Information Technology Enhanced Management of Schools Dissertation

Information Technology Enhanced Management of Schools - Dissertation Example What is necessary to overcome the aforementioned obstacle may be roundtable discussions at many of the nation’s schools, where committee members meet to identify and discuss the issues at hand. Among things to consider is what is and what is not doable at the hands of a particular school, a definition of what it means to be productive in an academic sense, and a definition of how information technology may enhance that definition (Massy and Zemsky, 2008). â€Å"First, the demand for IT-based teaching and learning programs will grow substantially, probably exponentially, over the next decade. In an economy that is itself increasingly knowledge-based, the new information technologies offer an economical means of providing the continuous education the U.S. now requires as well as a more readily accessible form of post-secondary education and credentialing. Second, IT will change teaching and learning profoundly, no matter what the response of traditional higher education institutions. Just as the development of the printing press forever changed the teaching enterprise, IT represents a fundamental change in the basic technology of teaching and learning† (Massy and Zemsky, 2008, pg. 1). Information technology itself offers a large amount of potential, but it requires a fundamental shift in the way institutions operate. It is essential, then, that those who wish to implement information technology within an institution understand what changes must take place on levels that are practical to that institution. The first step is to take a look at the pros and cons of the integration of information technology into a school, including both administrative and teaching processes. Then, any barriers the school may face when integrating that technology must be considered on both an internal and external level (Massy and Zemsky, 2008; Armstrong, 2007; and Estabrooks, 1995). Schools across the nation are encountering many difficulties when they attempt to adopt a variety of new technologies. First of all, should information technology comprise the primary means of teaching students in today's elementary schools Second, should entire school systems be technologically enhanced Third, how is all of this going to be paid for (Kumpulainen and Wray, 2002 and Olson, Malone,