Personal Leadership Action Plan
Note for clarification: I am the Director of Child Care Services for Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC). This plan is applicable to my program and position. As a department director, I oversee the operation of an auxiliary enterprise of the college so I do not receive any funds from the college or the state to operate. I do have access to the resources and other departments of PPCC.I have two Child Development Centers at two different campuses with a total of 19 classrooms and 47 full time staff/teachers and approximately 50 student staff. The program has a license capacity of 131 children and 181 children age six weeks to five years old.
I have adapted the questions from applying to K- 12 schoolsand administration to early childhood education (ECE), in particular: administrative standards, legal and ethical scenarios, curriculum and classroom practice.
Essential Questions:
- How can the leader support teacher effectiveness to improve student achievement?
A leader can support effectiveness by providing the safe environment for teachers and staff to learn and feel comfortable in using unfamiliar and new (sometimes intimidating) technology). A leader also needs to provide the time to learn and practice, the technology itself, including the necessary software and hardware, professional development and tech support. This means finding ongoing funding and obtaining support from the higher administration.
- What is a 21st Century school/district/teacher/administrator?
A 21st Century leader understands and embraces the use of technology as a tool to improve outcomes for children. They remain open to the possibilities the technology can provide without losing sight of the children’s and teachers’ needs by getting stuck in technology for technology’s sake. They are a role model by being knowledgeable and using the technology themselves.
Your Next Steps
Identify “next steps” that you want to take in each of the six identified educational leader standards and the three strand areas to create your own personal action plan. Be sure to identify any resources you have identified during the session that you want to use or explore further. Use the template that follows this page.
Strand 1 – Basic Technology Skills and Applications
What skills, experience, and/or willingness can an administrator model in regards to using technology without having to be an “expert”?
NETS- A – III Productivity and Professional Practice
Educational leaders apply technology to enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity and that of others.
Strand 2 – Leadership Skills
How will you, as a leader and facilitator, help others focus on a vision that improves student achievement and facilitates continuous professional growth?
NETS A –ILeadership and Vision
Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision.
NETS A –IILearning and Teaching
Educational leaders ensure that curricular design, instructional strategies, and learning environments integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching.
NETS A –IVSupport, Management, and Operations
Educational leaders ensure the integration of technology to support productive systems for learning and administration.
NETS A –VAssessment and Evaluation
Educational leaders use technology to plan and implement comprehensive systems of effective assessment and evaluation
Strand 3 – Social, Legal and Ethical
What systems and resources do you need in place to ensure that available technologies support and enhance the learning environment?
NETSA -VI Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues
Educational leaders understand the social, legal, and ethical issues related to technology and model responsible decision-making related to these issues.
Strand 1 – Basic Technology Skills and Applications
What skills, experience, and/or willingness can an administrator model in regards to using technology without having to be an “expert”?
An administrator should be open to the possibilities for program improvement created by using technology. They need to provide time and opportunities for teachers to share ideas, access professional development, gain skills and explore uses of technology. Having a basic understanding about and of the use of technology and a willingness to learn about ICT will provide a positive model for teachers and staff.
III. Productivity and Professional Practice
Educational leaders apply technology to enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity and that of others.
ShortRange
I need to increase my computer and technology literacy. This is available to me through classes and the IT department at the college.I need to change my perceptions about and fear of using technology. I have already made a major shift in my thinking about ICT as a result of this class and exploration. Practice and reflection will also greatly increase my comfort level. I would like to learn how to use the clickers, the visual ranking tool and other Intel tools, how to set up a wiki, and more about blogs.
MediumRange
I need to make the time to practice and reflect on how I can use the technology to increase my productivity and then to make it part of my everyday life. The next step will be to integrate the technology into the daily practice and procedures of my department‘s administration and management for example: using the tools, spread sheets, data bases, Blackberries, digital cameras, etc… that are already available.
LongRange
I need to demonstrate the benefits of using technology to my teachers by using it myself as a tool when I conduct staff meetings, planning sessions and staff development (clickers, ranking tools, blogs and wikis).I will strive to remain current in ICT by networking with colleagues, attending professional development opportunities and creating a learning community in my program.
Strand 2 –Leadership Skills
How will you, as a leader and facilitator, help others focus on a vision that improves student achievement and facilitates continuous professional growth?
I. Leadership and Vision
Educationalleaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision.
ShortRange
I will need to examine my philosophy and beliefs so I can create and articulate my vision for the use and integration of technology in my program. I will start the process of thinking about the steps and conditions necessary to foster an environment and culture that supports the vision.
My program will have a parent advisory board for the first time this fall. I will introduce ICT and ask the advisory board to include the topic on their agenda and goals for the coming year.
MediumRange
I will lead and facilitate the development of a shared vision for the program by involving my administrative staff and teachers in conversations and strategic planning. I will also facilitate the development of group norms and needs for a supportive culture in the program. To achieve those goals, I will use technology as a tool and model its use by using google docs and a wiki to invite the sharing of ideas, resources, discussion and the final documents.
I will research the most current thinking and policy positions from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) which is the largest professional organization for early childhood educators and also the national accrediting body for my program. They have a wealth of information and documents at
I will charge the parent advisory board with creating recommendations to integrate the NAEYC position on the use of technology in early education with young children into our curriculum. Using google docs and a wiki, they will collaborate with a group of classroom teachers to create policies, procedures and examples for teachers to use in their lesson planning and classroom environments.
LongRange
I will ensure the integration and implementation of the ICT norms, policies and procedures. I will establish means to follow up, evaluate and keep current on our vision and its alignment with current standards. The standards I will use are the technology standards for early childhood program administrators and classroom teachers established by NAEYC.
I will provide supports (time, equipment, training and tech support) for teachers to implement the developmentally appropriate use of technology with young children in their classrooms. I will refer the teachers to the information available from NAEYC and provide professional development opportunities on those topics.
II. Learning and Teaching
Educational leaders ensure that curricular design, instructional strategies, and learning environments integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching.
ShortRange
I will continue to explore the use of the visual ranking tool and other tools offered by Intel. I have set up an Intel account. I will also investigate the possibility of acquiring access to clickers software (PPCC instructional divisions may already have them).
MediumRange
I will use the visual ranking tools in staff training and professional development to facilitate deep thinking and conversation between the teachers, in particular within the teaching pods. I have been trying to move the teachers’ ECE practice to a deeper and more reflective level. I think the visual ranking tool will be a nonthreatening way to have them think about what they believe is important in their classroom practice and also to be open to learning from each other as peer mentors. This will also expose teachers to the use of technology by modeling its use and providing hands on training.
I will explore the use of clickers to survey staff on different aspects of their knowledge base, classroom practice and understanding of the numerous regulations, standards and accreditation criteria my program has to meet. I will use the data to determine professional development needs and plan training, inservice and set up peer mentoring teams in an non threatening way.
LongRange
I will use technology (wiki, blogs, google docs) to communicate with staff and model the use of the technology to communicate with groups of people. I will then start to transition staff from using paper newsletters and other paper communication with parents to having them use websites, distribution lists for memos, email, blogs and other ICT. I will use the copyright fair use resource to train staff and have scenario conversations with staff about the legal aspects of using information.
IV. Support, Management, and Operations
Educational leaders ensure the integration of technology to support productive systems for learning and administration.
ShortRange
I will learn about the terminology and basics of technology using the K12 CTO Calculator site glossary page. Then being more knowledgeable and able to ‘speak the same language”, I will develop a productive working relationship with the PPCC IT department to determine what technology software and hardware are already available and/or may be available to use or purchase for my program.I will become knowledgeable about the guidelines of what and how technology can be used at PPCC.
MediumRange
I will network with colleagues at other campus based child care programs through the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers listserve, journals and conferences( to discuss how they are integrating ICT into their: management practices, assessment practices, NAEYC accreditation criteria, curriculum and classroom teaching practices.
I will use the K12 CTO Calculator to create a plan to include technology planning into my budget planning process each year.
I will use wikis and google docs to invite staff and teachers to contribute their thoughts and ideas about the support they need around using ICT.
LongRange
I will collaborate with other department in the college to increase my partnerships and utilization of their technology knowledge and resources. For example, I just discovered the that the PPCC Office for Strategic Management can gather and analyze data on my student parents for me. This is something I had been doing by hand in a very time consuming process. This will make data available to me that I can use to leverage in- house funding from PPCC and to write grants from outside funders.
V. Assessment and Evaluation
Educational leaders use technology to plan and implement comprehensive systems of effective assessment and evaluation
ShortRange
I will research and explore the assessment systems that are available for use in early childhood programs to document children’s growth and development over time. We are currently using one approved system but are trackingthe results on paper. This system and other approved systems (approved by our funders and grant programs) have electronic data management components that will make the process easier and more effective.
Learn software such as excel and other data management systems and systems used by the college (Banner) to increase my productivity.
MediumRange
Involving teachers in the decision making process, I will identify a system that supports the desired outcomes and goals of the program. I will then find and obtain the funding to purchase the software and use of the system.
I will set up data management systems to track information needed for grant requests and grant evaluation (demographics of children and families, outcomes, etc…). This is an emerging criteria for my program’s NAEYC accreditation.
LongRange
I will implement the system for the teachers to track and manage their data on children’s development. It will be necessary to provide the time, support and training for the teachers to use the system.
I will set up a system to regularly evaluate and adjust the data management plan as needed.
I will use the data and assessment information to drive the curriculum, goal settings and strategic planning.
Strand 3 – Social, Legal and Ethical
What systems and resources do you need in place to ensure that and resources do you need in place to ensure that available technologies support and enhance the learning environment?
VI. Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues
Educational leaders understand the social, legal, and ethical issues related to technology and model responsible decision-making related to these issues
ShortRange
I will need to become knowledgeable about the social, legal and ethical issues. I currently know very little about these topics.
MediumRange
I will have discussions with various departments (HR, IT, Student Services)about the policies and procedures already in place at the college and in the college system. I will research the NAEYC code of ethics for application to technology policies.
LongRange
I will facilitate the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure my program is following the legal and ethical standards for ECE programs and those in place at PPCC. I will then train and have follow up discussion with my staff. Professional development sessions will include scenarios similar to the ones presented in class to generate both discussion and understanding of implications and policies. A plan to stay current on these issues will need to be made and followed.
Some questions to consider while you develop you own action plan (set of next steps) to help you lead to effectively integrate ICT into your school.
Describe your greatest strength in helping to integrate ICT into practice in your school
I have the commitment, passion, vision and determination to continually improve the quality of my program. ICT can help me and the teachers improve the assessment, documentation and reflection of our practice and therefore improve the program and outcomes for children and families. Another great strength is the history and philosophical foundation of collaborative leadership in my program and collaboration and cooperation in my division within the college.
Describe your greatest weakness in helping to integrate ICT into practice in your school
It will be a challenge to make the time to get teachers out of the classroom. Another barrier is getting the teachers to realize that taking the time to learn and use the tools will makes their practice easier. I need to find creative ways to demonstrate and developean understanding of how ICT can apply to early childhood education.
Describe your greatest “personal” staff development need(s) in the area of ICT
My personal needs are to increase my literacy with the tools so I can integrate them into my practice. I also need to commit to making the time to explore applications so I can speak knowledgeably to staff about them or at least to understand what tools they may have found and want to implement. I also need to get past my fears, insecurity and perceptions about the use of technology (this class has given me a great start!).
Describe what you believe to be the greatest staff development need(s) of teachers in your school in the area of ICT
The greatest need of my staff is to increase their comfort level in ICT. They will need support and time to practice and feel comfortable in exploring the technology. The biggest barrier is the incredibly wide range of computer literacy and comfort in using technology among my staff. I have teachers who don’t even feel comfortable with the most basic of skills such as email and doing their time sheets on line. They will need to understand how the tools can enhance their early childhood education practice and develop their own personal philosophy about ICT and their ECE practice.