This session explores the school's technology options from the principal's viewpoint. While the principal is the highest level decision maker at the school site, the principal's decisions are often constrained by district, county and state demands and decisions, both technological and financial. Sometimes the Technology Coordinator at a school or within a district plays a large role in making the school's technology choices, and the principal only makes instructional choices about school technology. In other cases the Technology Coordinator only recommends specific technological and instructional choices and the principal makes the final selection. While the specific constraints vary from district to district and county to county, the school principal has the most influence in determining which technology is used, where it is used, how it is maintained, who has access, what training is provided and the extent to which the technology meets the needs of students faculty, administration and staff. How the principal makes these decisions becomes critical.

At the end of this module you will understand the various ways principals decide:

• where technology is needed
• how technology is dispersed throughout the school
• which school management software best meets a school's needs
• which areas in a school will have computer managed instruction
• what databases will be used for school records and how this affects school productivity.

You will also be in a better position to appreciate the constraints, challenges and opportunities facing school principals and the ways their decisions affect both instruction and technology use.

 

Page author: Janet M. Hamann
URL: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/596r/module6/intro.html
Last updated: January 30, 1998