Evaluation of Technology Leadership in the Context

of Vocational School Administrators

Timuçin Özkan, Aytaç Tokel, Mahmut Çelik and Behcet Öznacar

Faculty of Education Educational Sciences Institute, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus

Keywords: Manager, Technology Leadership, Education.

Abstract: Technology can become increasingly important in reaching its educational goals. Person in charge of

administrative duties in school carry out and display leadership qualities in the school. This study was

carried out with the aim of assessing what the opinions of the vocational school administrators about the

profile leadership are. Semi-structured interview questions are used to increase the reliability of the work.

This study was carried out qualitatively by using face to face interview technique with the administrators of

5 vocational schools randomly selected from 13 vocational schools. In order to allow the duplication of the

work, it has been analyzed through content analysis with emphasis on creating predetermined questions. In

the study, the qualitative-managerial case study was utilized in order that school administrators can

understand what their views on technology leadership are and how useful they find their own institutions.

As a result of the various findings, it has been revealed that the leadership of the school administrators

participating in the research is influenced by the technology leadership in the development of the teaching

and the skills of the students, and that their individual and professional developments can also be executed

positively with the planned in-service courses.

1 INTRODUCTION

One of the biggest factors in the development of

societies is technology. Technology has many

descriptions in the literature. Technology is an art, in

this production, in the service sector, in transport, in

science, and so on. According to Kaya (2005),

science uses human beings in the real sense of

discipline of science in order to gain superiority to

nature.

The dimensions of information, speed and

method of accessing information are also changing

within the developments in technology. In this

process, it is important to train individuals who have

the ability to effectively use the knowledge that

education and training institutions have access to

provide. School administrators have great

responsibilities and duties for the widespread use of

technology.

The fact that being a good educational leader is

not enough alone. School administrators need to

define and use technology, and most importantly, to

internalize this change process.In managing the

change process effectively and efficiently, it is

essential that school administrators meet the

requirements such as allocating sufficient resources

for technology, communicating with colleagues, and

establishing the technological infrastructure needed

at school (Leithwood and Riehl, 2003).

(Macaulay, 2009) school administrators; defined

that those who control, use or support the use of

technology in terms of ensuring the effective use of

information technology in educational environments.

In addition, they have determined that managers in

the schools that are successful in their technology

implementations are knowledgeable, relevant and

supportive managers in their research. Bailey and

Lumley (1997); They have developed a system for

school administrators who want to play a more

active role in the adaptation of information

technologies to educational settings.

The parts of this system consist of technology

leadership, technology planning and budget

allocation, providing professional development

opportunities, creating technology infrastructure,

providing technical support, supporting technology

and education and training practices, integrating

technology into the curriculum and technology

leadership.

Özkan, T., Tokel, A., Çelik, M. and Öznacar, B.

Evaluation of Technology Leadership in the Context of Vocational School Administrators.

DOI: 10.5220/0006384107270731

In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2017) - Volume 1, pages 727-731

ISBN: 978-989-758-239-4

727

The changes in education-training processes add

to the role of technology leadership in addition to the

existing roles of school managers (Anderson and

Dexter, 2005). The technological progress as well as

the possibility of technology leadership has a very

important function because it will open a different

window to the school administrators both in the

management of the institution and in the

professional development of the school staff

(Akbaba Altun, 2000).

The main problem of the research is to determine

the levels of school leaders' role in technology

leadership so that technology can be utilized in a

functional way during the education and training

process. Education-teaching practice of technology

is a specialty. This is called education technology

(Doğan, 2000). In the research done by Şimşek

(2001); Education technology is generally a global

definition of the field of research and application in

educational programs concerning the promotion and

use of learning-teaching levels.Schools should make

an effort to improve their institutional progress by

using developments in technology. This is only

possible with the technology leadership of school

administrators. According to Benedetto (2006);

School administrators, individuals who are able to

use communication technologies for teachers in their

own schools, develop effective learning models that

lead and are examples in all these areas, and can use

these processes in conjunction with effective

methods of measurement and evaluation.

The prospect of technology is steadily increasing

while reaching educational goals. Instructional

technologies are a relatively recent area of discipline

to enhance the quality of learning (Kaya, 2005).

School managers have to keep up with rapidly

changing technologies and have good technology

accumulations. School administrators need to

understand, apply, and accept technology. It is

important that technological leadership will make a

significant difference in educating school

management and school personnel

(AkbabaAltun,2002).

According to Yu and Durrington (2006); Today's

technology innovations have provided qualified

instructional materials in teaching. They are the

basic figures that will decide the use of innovations

in the institutions of the administrators. This is

called Anderson and Dexter (2005); As technology

leadership. Technology leadership in schools is a

parameter that determines the pioneer.

In this recommended template, when we think of

the whole school, some consequences arise. These,

besides the use of pc by the students and teachers,

increase the teaching programs and activities by

taking advantage of other school network usage,

web sites, and contribute to the use of teachers and

students in many areas.According to Weber (2006);

The adaptation of technology to the school

institution could be considered as a change or an

innovation. The important thing is that the

beneficiary will benefit from these technological

developments and will not be able to make the

teaching institution that he / she is managing at the

maximum level effective. That is why school

administrators must redefine their responsibilities as

school stakeholders.

In this respect, this study aims to

 evaluate the

technology leadership in the context of vocational

school administrators.

 It is limited to the school

principals who are the managers of 5 vocational

schools from 13 vocational schools in the Turkish

Republic of Northern Cyprus. As a problem

sentence it is defined that

 What the School

Administrators' Views Towards Technology

Leadership and their applications for this technology

in their organizations are. The sub problems

identified in the framework of this problem

sentences are as follows;

a. What are your thoughts on initiating and

implementing improvements and

innovations in educational technology in

your school at the level of technology

leadership?

b. In terms of technology leadership, how do

you benefit from educational technologies

when doing your managerial jobs? And

what are your thoughts on building a

technology board to cover all stakeholders

in your school?

c. As school manager, what are your thoughts

to make educational technologies more

effective for schools?

2 METHODOLOGY

This research was conducted using a qualitative

method. Qualitative research is a method that adopts

an interpretive approach to the problem of research

based on a holistic view of disciplines. The facts and

events that have been investigated are considered in

their own context and interpreted in terms of what

they mean to them (Altunışık vd., 2010).

FOLSC 2017 - Special Session on Fostering Open Leadership in School Culture

728

2.1 Universe and Working Group

The universe of this work constitutes 13 vocational

high schools in the Turkish Republic of Northern

Cyprus. The study group is the school principals

who are the administrators of 5 vocational schools

selected randomly among these 13 vocational high

schools. This study covers the spring semester of

2015-2016 education.

2.2 Data Collection Tool

Interview technique was used as data collection tool.

Semi-structured questions were prepared and face-

to-face interviews were held to increase the

credibility of working with school heads during the

interview. In a semi-structured interview, the

researcher prepares interview questions that include

questions that he plans to ask in advance. On the

other hand, depending on the flow of the

interviewer, the investigator may influence the flow

of the interview with different questions or sub-

questions, and may enable the person to open and

elaborate his / her answers. The most important

convenience of the semi-structured interview

technique to the researcher is to provide more

systematic and comparable information (Yildirim

and Simsek, 1999) .Interview questions were

organized after consulting the literature with expert

opinion. A total of seven questions in the interview

form were downloaded as a result of expert

remuneration so that the content validity was

ensured. These interviews with school principals

lasted about 25-30 minutes on average.

2.3 Data Analyses

Data were first written by the researchers in

computer environment and then analyzed using

qualitative research techniques using content

analysis. The main purpose of content analysis is to

help explain the collected data And associations.

Data, summarized and interpreted by the descriptive

analysis, processed with content analysis in-depth

treatment and new concepts are discovered. The

basic process doing in content analysis is to combine

similar datas in the framework of specific concepts

and themes and organize them in the form of

understanding for the reader In order to interpret it.

Before examining the stages of content analysis It is

necessary to define the terms used (Neuman, 2012).

The answers given by the school principals to each

question were grouped in terms of similarities, and

one or two answers given to each question were

presented in the same way. In order to increase the

reliability of the work, a specialist's analyzes are

taken into consideration and common points are

determined.

3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The answer given by school administrators (Y1) to

interview no. 1 is as follows;

I constantly advocate the need for reflection of

technology and education in my school and I try to

encourage our teachers. Because, according to the

general principle accepted in the education systems

in the world, the school principal is the education

leader at the same time.. If education systems no

longer follow or do not follow the developments in

technology, there is no chance of success and

sustainability.

The opinions of Y4 about the subject are as

follows:

Scorecard, diploma etc. In the preparation of the

documents, the 'Education Portal' is used in

accordance with the student attendance-absenteeism.

Our school continues to work to acquire the 'Smart

School' program, which is a more comprehensive

and useful program that we can use more efficiently

in all our administrative processes.

When the answers of Y1 and Y4 to the first

question are examined; Within the context of

technology leadership, it has been determined that

there is a common consensus on the use and

dissemination of educational technologies.

The answers given by the school administrators

interviewed by them to the interview No. 2;

Y1's views on the subject are as follows:

Technology leadership has become a must in school

management. While doing lesson schedules, we

have become a necessity when we use lesson

modules in the course of student work.

The answer of Y2 to the same question is as

follows:

We use computer presentations for school

promotion. We actively use our Web site to inform

the public and our people. Electronic mail (e-mail) is

also used in correspondence with the Ministry and

the sector.

Y4's answer to the same question is:

'Smart board', 'smart TV', projectors, reflection

peripherals, laptop computers, wireless internet

connection and two equipped computer laboratories

are widely used in our school.

Y1, Y2 and Y4 are; In terms of technology

leadership, it is assessed that when they do business

Evaluation of Technology Leadership in the Context of Vocational School Administrators

729

with management, when they use educational

technologies and examine their opinions in terms of

forming a technology board to cover all stakeholders

in their schools, they are generally evaluated that

they are trying to use technology in proportion to

their opportunities and that this is a necessity in this

age of technology.

Y2's answer to the last question is as follows:

In order to use education technologies more

effectively, teachers are provided with in-service

trainings to train themselves.

Y4's answer to the last question is as follows:

Establishing an infrastructure for educational

technology in schools is not enough alone, as it is

highly necessary. In this regard, school

administrators and teachers should be trained,

motivated and encouraged to use the facilities

provided in this field. At the same time, students,

parents, and even employers should feel more

qualified and able to live by technology-supported

education and training activities and be brought to a

point where they demand it.

Y2 and Y4; It is clear from their answers that the

widespread use of educational technologies is

supported by intellectual support but it is not alone

enough that educators should be given in-service

courses.



4 CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

It is an undeniable fact that the use of technology in

developed societies, especially in the use of formal

education institutions, is an important milestone in

the training of qualified individuals. In this research

conducted to evaluate the technology leadership in

the context of vocational school administrators, the

widespread use of educational technologies has

resulted in the finding that it is not enough alone, but

that teachers should be given in-service courses.

It has come to the conclusion that vocational

school administrators believe that it is necessary to

act in the knowledge of the process leadership, the

use of educational technologies, their own schools,

the establishment of a technology committee to

cover all stakeholders, the widespread use of

technology in their capacity and the necessity of this

technology.

Within the framework of the technology

leadership, it was concluded that there is a common

view on the school to start and implement the

developments and innovations in educational

technologies.

The use of new educational technologies also

requires training of trainers who will use these

technologies.

For this purpose,

1. it is evaluated that it is appropriate to

provide the conditions for planning and

periodical arrangement of in-service

courses for managers and teachers.

2. The Ministry of National Education may

allocate budget to the schools for the

technology project and may transfer the

authority to the school administrators by

encouraging their use.

3. For the purpose of widespread use of

technology in schools, plans of cooperation

with the existing universities can be made

by authorizing the school administrators of

the relevant ministries.

REFERENCES

Akbaba Altun S. (2000). Okul Yöneticilerinin Bilgisayar

Kullanma Düzeyleri.

Akbaba Altun S. (2002). Okul yöneticilerinin teknolojiye

karşı tutumlarının incelenmesi. Çağdaş Eğitim, 286, 8-

14.

Altunışık, R., Coşkun, R., Bayraktaroğlu, S., & Yıldırım,

E. (2010). Sosyal Bilimlerde

Araştırma Yöntemleri SPSS Uygulamalı (6. Baskı

Sakarya: Sakarya Yayıncılık.

Anderson R. E ve Dexter, S. (2005). School Technology

Leadership: An Empirical Investigation of Prevalence

and Effect. Educational Administration Quarterly,

41(1),49 –82

Bailey, G.D. & Lumley, D. (1997). Technology Planning:

A toolkit for administrators and School board

members.

Benedetto, R. (2006). How Do Independent School

Leaders Build the educational Technology Leadership

Capacity of the School? Unpublished Doctoral

Dissertation, Drexel University.

Doğan, H. (2000). Bilgi Teknolojileri ve Eğitimi. Adım.

Bilimsel Düşüncenin Ürünü. Eğitim

Kaya, Z. (2005). Öğretim Teknolojileri ve Materyal

Geliştirme.Ankara:PEGEM A yayıncılık.

Leithwood, K.A. & Riehl, C. (2003). What We Know

about Successful School Leadership.

Macaulay, L.S. (2009). Elementary Principals As

Technology Instructional Leaders (Unpublished

doctoral dissertation). University of Towson, the

United States.

Neuman, W. L. (2012). Toplumsal Araştırma Yöntemleri:

Nicel ve Nitel Yaklaşımlar I‐II. Cilt (5. Basım).

İstanbul: Yayın Odası .

FOLSC 2017 - Special Session on Fostering Open Leadership in School Culture

730

Şimşek, N. (2001). Eğitim Teknolojisindeki Yönelimlerin

Uluslararası Boyutları. Ankara

Weber, M. J. (2006). A Study of Computer Technology

Use and TechnologyLeadership of Texas Elementary

Public School Principals. Unpublished Doctoral

Dissertation University of North Texas

Yıldırım, A. ve Şimşek, H. (1999). Sosyal Bilimlerde

Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayınevi.

Yu, C. ve Durrington, V.A. (2006). Technology Standards

for School Administrators: An Analysis of Practicing

and Aspiring Administrators'Perceived Ability to

Perform The Standards. NASSP Bulletin, 90 (4), 301–

317.

Electronic references:

http://netc.org/cdrom/toolkit/html/toolkit.htm (26 Nisan

2016)

http://cepm.uoregon.edu/pdf/whatweknow103.pdf (25

Nisan 2016)

Evaluation of Technology Leadership in the Context of Vocational School Administrators

731