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Northwestern Connecticut Community College/Adult Education:
Reflections on Leadership*
This reflection responds to the following questions:
Denise Linden, Director , Northwestern
Connecticut Community College/Adult Education
Differences between
Year 1 and Year 2:
My role as leader of technology implementation
in Year 2 was very similar to my role in Year 1. With the help of
the Technology Coordinator, I directed the use of technology, and
set the course as we integrated more software and equipment into
our program. There were, however, differences.
One difference appeared in my feeling more comfortable
in my role. As we prepared for Technology Day, it became very clear
to me that the program had truly entered the technology age. The
teachers were comfortable with the new technology and the students
loved it and were thriving as they used it. We were not struggling
to use technology, but looking eagerly at the next possibility.
I was also able to turn to the staff and ask for more input about
the equipment and software needed, because they were more confident
in and knowledgeable about their use of technology.
New Challenges
and Actions during Year 2:
Another difference involved an increasing awareness
of an ongoing problem. Programs frequently change staff, but in
the world of technology, a change in staff means a loss of knowledge
and a difficult start for new staff members. Excellent applicant
teachers may not be familiar with the level of technology that we
now employ. A solution will have to involve a training process,
ongoing, but constantly changing, which is documented very carefully
for new staff members. We have to put into place a method of “downloading”
information about the program and its resources for newcomers.
Other challenges appeared. ELLIS caused us problems
immediately after installation and classes had to be changed at
a moment’s notice when the program didn’t work. We worked
closely with ELLIS and installed the program on each machine and
on the server to allow us to use ELLIS with Windows XP. (This correction
had to take place from 6 until midnight to avoid impacting classes
scheduled for the computer labs affected .)
The ELLIS problem highlighted an area that is
sure to come to our attention again, and has affected us in the
past. As technology at the college changes, we are sure to run into
problems of incompatibility. These problems will have to be dealt
with in a way to preserve the value of the technology being employed.
PLATO Weblearning, for instance, required patience from us last
year. Not every segment of the program would work well on dial-up
Internet service, and we struggled to learn which parts of the program
would be available to dial-up students. Within a year, this problem
has been solved as PLATO has worked to improve its delivery to the
students. We also used PLATO Pathways onground to compensate for
the problems we were having with the distance learning program –
but now the sound in PLATO Pathways is not compatible with Windows
XP. We are working on this problem.
Flexibility is the key to success in implementing
technology. We have to expect the unexpected.
*from Technology
Implementation — End-of-Year Report as of June 30, 2003, compiled
by Denise Linden, Director
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