A Distributed Leadership Perspective on Information Technologies for Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This chapter considers how distributed leadership can describe and explain the role of K-12 school leaders in supporting technologies for teaching and learning. Distributed leadership is uniquely suited to describe how schools lead for tech- nological innovation. Spillane et al. (J Curr Stud 36(1), 3–34, 2004) model of distributed leadership emphasizes a task-focused approach to describe how mul- tiple actors engage in leadership work. This chapter will consider the range of tasks that define school leadership for technology. This work recognizes the considerable range of tasks in which leaders currently engage to implement new technologies within schools. However, from another perspective, schools are situated in a much broader world of technologies such as social media, video gaming media distribution, and production which are redefining what counts as teaching and learning outside of schools. Because leaders are responsible for creating environments that best advance learning opportunities for all students, the chapter describes both what currently counts as a learning technology task for leadership as well as a consideration of which tasks are on the horizon for technology work in schools.