From Ground to Distance: The Impact of Advanced Technologies on An Innovative School Leadership Program

Abstract

An educational leadership preparation program for the 21st Century not only makes use of innovations in teaching and learning, but pushes the educational experience forward through the effective use of advanced technologies. This idea frames the delivery methodology for a blended online principal preparation program. The blended online program was designed upon the foundation of an existing innovative classroom-based principal preparation program. The technology enhanced program relied on three instructional technologies: high-participation threaded online discussions through Blackboard, the use of digital portfolios for project management and evaluation, and the establishment of online communities of inquiry and supportive networks. Since the classroom-based and blended online principal preparation programs share a common evaluation framework and project design, this consistency offers a unique opportunity to explore the impact of the utilization of advanced technologies in the delivery of a professional preparation program. Initial findings reveal that program participants in the blended online program report similar outcomes as those in the classroom-based program. The power of the field-based inquiry projects and the implementation and impact of the technologically advanced delivery system are discussed along with implications for program development.

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