Change management #5: People can do it for themselves

You might wonder what qualifies me to write about cultural change in an organisation. Well, I’ve done it several times, and I thought I’d set myself the challenge of trying to describe some of the success stories I’ve enjoyed in 250 words or fewer.

My main motivation in writing these vignettes is that I keep meeting depressed people: people who are in such a dire situation that they have started to believe that they will never be able to change it.

So what I should like to do is provide very brief case studies comprising the before and after, but not the during: my aim is to uplift, rather than instruct, in these stories. That's why I aim to publish them on a Friday: so you can go home full of hope rather than despondency!

This week: the myth of leadership

Educational Technology Leadership Briefing: making a large purchase

If you're fortunate enough to have secured funding to make a large purchase, such as a new school network, or a Learning Platform, how should you go about it?

When you're spending money, there are some things you really must do. You need to adopt a business-like approach that is transparent and which maximises the likelihood of the purchase helping you achieve your goals. This is good practice that applies to any purchase, but even more so as the amount of money involved increases.

Here are 10 key elements of good practice.

This article is available only to subscribers to Leading and Managing Educational Technology.

ICT Leadership Briefing 3 August 2007

In this briefing we look at a potential source of extra funding for ICT: Sure Start. How might your school or LA team benefit? Also, the ICT funding consultation I mentioned on 11th July: 12 points to consider. Plus: the Disability Agenda.

This article is available only to subscribers to Leading and Managing Educational Technology.

Educational Technology Leadership Briefing: Managing a virtual team

As collaboration with colleagues who live and work beyond our own environs becomes more and more commonplace, so does the formation of virtual teams. These may be teams of colleagues in the same country (but not necessarily the same time zone) or even internationally.

If you are called upon to lead such a team, what are the challenges and how can you overcome them?

Here are 10 strategies that should help.

This article is available only to subscribers to Leading and Managing Educational Technology.

Five things I have learnt as a consultant

As the waves swished across the sand, a gentle breeze swayed my hammock. Somewhere in the lazy distance a seagull ...

Educational Technology Leadership Briefing: Back to school

Planning the first day of the new school year is a must-do activity, especially if you are new to the school or in a new leadership position in the school. In this briefing we look at the most important activities to be undertaken on the first day back.

This article is available only to subscribers to Leading and Managing Educational Technology.

Personalising personalised learning

There are some terms, perhaps many terms, that we all think we understand -- and then something happens to make you question whether you really understood it properly at all.

A few weeks ago, I had a great awakening in terms of "personalised learning".

ICT Leadership Briefing: Aiming High: What it means for ICT

Beverley Hughes, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, gave a speech in the House of Commons recently, on the subject of making more local facilities available for young people.

On the face of it, there was nothing in her address to suggest a role for the ICT leader, manager or teacher in a school. However, in this briefing we consider a number of ways in which this new strategy is relevant to educational technology in the classroom, based on the UK Government's research findings. There may also be increased funding opportunities available.

This briefing covers:

• What the Minister said
  
  
• What the Government will do
  
  
• Where you come in
  
  
• Ideas for activities
  
  
• Managing the activities
  
  
• Conclusion

This article is available only to subscribers to Leading and Managing Educational Technology.

RSS and other matters

I am, as usual, pushed for time, but I wanted to let you have information about a range of issues. This is a bit of a pot pourri, I'm afraid, but I hope you find it interesting.

The topics covered are:

• My RSS Feeds
  
  
• RSS and Technorati
  
  
• New look
  
  
• Books reviewed
  
  
• Schoolnets report
  
  
• Facebook and employment
  
  
• Private education
  
  
• "Say it again with podcasting"