In Activity 3: Leadership Reflections, we have been tasked with reflecting on the literature and our own leadership perspectives, and consider which leader attributes are essential in digital learning environments (DLE). <\/p>\n
I am currently teaching in the television-broadcasting program at Humber College in Toronto. One of the courses I am facilitating this semester, camera and lighting, is presented in a hybrid format, which can be challenging for students who thrive in hands-on learning environments. During the weeks that the course is online, it is essential for me to use the synchronous sessions and tools within Blackboard (Humber’s learning management system) efficiently. In addition, as the course professor, I must be active in the DLE and provide students with a positive learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n
When reflecting on my experiences in digital learning environments and the literature examined in the LRNT525 course, the most important attributes of a leader working in a DLE are communication and support. Due to the evolution of technology, leaders can now communicate with students and provide them with important information using different devices in real-time (Shenigner, 2019). In the context of my hybrid camera and lighting course, communication happens within synchronous sessions and discussion forums, where I share my knowledge and experiences in the industry, and students reflect on their learning and can ask questions. Moreover, a supportive leader in a DLE involves attending to the needs of the students (Alotebi et al., 2018). In the course I teach, this generally includes providing content in multiple formats (PowerPoint, video) and setting up a time to meet virtually with students who require extra support.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Communication and support are both qualities that are present in transformational leadership. Alotebi et al. (2018) explain that transformative leadership ensues when leaders and followers engage in a way that raises their motivation, performance, and morality levels. Transformative leaders focus on “communicating a strong vision for change and building supportive relationships with followers” (Castelli, 2015, p. 218). This type of leadership can offer students the inclusivity and connections essential in these digital spaces. Research found that transformational leadership can “effectively enhance virtual students’ learning and group performance, and it is associated with students’ satisfaction and affective learning” (Alotebi et al., 2018, p. 159). It was interesting to discover that the attributes I believe are essential in a leader of a DLE coincide with those of the transformational leadership model, which has been proven in the literature to be effective within DLEs.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alotebi, H., Alharbi, O., & Masmali, A. (2018). Effective leadership in virtual learning environments. International journal of information and education technology<\/em>, 8<\/em>(2), 156-160. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.18178\/ijiet.2018.8.2.1026<\/a><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Castelli, P. A. (2016). Reflective leadership review: A framework for improving organisational performance. Journal of Management Development<\/em>, 35<\/em>(2), 217-236. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/JMD-08-2015-0112<\/a><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheninger, E. (2014). Pillars of digital leadership. International Center for Leadership in Education, 1(4), 1-4. https:\/\/www.hmhco.com\/blog\/pillars-of-digital-leadership-in-education<\/a><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Activity 3: Leadership Reflections, we have been tasked with reflecting on the literature and our own leadership perspectives, and consider which leader attributes are essential in digital learning environments (DLE). I am currently teaching in the television-broadcasting program… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":275,"featured_media":333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lrnt525"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":350,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions\/350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0265\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}