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On July 8th, educational leader Lyn Hilt launches a brand new course to the PLP eCourse lineup. In this interview, Lyn discusses her new Educational Leadership in the Digital Age course and what participants can expect to experience. Lyn’s experiences include teaching both elementary and middle school students, working as a technology educator, and serving as elementary principal for the past five years. There’s no one more perfect to lead this course!
1. Who is the ideal learner for this course?
Any educators who are in leadership positions, or aspire to be, and who are passionate about learning with others, sharing ideas, and willing to embrace the use of digital tools to enhance their work in schools.
2. Why is being a “connected learner” important for educational leaders?
Administration can be a lonely place, and while the role of the educational leader is exceptionally rewarding, it is also very challenging. Connected ed leaders reach out to one another to support, encourage, and energize one another. They freely share ideas and resources and provide constructive feedback to one another. Through the use of digital tools, they connect with a variety of inspirational leaders who contribute to their learning, which translates into action in their own schools.
Being a connected ed leader provides you with the chance to bring a wealth of new opportunities to your teachers, students, and school communities. A connected ed leader is a learner first- and she models that commitment to learning through her everyday work with teachers and students.
3. What will the learning experience be like for participants? Can you tell us about some of the learning activities?
Together we will explore a variety of roles assumed by the connected educational leader: communicator, collaborator, creator, curator. We will examine the transformation that can occur when a leader embraces technology to help transform his practices.
Participants will engage in minds-on and hands-on activities using some of the digital tools that many educational leaders have found to be essential in helping them establish and contribute to their personal learning networks. We will create! We will connect! We will push the boundaries of our comfort zones and share and inspire others!
4. How will this course change the way participants think about educational leadership?
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When you become an administrator, it’s easy to become consumed with student learning, teacher professional development, managing a building, building relationships with parents, because, yes, that’s our role! But we cannot neglect our own professional growth and commitment to learning. We must take care of ourselves in order for us to care for others!
This course will help leaders see that they should always make the time to connect, share, create, and develop networks within and outside of their school communities!
5. What would you tell someone who was interested, but on the fence about signing up?
Keep in mind that this course will be more about conversations, explorations, collaboration with inspiring peers, and personal and professional growth than it will be about specific technologies. Tools and devices come and go! As a result of engaging in our work together, you’ll feel energized and ready to tackle a new school year, and you’ll have the remainder of the summer to delve deeply into the new ideas and topics that will be introduced in our five-week course!
Enroll nowAbout the Instructor
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Lyn Hilt is an educational leader and elementary technology integrator in Pennsylvania. Lyn’s experiences include teaching both elementary and middle school students, working as a technology educator, and serving as elementary principal for the past five years. She is a believer in the power of connected learning and enjoys sharing, networking, writing, and facilitating professional development on various leading and learning topics. Lyn blogs at The Principal’s Posts and also contributes to PLP’s Voices from the Learning Revolution and Connected Principals. She and her husband became new parents with the arrival of their son this past November, and they’ve been relishing adventures in parenthood. Their family also spoils their two rescued greyhounds and enjoys traveling together.
About the course
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School administrators are charged with leading their schools in a time of rapid change and ever-evolving digital technologies. It is imperative for school leaders to embrace innovative shifts in teaching and learning by incorporating emerging technologies and social media to enhance their own professional practice, as well as strengthen communications, collaborative efforts, and student learning outcomes for their organization. Through this 5-week eCourse we will explore:
- the role of the principal/school leader as lead learner in the organization
- ISTE’s NETS for Administrators as standards by which principals should strive to achieve digital age proficiencies
- the ways in which a principal can establish a digital footprint and develop a personal learning network
- how to harness the power of social media and digital technologies to improve communications both within and beyond their school communities, including the use of blogging to both communicate with your school community and support reflective practice
- the use of web tools such as Google Docs to provide opportunities for increased collaboration among stakeholders in the organization as well as tools for creativity and curation
- the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and professional development that support digital age learning
- transformation of pedagogy and supervision/evaluation practices supported by the use of digital tools
- self-driven project work, the completion of which will broaden participants’ comfort with and use of tools that support their current work in schools