Introduction to Educational Leadership -- EdL 701
Ripon Cohort -- May 2007
Department of Human Services and Educational Leadership
College of Education and Human Services, UW Oshkosh
Dr Susan Cramer

Course Description
This course will provide an introduction and overview to the MS Educational Leadership program. Students will explore program options and requirements, set professionals goals, and explore current educational issues. This course should be taken before or immediately after acceptance into the MS Educational Leadership program. Required course for all students entering the program Fall 2006 or later. (2 credits)

Course Objectives
The graduate student will:

  1. Explore MS Educational Leadership program options and goals;
  2. Explore leadership needs and roles in schools;
  3. Set personal/professional goals and accompanying program plan;
  4. Understand change and people’s reaction to it;
  5. Explore the future and how it impcts current educational issues
COEHS Model

MS Educational Leadership Program Goals
The MS Educational Leadership degree program serves educators or other professionals who want to assume formal or informal leadership roles in their organizations. Our purpose is to prepare educators or other education-related professionals to assume leadership roles in their organizations. We focus primarily on the four outer components of our COEHS model -- Change Agent (CA), Reflective Professional (RP), Lifelong Learner (LL), and Skillful Practitioner (SP) -- which are more fully articulated in our six overall program goals:

  1. Develop leadership, decision making, legal and ethical skills, and change agent skills (CA)
  2. Develop written, oral, and technological communication skills (LL, SP)
  3. Understand and appreciate cultural and intellectual diversity (SP, RP)
  4. Develop professional practice based on theory and research (SP, RP)
  5. Develop skills in integrating and applying knowledge to specific problem-solving tasks (SP, PR)
  6. Develop requisite skills and attitudes to become lifelong learners (LL)

The primary focus of this course is on Program Goal 1 and Change Agent. You are also demonstrating you are a Lifelong Learner by enrolling in this graduate program and writing a program action plan. Program Goal 2 is addressed via development of written materials and electronic portfolio. Save materials from this class to demonstrate your excellence in these areas.

Required Texts, Materials, Expectations, and Policies

  1. Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat. 2005 or 2006 edition. Purchase online or at any local retail store.
  2. A sense of adventure, humor, and cooperation.
  3. Attendance - expected.
  4. Plagiarism - see University rules http://www.uwosh.edu/dean/conduct.htm. When in doubt, reference your work.

Evaluation Methodology

 

Projects/Assignments and Grading
Grades will be based on quality of work submitted.

Attendance/participation --- required
Personal Action Plan for Program -- 30%
Environmental Scan and SWOT --- 10%
Online Discussion --- 15%
Change Project --- 30%
Portfolio --- 15%
Final Reflection on Course --- required

 

 A = 93%
AB = 92-88%
B = 87-83%
BC = 82-78%
C=77-73%
Below 73% = Incomplete


All assignments due by May 3

Tentative Outline

Day 1–

Welcome  (objective 1)

  1. What is the MS Educational Leadership program, program goals, content/format 
    Program Alignment (pdf)
  2. PDPs, http://dpi.wi.gov/tepdl/pdp.html 
  3. WI Teacher Standards, http://dpi.wi.gov/tepdl/stand10.html
  4. Class requirements (attendance at all face-to-face sessions required)
  5. Program Portfolio requirement -- see handouts --
    electronic portfolio address http://chalkandwire.com/uwosh2/
    A Few Definitions -- Portfolio Terms (Word, pdf)
    Portfolio Directions (pdf)
    Portfolio Rubric (pdf)
  6. Seminar and Comprehensive Exam
    Portfolio and Comprehensive Exam Directions (Word, pdf)
    (see Ed Leadership website) http://www.coehs.uwosh.edu/human_svcs/edl_leadership/
  7. Registration (program and classes) http://www.uwosh.edu/gradstudies/

Personal Action Plan for Program -- Goal Setting (objective 3)

  1. Where am I now?
  2. Where do I want to be in 2014? (professional, personal/family, social/community involvement)
  3. Develop one or more goal statements to guide your life and graduate program
  4. Homework: Draft a Personal Action Plan for your Program (final copy due June 3)
    Personal Action Plan Directions (Word, pdf)

Teacher Leaders (objective 2)

  1. What are they?
  2. In class, read Chapter 1. Organizational Leadership: Nurturing Leadership in Your School in How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader by John G. Gabriel. ASCD 2005. Available online http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.chapter/menuitem.b71d101a2f7c208cdeb3ffdb62108a0c/?chapterMgmtId=28b81a5042981010VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD
  3. What type of leadership role(s) are you interested in assuming?
  4. What leadership qualities do you posses?
  5. PDPs another role for teacher leaders

Change (objective 4)

  1. How do you react to change?
  2. View and discuss Who Moved My Cheese?
  3. How do others in your life (work life, family life) react to change?
  4. Change continuum (bell curve) (Innovation Model - pdf)

Leaders Look to the Future -- Environmental Scanning (objective 5)

  1. What is an environmental scan? SWOT chart? (pdf)
  2. Read and discuss McDonald’s article (how does this impact you, your family, your classroom)
  3. Brainstorm ideas and information sources for environmental scan
  4. Homework: Complete an environmental scan and SWOT identifying emerging issues influencing education, students, careers, quality of life, politics and more. (see pdf handout, watch presentations on TED http://www.ted.com/index.php )
  5. Change project (pdf)

Blogs (objective 5, program goal 2)

  1. What are blogs, why use them
  2. Post a comment to the class blog (UW Oshkosh Ripon Cohort) http://online.cesa6.k12.wi.us:16080/cesa6/index.php
    Online Participation Guidelines (Word, pdf)
  3. Post two more entries before our next class May 19. Tell of issues you are identifying in scan.

Note: We will be discussing chapter 1 in The World is Flat next “week.” We will take 1 hour of class time for reading. If you are a slow reader, you might want to get a jumpstart on that reading (50 pages).


Day 2 --
UW Oshkosh Electronic Resources (objective 1)

  1. TitanMail, Forwarding Email , TitanWeb, D2L, Polk Library resources, citing sources
    http://www.uwosh.edu/
    http://www.acs.uwosh.edu/mail/titanmail/sun_forward-autoreply.php
    http://www.uwosh.edu/library/
    http://www.uwosh.edu/library/citing.html

Goal Setting, PDPs and Portfolio (objective 5)

  1. Share your Personal Action Plan with a peer. Will your plan, as written, help you achieve both the program goals and your personal goals? Does it push you? Does it push you to be a leader?
  2. Based on the reading and thinking you have done thus far, how have your goals changed?
  3. PDPs, Master Teacher, Board Certification – Q&A session/info
  4. Electronic portfolio – examine rubric, draft two entries. Submit two entries by May 26, entire portfolio due by June 3 http://chalkandwire.com/uwosh2/

Blogging (objective 4, program goal 2)

  1. How was it? Any questions
  2. Quality, quantity, format of responses
  3. How could you use blogging in your classroom?

The Future (objective 4)

  1. What issues did you identify from your Environmental Scan and SWOT
  2. Create a class SWOT
  3. Are these issues important? Why? What do they tell us?
  4. Why is studying the future important?
  5. Read and discuss chapter 1: While I Was Sleeping in The World Is Flat by Thomas Freidman
  6. View Did You Know by Karl Fisch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q or view ppt (without music)
    Could also watch The Machine is Us/ing Us http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE
  7. Online – In groups of approximately 5, provide an overview of each flattener then discuss each one. Link flatteners to one another when possible. Discuss implications for students, teachers, classrooms, schools, and society. Entries will be via blog. If you have discussions face-to-face, provide a summary in the blog and indicate when other conversations occurred.
  8. After course is over, continue reading book
  9. Write Change paper (pdf), due June 3

Online Portion (14 hours) -- Discussion

  1. Please don’t wait until June 3 to submit all your work!!!!
  2. Submit Personal Action Plan for your Program (send electronically, final copy due June 3) (Word, pdf)
  3. Complete blog entries (two by May 19, remainder by June 3) (Guidelines -- Word, pdf)
  4. Submit Change Paper by June 3 (send electronically as an attachment) (pdf)
  5. Submit Portfolio electronically by June 3 (each page gets submitted individually)
    electronic portfolio address http://chalkandwire.com/uwosh2/
    A Few Definitions -- Portfolio Terms (Word, pdf)
    Portfolio Directions (pdf)
    Portfolio Rubric (pdf)
  6. Submit email reflecting on course by June 3 – Tell what went well in course and what changes I should make in future offerings. Should it have an online component?

 

Questions, Problems, Concerns….
Email me at cramer@uwosh.edu  (I’m online nearly all day during school days)
Call my office 920-424-0338  (I don’t have an answering machine)
Call department office 920-424-1490  (we have an answering machine here)
Call my home 920-426-3676 (Oshkosh number)

Page last updated May 15, 2007
If you have questions or problems with this page, please contact me: cramer@uwosh.edu