SCHOOL ICT READINESS

  1 hour
  

There is limited research relating to the leadership and management of ICT in academic journals. However, a number of research projects by national organizations provide evidence that ICT can change the way school leaders manage their schools.

Key benefits:

  • better insight into how a school functions
  • improved evaluation of school performance
  • better use of school resources
  • better information for curriculum planning

How school principals can embed ICT within teaching, learning, management and planning:

  • develop a vision for the development and integration of ICT across the curriculum and promote this vision within and beyond the school
  • provide appropriate, sustained ICT professional development for all levels of staff
  • become an ICT learner along with staff and students
  • use management information for school improvement
  • provide staff with personal access to ICT

What the research says about strategic leadership and management of ICT in schools
[online] http://www.becta.org.uk/page_documents/research/wtrs_stratleaders.pdf

 

School ICT readiness should be viewed in the same way that one views the soil before planting a crop. If one plants seeds in infertile soil, they do not grow and sometimes do not germinate at all. This has been a known fact for centuries. What is the equivalent of fertile soil in a school? What must one consider before placing ICT in the school for learning purposes? Can one reasonably expect that ICT alone will cause growth and bear fruit if it is not placed in a receptive environment?

This next activity is a self-assessment that will introduce you to the diverse factors that one should consider when assessing the readiness of a school for ICT.

 

Activity 3d

 

  1. Complete the self-assessment on school ICT readiness. ( Template 6 )