The New Ed-Tech Leader Models by Digital Example

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For the Burlington public schools in Massachusetts, Assistant Superintendent Patrick Larkin is the face of an ambitious effort to roll out educational technology at all levels. He has pushed the 3,000-student district into the second year of a 1-to-1 iPad initiative at its high school, he is giving high school students a pivotal role in serving as technology troubleshooters, and he runs a monthly "tech night" for parents to teach them the skills their children are learning in school.

Beyond that, Larkin designed a special "playtime" after professional-development sessions to let teachers experiment with new technologies, alongside experts who offer guidance. But Larkin, who oversees curriculum and technology, isn't just prodding others in his district to go high-tech. He is modeling the commitment by blogging and tweeting regularly about ed-tech problems and solutions, and relying on his own virtual network of peers and experts he can reach out to for advice at any time, primarily via Twitter. Larkin embodies the belief among a growing number of school administrators that getting educators to embrace digital teaching and learning, and to use technology more effectively, requires leading by example. That approach, he believes, is the path to better leadership.


The New Ed-Tech Leader Models by Digital Example