Where would any educational institution be without technology nowadays? And, without knowledgeable leadership?

Both concepts go hand in hand: technology and leadership in education must be close together. 

Many educational leaders must deal with budgets and pressure to use technology on a yearly basis. Sometimes technology is used in educational institutions just for the sake of it. Well, it does look good in their marketing brochures and websites. But is the technology used in a meaningful and purposeful way? 

I’m afraid that it’s not always the case.

Benefits of Technology in Educational Systems 

This fact takes me back to educational leaders. They would benefit from having their own leadership performance coach to support and guide them to achieve their full potential as educational leaders. 

What does this have to do with technology in education, then? 

Well, both concepts are intimately interrelated. 

A high aspirational school/university/institution improvement plan most likely includes technology provision for both staff and students. Having strong leadership skills will for sure have a positive impact on the planning and implementation of technology.

In the 21st century, it is utterly decisive to keep updated with IT equipment and software solutions. Due to the vast offer in terms of hardware and software in education, it’s always hard to decide which one(s) would best fit educational organisations. 

Opting for Right Educational Technology

How can an educational leader discern between what “looks good” and what “is good” for their centre characteristics?

Coaching educational leaders in different leadership styles and good practices as Heads and in terms of technology solutions that go from effective and adapted Management Information Systems to IT equipment and software packages/programmes that align with their improvement plans.

Most certainly, this is crucial not only in educational environments but also for companies that hopefully invest in training their staff to keep them progressing as professionals. 

Planning for any type of training would have to start by identifying staff needs that align with the company’s objectives in the short, mid and long term.

The use of technology is key across all educational phases, as it is the leadership of introducing and implementing technology in the amazing and constantly renovated educational realm.

This article was contributed by our expert Jose Martinez Vicente  

Frequently Asked Questions Answered by Jose Martinez Vicente

Q1. What are the four roles of educational technology?

• To provide personalised learning opportunities while educating learners using Information and communication technology
• To make teachers become guides, thus, achieving higher levels of efficiency
• To improve knowledge transfer to learners, i.e., encouraging higher level thinking and creativity skills (based on Bloom's Taxonomy)
• To create a safe digital environment whilst promoting the creation of digital resources.

Q2. Which technologies do you think best support the teaching/learning needs?

• In the classroom: interactive screens, laptops, or tablets
• At home (for students): electronic devices ranging from mobile phones to Chromebooks.
• For teachers: professional networks such as Linkedin
• For students: interactive and user-friendly software.

Q3. How can we implement technology in education?

Through a 3-step plan:

• Investigate what's already available in your educational institution and how effective it is
• Plan for technology to be implemented in your classes: school leaders and technology experts to survey staff and students' needs
• Implement the use of technology step by step: it's not about using a hundred different pieces of equipment with 20 or 30 different programmes. It's about introducing useful technology specific to that educational institution, then mastering its use, and then, if needed, implementing further programmes or equipment

Q4. What are the challenges of technology in education?

The main challenges of technology in education are related to:

• Costs and budgets
• Internet bandwidth and coverage
• Staff and students training
• Not all technological solutions are fit for purpose for every educational institution; educational leaders need to make the right choices when implementing technology in their institutions