Mission

The M. Ed. in Educational Technology Leadership Program at LSU focuses on preparing quality educational technology facilitators and leaders who can serve at the school, district, state and national levels.  The program’s goals are to: develop in candidates the ability to incorporate relevant educational theory, knowledge from research, and professional practice expertise into their work as leaders in the field of educational technology; prepare graduates to become change agents who can affect student learning by collaboratively developing and implementing technology-enhanced programs, initiatives, and teacher support services; and develop in candidates the habits of inquiry, reflection, and professionalism that are essential components for leadership in organizations and service systems that facilitate teaching and learning.These goals are consistent with and supportive of the primary tenets of the College of Education’s conceptual framework---reflective practice, inquiring pedagogy, and effective professionalism.

Program Description

The redesigned program will enable graduates to meet the Louisiana Educational Technology Facilitation and Educational Technology Leadership endorsement requirements.  The objectives of each course are aligned with the ISTE standards for educational technology facilitation or educational technology leadership, as well as with the Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching.  Each course is taught by faculty members with expertise and experience in educational technology and leadership.  The primary faculty are noted researchers and practitioners who embrace and model connectivity between research and practice, content and pedagogy, and action and reflection.  Candidates are expected to know and demonstrate the most effective educational technology practices and engage in action research in their own educational settings.  They are also expected to be able to think critically, engage in meaningful dialogue about technology and learning, and help initiate changes in education – at the classroom, school, district, regional, and national/international levels.  Finally, candidates are encouraged and expected to present and/or publish their work and serve on leadership teams in their schools and districts.

 

Most candidates are classroom teachers. However, some are technology leaders in other fields such as public health.  Upon completion of the program, candidates typically return to the K-12 classroom as instructional leaders, assume K-12 school-wide or district-wide responsibilities for technology leadership, or transition to higher education, agencies, or other non-profit educational settings.

Program Coursework and Sequence

The redesigned program enables all graduates to meet the endorsement requirements for licensure in both Educational Technology Facilitation and Educational Technology Leadership.  Courses are organized into three major clusters to give candidates a better sense of the three essential aspects (i.e., conceptual, practical, and empirical) of the educational technology program.  Within each component, courses are sequenced according to content, from lower level to more advanced.  Thus, candidates will typically complete courses required for the “educational facilitation endorsement” before moving on to take courses for the “educational leadership endorsement.”  At the end of the program, candidates will complete a field-based capstone project.  The three clusters correspond to the three elements of the College of Education’s conceptual framework:

 

              Program Cluster                         College Conceptual Framework

                Conceptual                                     Reflective Practitioner (RP)

                Practical                                         Effective Professional (EP)

                Empirical                                        Inquiring Pedagogue (IP)

 

The program is sequentially organized with phase 1 experiences coming before phase 2 and so on.  Further, an introductory course on educational technology (ELRC 4507) or the equivalent is a pre-requisite for this program.  Applicants who have not had this course as undergraduates (or who have not acquired the content and skills covered in the course) will be required to complete it during their first year in the program.  However, it will not count toward graduation from the program.