Summer Planning

Summer is in full swing. For students it is a time to relax, play in the sandbox, and stay up late. For teachers it is a time to catch up on house projects, catch up with friends, travel, plan for the next academic year, or even work toward an additional degree. For school leaders, this can be a time of creativity, planning, and inspiration. Here are some quick ideas how to make this summer the summer when you brush up on your technology leadership skills.

Map out your skill set against the NETS-A as well as ISTE’s Essential Conditions. Create a professional development plan for areas of need.

Catch up on blogs you may have neglected. If you do not subscribe to any, start here.

Stretch yourself to interact on blogs. You can make comments, push the topic further, or simply relate the post to your own experiences.

Start a reading club with other school leaders. If you are stuck on what book to read, here is a good list.

If your school has not implemented a professional learning community, get some of your teachers together who can be innovators in this movement. Solution Tree has great resources here.

While classes are out, go through your school and take a technology inventory. This may require your technology coordinator. Look at the entire infrastructure. Are you where you need to be? If not, map out what it will take to get from here to there. This activity might be done in conjunction with one of your tech savvy teachers.

Pick up an academic journal and read current research. The Journal of Research on Leadership Education is just one such option.

Brush up on your own leadership skills. The National Council of Professors of Education offers free modules on various leadership topics here.

Make this a summer of learning and technology leadership visioning!

Image Credit: Flickr user Boetter.