Desire2Learn (D2L) is used as a learning management system across the entire Calgary Board of Education(CBE) (Chioreanu, 2005). There are over 100, 000 students and close to 7000 teachers in our system who potentially have access to D2L (CBE, 2009). As part of the Curriculum and Learning Technologies department, we have a D2L Project Manager who coordinates the maintenance, deployment and professional learning associated with this learning environment. She maintains a balance between our technical IT department, and our subject-matter experts; continually focusing on technology and pedagogy.
Her effectiveness as a leader stems from one simple fact that is never overlooked: she’s a Teacher before all else.
As a former classroom teacher, online instructor, and Professional Development facilitator, she remains dedicated to Learning and Teaching. She is skilled in the area of “leading effective staff development opportunities to promote the use of technologies for meaningful instruction” (Hollingsworth et al., 2004). More than just technical support, our Project Manager demonstrates practical and pedagogically sound solutions that meet the needs of teachers within our system, while keeping her focus on student learning.
Our Project Manager ensures that all “leaders and support personnel have consistent access to technology-related professional development for their job assignments” (ISTE, 2002). One of her main outcomes is to provide all teachers within the CBE access to formalized, online professional development, as well as a virtual community and online tutorials for technical and pedagogical concerns. These areas are supervised and maintained by our Project Manager, so she is assured that all teachers within the system are provided with accurate and updated information.
But, to our Project Manager, it’s more than just providing access to high-quality resources and online modules. As Yee (2000) highlights, it is imperative that educational leaders encourage all staff members to “participate in appropriate, individualized ICT professional development activities.” To that end, she has initiated online training for teachers new to the virtual classroom environment. She respects the diversity that teachers bring, and understands that one of the cornerstones of successful PD is offering individualized support, regardless of the teacher’s skill level.
Our Project Manager is completely dedicated to student learning and will continue to lead our department in innovative ways, helping all teachers “create tools to help the different types of learners in their classrooms” (Christensen, 2008). For example, she has been a strong supporter of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and has personally offered workshops and sessions to help others within her department understand the importance of these principles when constructing an online environment.
Her background as an educator, and continued dedication to individual student success has allowed our Project Manager to be an effective leader within our school board. Her position has provided her with the means to achieve her core goal: the advancement of teacher learning and personal development to support all student learning.
References
Calgary Board of Education. (2009). 2008-2009 School Year Fact, figures, questions and answers about the CBE. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/media/facts.asp
Chioreanu, J. (2005). Calgary Board of Education Selects Desire2Learn For One of the Largest K12 eLearning Initiatives in North America. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://www.desire2learn.com/news/newsdetails_14.asp
Christensen, C., Horn, B. & Johnson C. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. McGraw Hill, New York, NY.
Hollingsworth, M., Mrazek, R., Steed, M., Spence, G., Balding, P., Percevault, J. (2004). Information Technology Leadership in Education: An Alberta Needs Assessment. An Alberta Learning funded research project. pp. 1-52. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://people.uleth.ca/~m.hollingsworth/itl/itleadership.htm
International Society For Technology in Education. (2002). Essential Condition for Implementing NETS for Administrators. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForAdministrators/2002Standards/Conditions/NETS-A_2002_Standards.pdf
Yee, D. (2000). Images of School Principals’ Information and Communications Technology Leadership. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 9(3), 287-302.
