I have been able to work as an
editor, assistant instructional designer, and instructional designer in an
office that develops curriculum for online courses. I have learned much; however,
the readings from this course put the concepts of planning and leadership in
prospective for me. Seeing the process from many angles allowed me to see how a
process must be executed in an orderly manner. First, courses must be
(re)developed based on needs. Courses are evaluated for redevelopment based on
the withdrawal/failure rates while new course developments are prioritized
according to the release of the degree completion plan and the demand for the
area of study. If courses were not scheduled in such a way, it would waste a lot
of time, energy, and expense at the hand of the Subject Matter Expert,
Instructional Designer, administrator, as well as technologist and editor.
Secondly, collaboration is
essential. If one knows all there is to know about instructional design but has
no knowledge of content, it is of no value. Each role present during the
development of a course is vital and must be rooted in unity to ensure success.
As Picciano stated, “Educators must not abandon evaluation in their planning
but instead should attempt to develop evaluation criteria on which participants
can agree” (2011, p. 22). There must be a common goal as well as commitment and
flexibility. Compromise and continuity are essential as expectations and
standards are constantly shifting due to demands of the accreditation agencies,
market, and technological advances.
While I have seen successful results
based on the equation above, I have seen poor timing unravel progress. The Hall
text depicts a modern leadership fable with Max. Essentially, a wireless
network rushed to complete a project without proper planning. I have been in
situations where the quality of a course was compromised because of high
demands and short time frames. At times, the dance with the stakeholders leaves
the designer with the role of the follower—reacting to demands instead of
envisioning and executing successfully. Halls quote regarding technology
leaders can hold true for designers as well: Individuals are often tapped for
technology leadership roles because of their expertise in technology or instructions;
however, they are seldom trained in how to be leaders and agents of change at the
organizational level” (2008, p. 9).
I do not think any one of the three
types of leaders in the Leadership Continuum Model perfectly describes what is
needed to fulfill the role of an instructional designer. Rather, a combination
is needed to address the plethora of situations that can arise. At times, one
must assume the Sage and get things done. At other times, one must facilitate and
commit to customer service to leave the stakeholder empowered and supported. An
effective planner and leader is one that can adjust, take responsibility for
the situation at hand, and bring resolution—whether it be through negotiation,
stating the standards, or influencing the other party to come to the same
conclusion on his/her own.
References
Picciano, A. G. (2011).Educational
leadership and planning for technology (5th ed.). Hunter College, NY: Allyn
& Bacon.
Hall, D. (2008). The technology director’s guide to leadership.
Washington, DC: ISTE.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of your insights that you listed in this blog post. First, instruction should be based on needs. I have seen first hand that some teachers are still instructing instead of facilitating and using whole group instead of small groups. Differentiation is key in order to meet students where they are. Second, collaboration is also essential for success from students to adults. Luckily, within the CCSS' speaking and writing standards, students are expected to communicate both verbally and in written format. These standards are listed in every subject area even in the process standards of mathematics.
Thank you for sharing your insight and have a GREAT holiday weekend.
Brittany thanks for sharing your thoughts, they seem to fit well with the way I think about certain leadership issues. I agree that there are time when one leadership style or ability will not fit the needs of the issues at hand. There are many times that it will take a combination of all three leaderships to resolve many issues that surround the use of educational technology. In order to be able to improve on the educational processes and the issues that have prevented many of America's schools from being as technologically ready as many people may have hoped it is going to take leadership that has the qualities of all three styles.
ReplyDeleteBrittany,
ReplyDeleteI agree that no single leadership type fits every situation. In order to be a successful leader, you must be able to adapt not only to the situation, but to those that you are leading and interacting with. I think this concept relates to other situations as well. We must be flexible educators too. We must bend and flex according to the students needs. I have caught myself changing "plans" mid day when I realized that my current method wasn't working for that particular class. It was time to try something else. We must not get so hung up on our plans that we miss the needs of the students.