Teacher - Leaders

What does it mean to be a teacher-leader?

Although educators are responsible for the students in their class and grade level, they are also part of a community that should involve collaborative learning among peers. Developing into a “teacher-leader” can be hard sometimes. Reaching out to others makes us step outside our comfort zones. I think being a teacher-leader should reach well beyond the scope of our own grade level or even our school. If we have great ideas or new ways of delivering content, we should share that with others in whatever way we can. 

Leading others requires taking risks and putting your thoughts and ideas out there. By doing this you are subjecting yourself to criticism, new ideas, with the possible reward of changing how someone else teaches in his/her classroom. One idea could spark many other ideas to catch fire. 

Why is teacher-leadership so important with regard to educational technology?

Being a teacher-leader with regard to technology is very important. Technology is constantly changing and there are times educators move on to the “next big thing” without fully exploring the possibilities of the technology we currently have. Technology can be used in so many different ways. If educators we will share what they are doing in their classrooms, other teachers can branch off of that and do great things. If we want to redefine how we teach and get more funding for technology in our classrooms, we need to use it in a way that is not merely an assessment or gaming device. 

If I am the only one who uses tech in my classroom, my school will probably not allocate funding for more tech. But, if multiple teachers in my school integrate and push for technology within daily class process, budgets could be re-directed to fund more technology for our school.