School Technology Leadership: Artifacts in Systems of Practice

Abstract

A cross-case analysis of five case studies of team-based technology leadership in middle schools with laptop programs identifies systems of practice that organize teams’ distributed leadership. These cases suggest that successfully implementing a complex improvement effort warrants a team-based leadership approach, especially for an improvement concerned with using technology to support teaching and learning. Not only does such an effort include technical and curriculum/instruction issues, but the constantly changing nature of technology has implications for teaching and learning. A group of people working together on a technology leadership effort makes it more likely that the necessary amount of expertise is available and that the team can keep up to date and address all technology leadership needs. Key artifacts that organize important leadership practices include sharing a technology vision, providing instructional support personnel, aligning technology resources to the curriculum, and ensuring opportunities for teachers to learn, share, and provide input to the leadership team.