hnology usage is key if administrators want teachers to play an active role in technology integration. Administrators need to model, model, model,” (Reffner 2003).
Mr. Reffner’s enthusiasm extends to more than his positive views of technology and his modeling usage of it. He also encourages greater integration among all stakeholders, from parents to teachers, in a variety of ways. As I observed him, he provided support and encouragement to teachers who wanted to participate in conferences and development. He routinely communicated to staff through email instead of traditional print and distribution of communication. He required teachers to submit lesson plans through email. He also slowly integrated technology into the lives of parents by asking for email addresses on medical forms and sending school information by email to those parents who noted they permitted this form of communication. Mr. Reffner believes that technology implementation cannot be successful without embracing all stakeholders whose lives it will impact. He also believes technology offers the greatest benefit ever had by educators to share information with students, parents, other educators, and others with greatly reduced barriers of time, cost, and others. As he argues, “Weekly memos to staff members, schedule changes, meeting minutes, and so on, can all be handled via email. School news can be broadcast over the school cable system. Attendance records, grading, and reporting can be technology-based—with a system that’s intuitive, practical, and accessible. A school Web page can feature administrators providing brief descriptions of the school and its mission, school highlights, or upcoming events,” (Reffner 2003).
Mr. Reffner’s leadership during implementation also aimed at helping the staff understand the paradigm shift in instruction occurring because of IT implementation. Technologies of today enable children to learn in unique w...