Digital Leadership

 Digital Leadership

What do you envisage digital leadership to be? Leave your comments below.

According to Sheninger, (2022) the seven pillars of Digital Leadership are:

1. Public Relations
2. Communication
3. Professional Growth
4. Student Engagement and Learning
5. Branding
6. Opportunity
7. Re-envisioning Learning Spaces and Environments

1. Public Relations

Leaders can construct the foundation of a positive public relations platform using free social media tools to create a positive school image. For example, the school's Facebook page.

 

2. Communication

Stakeholders can be provided with relevant and important information speedily through various devices.

 

3. Professional Growth

Leaders can form their own Personal Learning Network (PLN) and Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to meet the diverse learning needs, acquire resources, access knowledge, receive feedback, connect with both experts in the field of education as well as practitioners, and discuss proven strategies to improve teaching, learning, and leadership.

 

4. Student Engagement/ Learning

Through the effective and efficient integration of technology, students who were uninterested can become engaged. This way improved student achievement can be realised. Real life situations are required to ensure learning is meaningful and students are acquiring skills which they can use outside of school. This is an important pedagogical shift as it focuses on enhancing essential skill sets—communication, collaboration, creativity, media literacy, global connectedness, critical thinking, and problem-solving – that society demands.

 

5. Branding

School should be viewed as business places, and as such the value of the brand and its impact on current and potential consumers must be understood. The creation of a positive brand through communication and public relations can help to attract and retain families when looking for a place to send their children to school.

 

 

6. Opportunity

It is imperative for leaders to purposefully ascertain ways to improve existing programmes, resources, and professional development. Digital leaders should utilise connections to improve the school.

 

7. Re-envisioning Learning Spaces and Environments

As educational leaders comprehend these pillars, the next step is to transform existing learning spaces and environments to simulate real world scenarios using technology.