Merits and Accomplishments of Educational Leaders Essay

It is datum of experience that every field of knowledge is inspired by some leaders whose efforts work as the channelize fundamentals. It is through their shared vision of continuous amelioration that facts of life systems enjoy their success better than ever before. Although many thinkers have enlightened the philosophies behind redbrick education system, some have relatively excelled in the extent of their research and devotion to the field. In the contemporary world, any field without the intervention of IT is unimaginable.So is the shimmy with the field of education where the work of IT starts from the concepts like Webinars and Distance Learning to the doctoral research works being carried out on IT dimensions like Netspeak. With his books like upright Writings on Instructional Technology, Donald Ely is reckoned as one of the most prominent educational leaders regarding the wasting disease of technology in the contemporary world. away from his achievement of bringing IT i nto instructional fields, the merit of Elys studies lies in the inoculation of creative ideas for instruction while using IT as a medium of instruction.With an realisation of latest approaches being introduced in the dynamic field of IT everyday, Donald Ely is to a fault known for inviting the perspectives of novices in the field as a reflection of his development philosophy (Anderson, 2005). When it comes to the estimate practices of learners to the students in an online interactive environment, Ely has not deviated from the fundamentals of assessment used in the real life instructional environment. However, he has modified the very principles to mould the ideas into a more viable shape that fits the IT involving education.The cynosure of Gene Hall and Shirley Hords studies lies with the development and training of instructors if any change in the current education system is to be achieved. In this concern, a major merit of the two educational leaders approach is the systematic a spect which starts from a gradual inculcation of vision chronically in the philosophy of change. Once the vision is adequately communicated, required resources to plan on it are digestd to the instructors.From the stage of planning, the model suggests a gradual move towards the hard-nosed aspect of training and development of necessary skills. This practicality is followed by a constant evaluation and control technique through monitoring. As a result of evaluation, correct reinforcement is made possible. By considering teachers as the major tools of change, the two educationists have laid enormous amount of importance on instructors concerns and feelings about the nature of change.another(prenominal) unique plus point of Hall and Hords studies is the level of pragmatism attached to their studies by identification of stages to trace the actual level of execution of instrument of the change. These levels of use range from no use to renewal marked by complete shift towards the conc erned change (Hord, 1994). Gerald Zaltman and Robert Duncans area of research can be considered as a furtherance of Hall and Hords work as the former educationists focus on the obstacles in the way of successful implementation of changes proposed for an education system.By attempting to trace the causes of resistance towards the change, Zaltman and Duncan propose a logical course of action in the pursuit of eradicating the impeding forces as they may arise referable to the well established beliefs or insecurities attached to the adoption of change (Ellsworth). An importance merit of their work is that it is not just confined to the identification of problems and their causes, but is also associated with the strategies to overcome them. These strategies involve modification of the change process according to the context.Where the changes are unalterable, the experts propose a strong communication in favour of change. By proposing four types of strategies based on the level of oppos ition to the change, Zaltman and Duncan provided a framework for the educationists in order to plan a suitable change keeping in legal opinion the extent of agreement and willingness to the change. By providing Facilitative, Re-educative, Persuasive and Power strategies, they have added a pragmatic aspect to their research thereby making it more lucrative for implementation (OBrien, 1999).To express succinctly, the efforts and research works of all contemporary leaders in the field of education cannot be denied. However, the works of the educational leaders discussed above provide the most critical of all dimensions touched by the educationists today.References Anderson,T. J. (2005). Dr. Donald P. Ely. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from http//doctja. com/docs/edd8008/DonPEly. ppt. Ellsworth, J. B. A Survey of Educational lurch Models. ERIC Digest. RetrievedMay 22, 2008, from ERIC Digests Website http//www. ericdigests. org/2001-2/survey. html Hord, S. M. (1994). Staff Development and Ch ange Process Cut from the Same Cloth. Issues about Change, 4(2). Retrieved May 22, 2008, from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Web site http//www. sedl. org/change/issues/issues42. html OBrien, R. (1999). societal Change Activism and the Internet Strategic Online Activities. Retrieved May 22, 2008, from http//www. web. net/robrien/papers/netaction. html