Educational technologies and twenty-first century leadership for learning

Abstract

This article presents information on current aspects in the use of technology to improve student outcomes and engagement, prepare learners for their future and support educators in adopting new pedagogies for teaching and learning. Based on the authors’ research of exemplary school leaders and reviewing literature on the use of twenty-first century tools, it recommends taking a systems approach to embracing and implementing technology. It also addresses opportunities and challenges in infrastructure, pedagogy and future trends that all leaders need to understand.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lynne Schrum

Lynne Schrum is the Dean of the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) (1750 NE 167th St., North Miami Beach, FL 33162. Email: [email protected]. Previously she served as Dean of the College of Education and Human Services, West Virginia University, and was also a professor of curriculum and instruction and educational technology. Her research and teaching focus on appropriate uses of information technology, preparing school leaders and teachers for the twenty-first century, and effective and successful online teaching and learning. She has written and edited fifteen books and numerous articles; she completed 10 years as editor of the Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE) (2002–2012). Schrum is also a past-president of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

Barbara B. Levin

Barbara B. Levin is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), School Education, 1300 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro, NC 27403. Email: [email protected]. Dr. Levin’s research focuses on teachers, especially understanding how teachers’ beliefs and their pedagogical understanding develop across their careers. Other research interests include case-based pedagogy, problem-based learning, and teaching and learning with technology. Dr. Levin has published more than 40 articles in well-respected journals, and has co-authored several books with Lynne Schrum about leadership in technology-rich schools including a second edition of Leading twenty-first Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement (2015, Corwin Press), plus Leading Technology-Rich Schools: Award Winning Models for Success (2012, Teachers College Press), and Evidence-Based Strategies for Leading twenty-first Century Schools (2012, Corwin Press). She has also authored or co-authored four more books, including Who Learns What From Cases and How? The Research Base on Teaching With Cases (1999, Lawrence Erlbaum), Energizing Teacher Education and Professional Development With Problem-Based Learning (2001, ASCD), and Case Studies of Teacher Development: An In-Depth Look at How Thinking About Pedagogy Develops Over Time (2003, Lawrence Erlbaum), and Developing Critical Cultural Competence: A Guide for twenty-first Century Educators (2011, Corwin Press).