational Technology & Society, 11(1), 248–265.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Sara Dexter

Authors
  1. Sara Dexter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sara Dexter .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Joke Voogt

  2. University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

    Gerald Knezek

  3. University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

    Rhonda Christensen

  4. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Kwok-Wing Lai

Section Editor information

  1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

    Sara Dexter

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Dexter, S. (2018). The Role of Leadership for Information Technology in Education: Systems of Practices. In: Voogt, J., Knezek, G., Christensen, R., Lai, KW. (eds) Second Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education . Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71054-9_32

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation