Issues for E-Leadership with the Secone[sic] Phase of Ict Implementation in Hong Kong

This dissertation, "Issues for E-leadership With the Secone[sic] Phase of ICT Implementation in Hong Kong" by Yu-sum, Alfred, Chan, 陳宇琛, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract Following the footsteps of major world leaders in education, the HKSAR government launched its five years I.T. plan in 1998. Since then, billions of dollars were spent on providing the basic infrastructures for schools, purchasing hardware & software, teacher training and staff development. At the same time, the Education Department (now the EMB) also initiated the requirements for teachers in achieving different I.T. competencies. By the school year 2003-04, schools are required to have at least 25% of their teaching resources in I.T. format for all subjects. The paper "ICT Implementation and School Leadership: Case Studies of ICT Integration in Teaching and Learning" by Yuen, Law & Wong (2000) shows that whether ICT implementation brings forth a variation in pedagogical practices depends part on the school leaders' vision and understanding of the role and impact of ICT in the curriculum. The leaders' goals and objectives for ICT integration also have significant influences. The research was conducted at the early stage of ICT implementation in Hong Kong (18 months after the launch of the plan). Since then, e-Leaders of schools have adopted different plans in search of the best way to incorporate ICT into the curriculum. Different "models" were identified and it was predicted that schools will somehow migrate from one stage to another. The SITES M2 report Hong Kong chapter identified four groups of e-Leaders at a later stage of the implementation plan: (1) initiator of school changes, (2) supporter of innovation and professional development, (3) innovation champion and initiator, and (4) visionary leader. Each type of leadership has different visions and implementation methods. The effect on staff, students, teaching and learning is very different among them. Five years have gone by now and the government of Hong Kong has not yet published a Second Master Plan in ICT education. Without a clear indication of what should be the next step, what will be the upcoming plans (if there is any) for the e-Leaders in school? At the same time, the HKSAR government is facing a huge budget deficit. Funding in all aspects will be cut. As reforms usually require vast amount of time and resources, how will the e-Leaders in school face this challenge in carrying out their reforms? What will be their contingency plan to deal with a situation like this? This study used a Qualitative method through interviewing 12 e-Leaders from four different schools. The study was selective; all four schools have different cultures and backgrounds in ICT. The Principal, the I.T. team leader and one teacher, who engaged in active use of ICT in his/her teaching, was interviewed. The results were triangulated to give a more accurate picture of the situation. The findings showed the importance of visions in e-leadership and their impacts on dealing with future implementation. Clear goals, careful planning and appropriate strategies are often keys to successful implementation. It was found that the shifting of paradigms and the development of Learning Communities are the results that make learning more meaningful and productive following the Constructivist's approach to teaching and learning with ICT. ii DOI: 10.5353/th_b3049131 Subjects: Computer-assisted instruction - China - Hong Kong Educational leadership - China - Hong Kong