"ICTs as Transformative Enabling Tools in Education for Sustainable Development" ICT in Education in Global Context The Best Practices in K-12 Schools

Abstract

In this chapter, we develop a definition of e-leadership that extends from the business sector to encompass educational contexts. We describe schools as complex ecologies and dynamic organizations that require a change in both tradi-tional forms of leadership and more recent ICT use. We use the RAT (Replace, Amplify, Transform) framework to explain the varying degrees to which ICT has been used in business and education and relate this model to the research in e-leadership. It is through the purposeful, transformational use of ICT and the meaningful development of multiple kinds of knowledge that those in charge of teacher education and growth can use ICT to develop a new kind of teacher leader. Internet and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have transformed many aspects of the way we work and live today. It has been argued that the integration of new technological tools has the potential to change how organizations function and the nature of leadership required in these changing settings. Schools as knowledge industries are often seen as being an important context for such changes. In this chapter, we explore the idea of e-leadership within the context of schools and teacher development. We begin by outlining the overall structure of the argument we present. Following a brief introduction and overview of existing work on e-leadership (much of which has been in the domain of business), we develop a definition of e-leadership that would apply to educational contexts as well. We note that current work on organizations has indicated that the effects of technology upon organiza-tions is not determined by the technology itself, but rather that it occurs within a reciprocal relationship between the technology and the organization (in terms of its culture, structure, approach, context and more). To better understand this nonlinear, nondeterministic, and reciprocal process of technology infusion, we offer the metaphor of organizations as complex ecologies. This perspective on organizations allows us to work with three different ways in which technology can influence and change leadership—via replacement, amplification, and transformation. The Replacement, Amplification, and Transformation (or RAT) model has been utilized in terms of technology integration in classrooms in the past, and we suggest it can apply to models of e-leadership. We explain each of these components and provide examples from the world of business and education. Finally, we investigate the …