The image represents that of a human being with key leadership attributes displayed as badges.

Facilitator

Education has seen a paradigm shift in the role on the instructor being moved from being the sage on
the stage to guide on the side.

In my learning environment, most of the activities I use are student-centered as opposed to instructor-
led.

This has been a change from when I first started to teach when I thought I was to be the oracle of all
information, however, the ubiquity and ease of information diminishes the role of the oracle and now
my role is to facilitate learning.

Relationship builder

Positive relationship building is important as an Educational Technology leader as it creates a

comfortable social environment in which students and instructors converse, share experiences, and
participate in activities that can facilitate engaged learning.

As a leader in Educational Technology, I interact with both students and instructors on a frequent basis
and try my best that an environment of comfort is created by not allowing anyone to be ridiculed or
dismissed. I often say to them that no question is a foolish question so as to encourage questions and
clear up misperceptions.

Inclusive

Recognising differences in individuals is an important attribute of any leader since it allows us to

appreciate their strengths and challenges. During any training session, Educational Technologist will
recognize techno-savvy individuals and not-so techno-savvy individuals. I have experienced this during a
training session of an educational management information system which was to be used for reporting
at an educational institution where I was employed.

At the end, I was quite pleased when a senior staff member thanked me for my patience and said that
she was afraid of computers before but now she feels comfortable enough to use it not only for teaching
but during ministry.

Professionally Networked

Professional networks have been said to lead to more job and business opportunities, broader and can
improve the capacity to innovate. However, the greatest benefit of my professional network is being
able to deepen my knowledge within educational technology.
When I was about to acquire a tool to do screencast videos, my professional network provided a wealth
of feedback on their experiences with using various tools. In the end, I made an informed decision to
purchase Screencast-O-Matic being fully aware of its advantages and its limitations.

Innovator & Visionary Leader

Being innovative is about looking beyond what we currently do well, identifying the great ideas of
tomorrow and putting them into practice. As an Educational Technology Facilitator, you should have a
plan on transforming education in a positive way.

When I was first employed in a high-school environment, there was one projector that had to be booked
for use by instructors. I saw the need to de-centralize such technological resources and within 1 year, 7
specialist rooms were outfitted with projectors, amplifiers and whiteboards in preparation for a
technology-enriched approach to instruction. I was supported by the Principal in my efforts and after 15
months, the entire plant had Wifi access.

Globally Aware Citizen

At the root of being globally aware is building a value system that is flexible and open to other peoples
cultures. By doing this we recognize and respect that there can be more than one way to do something.

Most educational institutions are involved in student-exchange programmes. Although students visit
your school to be immersed in the culture, it is important to recognize their customs and traditions and
not violate them. As a globally-aware citizen, I am mindful of the differences of cultures and at and how
we treat to those differences.

Critical and Reflective Thinker

Hedva Lewittes (2009) described reflective thinking as the ability to be a self-directed learner and to
deliberately employ critical thinking as a mental strategy in approaching problem solving and intellectual
tasks.

Any good instructor should never be satisfied. I do several training workshops and the majority of the
time, I get very good feedback, however, I always reflect on areas to improve for future training
workshops.

Researcher

The Internet provides a vast repository of information. All instructors including myself need to stay
abreast of changes within their specialization.

Almost daily, I search the Internet to increase my knowledge. As I was completing this assignment, I
discovered IGI Global as a leading international academic publisher of peer-reviewed material.
Effective Communicator

I have often heard and I do agree with the phrase that "communication is key". It is what can make or
break a project and can be the most important factor in whether a student learns from what is being
taught. I see this especially in blended and online courses in my capacity.

Instructions given to students have to be pellucid and succinct.

On one occasion, I configured an assignment to be due on a specific date (say March 10) but I allowed
late submissions up to one week (say March 17) after and mentioned to students they will be given 1
week after the deadline.

After March 17, several students who did not submit their assignments indicated that they intended to
submit before March 24 since that was 1 week after the deadline.

I did re-open submissions until that date, but it reminded me of the need to be clear in what is
communicated and not to cast my personal interpretation onto others.

Self-Directed Lifelong Learner

Lifelong learning is about creating and maintaining a positive attitude to learning both for personal and
professional development. To be a self-directed lifelong learner calls for a high degree of intrinsic
motivation on the part of the individual.

Everyday I do research (formal and informal) on the Internet to learn something new whether it be in
my interest of study or current affairs.

One of my goals this year is to complete a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in education for my
personal professional development.