June 2005 — Features
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A Bridge to Success
- School Leadership and Emerging Technologies
- Technology for Learning and Communication
- Policy and Ethical Issues for School Technology Leaders.
All courses incorporate guided, structured, problem-based learning experiences, including hands-on, practitioner-relevant projects and assignments, and feature practical, concrete examples of current and emerging school uses of technology.
Participants visit K-12 classrooms to observe teachers’ uses of learning technologies in a particular framework, and share their reflections about possible leadership changes to better support teachers’ integration efforts.
Program format. The STLI graduate certificate program format encourages nationwide participation. Each annual cohort engages in intensive, face-to-face coursework for one week during the summer at the University of Minnesota. Then, the STLI cohort takes eight credits of online coursework across fall and spring semesters. Finally, the cohort completes a four-day capstone experience on campus the following summer.
Situated learning. Student learning in the STLI is framed within participants’ school-based issues and challenges. Because STLI strives to create school leaders who fulfill technology-related responsibilities in their own schools, districts, and organizations, we feel that situating learning in students’ own context is a necessity. In every course, participants have assignments that link theory and best practice to their own setting. For example, in Facilitating Technology Integration in Classrooms I, participants learn multiple frameworks for considering “technology integration.” Each student develops a rubric or plan for observing and evaluating technology-supported instruction and learning. During the online follow-up Facilitating Technology Integration in Classrooms II course, participants visit K-12 classrooms to observe and consider teachers’ uses of learning technologies in a particular framework,and ultimately share their analysis of practice and their reflections about possible leadership changes to better support teachers’ integration efforts.
In the online School Technology Safety and Security course, students examine their organization’s policies, procedures, and practices related to risk assessment, network and information security, data backup,and data confidentiality. They also identify ways technology enhances the physical safety and security of the buildings and/or people in the school system, and address computer ergonomics and disposal issues.
The online School Technology Funding course requires students to complete a series of learning modules. Some modules include: (a) creating a plan for securing funding for a particular need, (b) analyzing grants proposals and identifying strategies for their own organization, or (c) creating a resource list of foundations, federal grants, and state opportunities monitor for their institution.
