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Program Learning Outcome 8 Reneathia Daniel EDU-697 Capstone: A Project Approach March 24, 2014 Instructor Christopher Sorensen

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The Program Learning Outcome (PLO) 8 is to demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of learning and leadership. The importance of leadership in technology and making decisions that will have long-term affect on learning, which is the key to improved long-term outcome. After a review of assignments to redesign that requires learning with technology and the leadership support, I found an assignment that seemed to meet the criteria. The assignment that I have found is from EDU-658 Instructional Leadership. The assignment was the scale and sustainability in leadership assignment which required me to take a look at how change can affect the organization that I work for. The assignment shows how change in technology and the use of technology in the proper manner can improve customer service in the long run. It identified technology that will help to improve the overall well being of the organization. The learning theory that I found that goes along with this assignment was the constructivist theory perspective. This theory focuses on the individual learner, suggesting that constructing knowledge is the individual interpretation; it also focus on learning through interaction with others (Newby, 2011). My focus on technology was to have Profession Learning Community where learners can obtain information in regards to various different aspects of learning within the company. Within this learning community, there will be a Just in Time (JIT) Training process that will be established. Employees will receive training at the time it is needed to improve overall learning. The challenges that I encounter during the reflection of this assignment was that I could not find a plethora of technology to include in this type of leadership change design. The change was specific to improving customer service and the development of professional learning

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communities online will be a great leadership change and I believe that this will be a continuous learning and improvement process for the organization where I work. Redesign Information Change is inevitable. Change can affect so many areas in a persons life. Change is

something that will eventually happen to you in some shape or form. If and when change happens you should be ready. As a leader, sometimes change can be hard for you as well as for others who may follow you. Change can be the one thing that separates you from others in your life. I know that the change that I am currently a part of with the organization that I work for is unnerving; sometimes it makes me feel uncertain about the future. I as a leader have to wear the change as a garment that I really adore. I as a leader must be able to adapt to the change to ensure that others will grab hold to the change. I know from the experience that change is not easy, so it is very important to grab hold to basis of the program that has been presented. From the beginning of an initiative and throughout its life, scale and sustainability are key aspects to consider. Even if you succeed at your change strategy, it means little if the resulting program or practice does not spread or live on after the initial success (Spiro 2011). It is very important that the change that is presented has strategies, practices or programs that are long term. The outcome of change must result in scale and sustainability. Scale involves not only breadth -- that is wide spread adaptation of a program or practice but also depth (Spiro, 2011). It is very important after change has happened and practices have been adapted that it has evidence of growth and learning from the process. It must also possess sustainability. Sustainability involves the long-term staying power of the resulting program or practice (Spiro, 2011). There must be long term usage of the programs and practices that have been set in place.

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The new practices or program must change the culture or the overall behavior of the entire organization. The practices that I will introduce within this paper will prove to be scaled and sustainable. I will provide my readiness for the new practices, provide practices for scale and sustainability, scale and sustainability scores and finally show the development of the scale and sustainability strategies for change. As the leader of change, I am willing to identify several program elements as core or nonnegotiable. The non-negotiable or the core to my plan or practice is customer service must be improved tremendously. There is no negotiating with this. I am willing to allow changes to encourage adaptation. As a leader of this change, I am willing to use and reallocate resources where it may be needed during the change process. The new practices that will come about from this change strategy are new and improved ways to provide customer service to the organizations customers. Strategies such as improving how employees communicate with customer and ensuring that each employee is well equipped to provide information to customers. I believe by using Professional Learning Communities will allow collaborative learning amongst employees. It will allow employees to build off of each and change the culture and the environment they had become accustom to for the better. The results that are anticipated are improved customer relations and an improvement in employee morale. The nonnegotiable or core element that will not be changes is allowing employees to continue providing customer service as usual. The employees must show improvement in customer service in or to retain our customer base. This is a very important thing within the change strategy which is nonnegotiable. Past practices will not proceed. The scale scores was 78 out of 100. The reason for this is because the majority of my answers for planning and implementation were threes and fours. The reason being is that there

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has been a comprehensive plan in place for the program and practices that have been put in place. The model has been developed based upon statistics of a similar organization that have been through this method of change prior to this organization. There were steps established and in place to give a step by step synopsis of what our organizations customer service should like after the change. The only problem was the support of the change from employees was initially rejected until I provided my input. I became the animateur for the change process and practices that were implemented. I believe I inspired the team of employees to grab hold to the change. The sustainability score was 80 out of 100. All of the scores were fours. Everything that needs to be in place to implement this change has been made. The judge has given the rules and regulations for the change that has been presented. The key stake holders are completely involved in the process. Opposition has ceased for the most part because change will and is happening. The unions are on board because they have no other choice. There are well defined procedures in place for the change. There are things in place for succession of the plan that is in place. The training plan has been implemented and ongoing. There is a continuation of learning for all. The transparency of to all has been in place. Continuous communication is throughout the organization about improved processes and practices are in place. The assessment of the processes by way of survey will helps to substantiate the process and practices that have been set in place. I need to plan to scale a little more of the structure or mechanism in which the model can be spread. I must find various mediums to get the information out and to spread throughout the organization. It is also going to be important to get a buy in from employees. Improve the overall, training and how it is continuously improved throughout the change process. There will be improvements based upon the various inputs from stakeholders along the way as well as from

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the small wins that have been identified by employees. These things will help to improve upon the strategies that have been set in placed. It is vital to the process of change that the scale a sustainability aspect has been fully embraced during the process of change. Overall, I have learned during the progression of change that instructional leadership is something that requires step by step process. Leadership is not something that should be taken lightly. As a person in leadership, who is currently going through reorganization, it has become quite hard to stand strong during this change process. Sometimes it becomes more difficult to lead the change when the change is becoming more and more difficult to understand. I have learned through this class that change can and will happen. I have also learned that as leader of change it is critical to others who will follow that you as a leader lead by example. The importance of being an example during the process of change will help you and your team in the long run. I also think that if you are a leader, other should see you accepting the change first. It makes a great difference of how willing they are to participate in the change that is happening. I believe that leadership and technology works hand and hand. As a leader you must take into consideration all of the variables that affect decision that one must make when using technology. Technology can improve situations or it can make it worse if not used in the proper context. It is very important that in leadership, there are no improvements with the changes that have been made. I will end with this quote, Change can be deliberate or random it can mean any departure from the status quochange is assumed to be an intentional process toward the goal of meaningful positive reform. Leadership is an essential ingredient in determining whether the process is successful (Spiro, 2011).

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Reference Hord, S.M. (1997). Professional learning communities: Communities of continuous inquiry and improvement. SEDL. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/change34/welcome.htm. Newby, T. (2011). Educational technology for teaching and learning. Boston, MA: Pearson, 4th edition. Senge, P., Smith, B., Kruschwitz, N. Laur, J., & Schley, S. (2008). Anatomy of inspiration. T + D, 62(8) 52-55. Retrieved from EBSCOHost. Spiro, J. (2011). Leading change step-by-step: Tactics, tools, and tales. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.