Table of Contents
Foreword by Yong Zhao Preface Acknowledgments About the Author A
Day in the Life of a Digital Leader 1. The Evolving Educational
Landscape 2. Why Schools Must Change 3. Keys to Leading Sustainable
Change 4. Leading With Technology 5. Communication 6. Public
Relations 7. Branding 8. Professional Growth and Development 9.
Increasing Student Engagement and Enhancing Learning 10. Rethinking
Learning Environments and Spaces 11. Discovering Opportunity 12. A
Call to Action Appendix A: The ISTE National Educational Technology
Standards for Administrators Appendix B: Twitter Memo for Parents
Appendix C: Student Media Waiver Appendix D: Professional Growth
Period Model Developed at New Milford High School Appendix E:
Integrating Digital Tools and Content to Develop Essential
Literacies Appendix F: IOCS Rubric References Index
About the Author
Eric is a Senior Fellow and Thought Leader on Digital Leadership
with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE).
Prior to this, he was the award-winning Principal at New Milford
High School. Under his leadership, his school became a globally
recognized model for innovative practices. Eric oversaw the
successful implementation of several sustainable change initiatives
that radically transformed the learning culture at his school while
increasing achievement. His work focuses on leading and learning in
the digital age as a model for moving schools and districts
forward. This has led to the formation of the Pillars of Digital
Leadership, a framework for all educators to initiate sustainable
change to transform school cultures. As a result, Eric has emerged
as an innovative leader, best selling author, and sought after
speaker. His main focus is purposeful integration of technology to
facilitate student learning, improve communications with
stakeholders, enhance public relations, create a positive brand
presence, discover opportunity, transform learning spaces, and help
educators grow professionally. Eric has received numerous awards
and acknowledgments for his work. He is a CDE Top 30 award
recipient, Bammy Award winner, NASSP Digital Principal Award
winner, PDK Emerging Leader Award recipient, winner of Learning
Forward's Excellence in Professional Practice Award, Google
Certified Innovator, Adobe Education Leader, and ASCD 2011
Conference Scholar. Eric has published several books on school
leadership, partnering with Corwin on Uncommon Learning, and the
1st and 2nd editions of Digital Leadership. He has also contributed
on education for the Huffington Post, sits on the advisory board
for many innovative companies, and was named to the NSBA "20 to
Watch" list in 2010 for technology leadership. TIME Magazine also
identified Eric as having one of the 140 Best Twitter Feeds in
2014. He now presents and speaks nationally to assist other school
leaders to embrace and effectively utilize technology. His blog, A
Principal's Reflections, was selected as Best School Administrator
Blog in 2013 and 2011 by Edublogs. It was also recognized with an
Editor's Choice Content Award in 2014 by Smartbrief Education.Eric
began his career in education as a Science Teacher at Watchung
Hills Regional High School where he taught a variety of subjects
(Biology, Chemistry, Marine Biology, Ecology) and coached several
sports (ice hockey, football, lacrosse). He then transitioned into
the field of educational administration as an Athletic
Director/Supervisor of Physical Education & Health and Vice
Principal in the New Milford School District. During his
administrative career, he has served as District Affirmative Action
Officer and was the president of the New Milford Administrator's
Association. During his tenure as high school principal he
successfully implemented numerous initiatives including a new
teacher evaluation system (McREL), Bring Your Own Device (BYOD),
oversaw Common Core implementation, and initiated a new grading
philosophy. Eric received his M.Ed. in Educational Administration
from East Stroudsburg University, B.S. in Biology from Salisbury
University, and his B.S. in Marine/Environmental Science from the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Reviews
"Digital Leadership is a focused guide to using the
many new channels of modern communication to engage families, tell
your school's story, inspire staff growth and connection, and bring
new relevance to the classroom. If you're feeling overwhelmed by
all the options out there, this book will give you a head start on
mastering your social media strategy." -- Daniel H. Pink,
author of To Sell is Human and Drive
"Digital Leadership is a great one-stop shopping place
to learn about all the key ingredients you will need for success in
the digital age. Sheninger connects the dots with his 7 pillars,
his listing of obstacles and ways to overcome them, and the
integrated solution that brings it all together. Comprehensive,
clear, practical --get it and use it today!" -- Michael
Fullan, Corwin Author and Dean and Professor Emeritus
"There are books on technology that don't show you how to
change. There are books on how to change that have nothing to say
about technology. Then there are curmudgeonly commentaries that are
dismissive about change and technology in equal measure. Eric
Sheninger's book alters all that. Through personal testimony,
practical examples and a commitment to clear professional
learning, Digital Leadership opens your mind, and shows
you the tools that will make you think again about what
21st Century Learning can really look like. If your
ipads are used as notebooks, your smartboards are glorified
whiteboards and your school has an electronic ban on access to
everything, this book will make you look at technology and learning
with totally different eyes."
-- Professor Andy Hargreaves, BA, PhD, Hon Doc (Uppsala), FRSA,
Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education
"This book is THE book on digital leadership. There is no one I
can recommend more highly than the most connected educational
leader today - Eric Sheninger - to help us navigate all of the
changes taking place in classrooms, schools and districts. The book
is perfect to help everyone initiate transformational change in a
digital world. Whether you are a cutting edge techie or a nervous
newbie this book is for you." -- Todd Whitaker, Ph.D.,
Professor of Educational Leadership
"Digital Leadership is essential reading for any
education leader trying to figure out how technology can strengthen
schools-and what pitfalls to avoid. Eric Sheninger masterfully
makes the connections as to how technology can strengthen schools,
providing an essential guide for today's leaders in education. This
is a readable, practical book!"
-- Cindy Johanson, Executive Director
"Digital Leadership" is more than a catchphrase-it's how school
principals must lead students, parents, and teachers-and no one is
better equipped to describe this leadership approach than Eric
Sheninger.
Digital Leadership
is a carefully crafted and highly
readable book that simultaneously provides a view of digital
leadership from 60,000 feet alongside a boots-on-the-ground
realist's view of modern schooling. From setting aside fears of
technology to understanding the importance of communication, public
relations, and even branding, Digital Leadership
offers
compelling recommendations not only focused on the need to change
but also on best ways to sustain change.
It's possible that Eric saved the best for last when he
describes the networked teacher and how students must be engaged in
new, exciting ways, for truly, school leadership has always been
about helping teachers engage students.
Finally, don't mistake this as a book on technology.
From the first to the last page, Eric's book is all about school
leadership, one that I highly recommend to every school
leader." -- William Bushaw, Executive Director
"Eric recognizes that ongoing professional development is key to
helping staff meet the challenges of the future. Eric Sheninger
shares how to leverage technology to build a strong school-based
professional learning agenda when other resources are not meeting
the needs of your faculty and students. His story and tools will be
inspirational to others. Eric Sheninger recognizes that
professional learning is key to achieving the goals of career and
college ready standards. He shares the strategies he implements to
prepare this staff and students to embrace the power of
technology." -- Stephanie Hirsch, Executive Director
"How do school leaders transform themselves from the
leadership style of today to become digital leaders of tomorrow?
Eric Sheninger's Digital Leadership is an easy read for
those who want to begin the transition to digital leadership but
have been afraid to take the first step. More than merely a 'how
to' book, Digital Leadership is a clarion call to action
that compels the reader to do something now to transform schools
into 'vibrant learning communities that are connected and allow
social media to unleash creativity in learners.'
Digital Leadership addresses the growing disconnect between
the world our students inhabit and the world in which they are
educated. Replete with stories and concrete examples of 'how
to', Digital Leadership is a must read for any school
leader who recognizes that we stand at a crossroads in education
where innovative leaders who possess the courage, passion,
knowledge, and skills believe that 'technology is not just a shiny
tool that can increase engagement but a conduit to endless
possibilities that can enhance every facet of what we do in
education.' A must read."
-- JoAnn Bartoletti, Executive Director
"I loved this book! It is filled with many examples of how
technology is impacting learning in classrooms across the country.
Whether you are a technology guru or learning to embrace
technology, every school administrator should read this book to
learn ways to prepare their students to be successful in the 21st
century. Leadership 3.0 is a mindset that every school
administrator needs to embrace and lead with. I am going to request
that my superintendent purchase it for my fellow administrators,
along with the educators on our district technology team." --
Jessica Johnson, Principal and District Assessment Coordinator
"What a great read! Digital Leadership
situates the
trends in technology and education within an historical context and
provides a blueprint to the reader for a navigable pathway for the
future. And it manages to do so in a way that is empowering and
energizing, while still addressing the very real fears and
challenges facing any leader standing at this nexus of authentic
educational reform. It is a very rare blend of philosophy,
pedagogy, and practical, roll-up-your-sleeves how-tos." -- Dr.
Natalie Bernasconi, Lecturer
"I can't wait to get real copies of this in the hands of
teacher leaders and colleagues. I absolutely believe that this work
has the potential for tremendous impact. We have waited too long
for this book, and the time is ripe to move forward with the
information it has to offer. I look forward to book studies and
networking with my colleagues about how they have successfully
employed these ideas and strategies." -- David G. Daniels,
Principal
"Eric has created a must-read book for principals seeking to
bring their schools into the digital age. He has created the
compelling case for the many ways digital tools can have a
powerful, positive effect in our schools. From classroom practice
to the way in which we create the digital footprint of our schools,
Eric steps us through how school leaders can evolve to meet the
challenges of our modern age." -- Chris Lehmann, Founding
Principal
"Eric Sheninger's new book is a red-hot relevant guide to
navigating the technology-driven, tectonic shifts taking place in
education today. While education leaders of all stripes are groping
for answers as the ground beneath them shifts, Digital
Leadership
provides a reliable, practical and tested road map
for leading in the digital age." -- Errol St. Clair Smith,
Executive Director
"Eric's latest work provides relevant and practical advice for
school leaders from a practicing school principal and other current
principals in a variety of settings. The stories and examples hit
home with school leaders in rural, urban, small, and large schools
with any level of available or possible resources. Every school
leader should read this book and find at least one idea to improve
learning for students and relationships within the school
community.
Digital leadership in school transformation is the moral imperative
of education in the 21st Century. Eric provides a solid framerwork
of strategies integrated with the Pillars of Digital Leadership and
the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-A) for
Administrators to guide school leaders as we take on this critical
change.
Digital Leadership: Changing Technology for Change-Savvy
School Leaders
is a must-read for every school leader. Filled
with inspiring stories of transformation from real, practicing
campus leaders, along with an appendix filled with resources anyone
can take to campus and use today, Eric Sheninger's work is certain
to be one of the most valuable tresources in your professinoal
library." -- Carrie Jackson, Principal
"Eric Sheninger's book builds upon his impressive
accomplishments as a digital leader. I have had a chance to learn
from Eric through his involvement with Digital Learning Day, and I
am thrilled that others can learn even more from about leading
schools to maximize the potential of digital learning and asking
the tough questions to more effectively meet the needs of each
student. Eric's bold approach to school reform and the thoughtful
pillars he lays out in this book provide important guidance for
other education leaders striving to implement digital
learning." -- Bob Wise, President
"Sheninger's book is well-written and cites specific, timely
researched data regarding our students' use of technology. It would
behoove us as professional educators and life-long learners to take
heed of the shift that has already happened within the walls of our
schools. It is time to embrace the students for the type of
education they desire and the environments that style of learning
demands. Our students crave real-time learning at their fingertips
and flexible, collaborative spaces for doing so."
-- The Essential Prinicipal Blog
"I have to admit that I was hesitant to read Digital
Leadership
by Eric Sheninger, as the word "fluff" is what
usually comes to mind when I think of books related to educational
technology. To find the most current information, it would seem
more practical to search blogs, website articles, Twitter, etc.
Nevertheless, this book is anything but fluff, and it certainly is
up to date. Sheninger, a former high school principal who has
emerged as a thought leader in this age of digital leadership, has
written a book that can serve as inspiration and an effective
starting point for administrators and/or teachers who have realized
that they must either infuse their practice with more progressive
techniques, or entirely revamp their work to provide students with
more contemporary and relevant learning experiences. Sheninger's
work is valuable because he writes with a tone that is confident,
passionate, and convincing. After reading this book, it would be
difficult for anyone to argue, 'He's completely wrong,' or 'This
wouldn't work in our district.'" -- Ross Cooper, Supervisor of
Instructional Practice K-12
