LearningFront™ Program

Vision. Technology for Leaders of Learning envisions students actively engaging with technology in collaborative, inquiry-driven environments. Through these experiences, students transform data, information, and skills into creative solutions, innovative products, and new knowledge, preparing them for the demands of a rapidly evolving world.

Challenge. The goal is to empower leaders of learning to discover, adopt, and implement innovative teaching and learning practices with technology. This requires leaders to foster a culture that embraces technology, strategically plan for its integration, and continually adapt to emerging tools and trends in 21st-century education.

Real World Impact. Today's leaders of learning face unprecedented challenges and opportunities as they navigate the integration of rapidly advancing technologies. The following imperatives define the current landscape:

Enhancing Remote Learning: Build on the successes of remote learning to create robust virtual education strategies that engage students and ensure equitable access to learning resources.
Blended Learning Innovation: Design flexible models that seamlessly blend physical classrooms with virtual environments, leveraging tools like artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize learning experiences and close achievement gaps.
Future-Focused Learning Models: Develop dynamic, future-ready approaches that apply the latest research, emerging technologies, and bold ideas to achieve quality, equity, and personalization for all students.

Key Questions. How, then, do leaders of learning apply technology to solve these real-world challenges? Educators and stakeholders are asking critical questions that shape the vision:

"How do we shift school practices to align with the expectations of a technology-driven future, ensuring teachers regularly and creatively integrate planning, teaching, and assessment into technology?"
"What does it mean to transition from simply integrating technology into curriculum, teaching, and assessment to integrating curriculum, teaching, and assessment into technology?"
"How can we inspire teachers to collaborate, analyze, evaluate, create, remix, and share innovative practices that elevate teaching and learning?"
"What role do emerging AI tools play in enhancing instruction, professional development, and school improvement?"
"Who will lead and provide resources to develop customized, virtual learning opportunities tailored to individual student needs and preferences?
"How can we ensure students acquire the skills, knowledge, and processes necessary to thrive in a tech-enabled 21st-century world?"

Solution. Across the United States and globally, new models for using technology to transform learning are emerging. While these practices are not yet widespread, they represent powerful opportunities for educational leaders to pioneer scalable, impactful strategies.

Technology for Leaders of Learning equips you with the professional knowledge, skills, and resources needed to design and realize your vision of technology as a leader of learning. By embracing evolving models and tools, you will help pave the way for a future of education that is dynamic, equitable, and technologically advanced.

Program Learning Layouts. Technology for Leaders of Learning plays out in Learning Layouts -- our way of blending people, learning, and technology. For each Learning Layout, our approach supports you to a) identify a measurable learning goal, b) engage in real world actions to reach your goal, c) complete activities that help practice the actions, and d) adapt what you really need to know to complete practice activities and develop products. The following seven Learning Layouts are designed to help you think creatively, collaborate, and apply Technology for Leaders of Learning in your school and classroom.

Learning Layout 1: My Home Base and Self-Assessment

Getting Started: This part contains a welcome to the program, your Coach's background, and tips to get started.
My Program Support: This part contains the program description, projected schedule, criteria and target dates for products, and resources such as references, video tutorials, and an interactive glossary. We strongly suggest that you bookmark and visit "My Program Support" often throughout the program.
Self-Assessment of Technology for Leaders of Learning: This part contains two activities for self-assessing your proficiency for Technology for Leaders of Learning and for applying the self-assessment results. The results of the self-assessment appear as red, yellow, or green indicators in front of Learning Layouts 1-7.

Learning Layout 2: Leadership and Innovation

Measurable Learning Goal:
[Enter your goal to increase student learning on classroom and high-stakes assessments]
Real world action you must take to reach the learning goal:
Create, lead, and support a team process to design a learning technology action plan (LTAP) to improve student learning.
Realistic activities to practice the action:
- Practice 1: Establishing a learning technology action team
- Practice 2: Benchmarking learning technology innovations
- Practice 3: Integrating learning into technology
Essential resources offered to complete the practice activities and product:
Videos: How the LTAP development process works, benchmarking, transforming learning
InfoFeeds: Sustaining and disruptive innovations, research findings, learning layouts, learning goals, and benchmark LTAPs
Website: How much to make an APP?
Coaching Tip: Your Coach shares insights and experiences
Product - My Team's Learning Technology Action Plan (LTAP): LTAP templates and editor
Collaboration: Peer and coach feedback and assessment

Learning Layout 3: Blended Professional Development

Measurable Learning Goal:
[Enter your goal to increase student learning on classroom and high-stakes assessments]
Real world action you must take to reach the learning goal:
Design a Web 2.0 Demo of a blended professional development model to hook, engage, and support teachers.
Realistic activities to practice the action:
- Practice 1: Identifying the features and benefits of blended learning teams
- Practice 2: Benchmarking blended professional development models
- Practice 3: Integrating professional development into technology
Essential resources offered to complete the practice activities and product:
Video: Your Coach highlights models for blended learning
InfoFeeds: Benchmarking blended professional development models and related research findings
Website: Digital learning systems for professional development
Coaching Tip: Your Coach shares insights and experiences
Product - My Web 2.0 Demo: Select a Web 2.0 Demo tool to develop a demo
Collaboration: Peer and coach feedback and assessment

Learning Layout 4: Personalized Learning

Measurable Learning Goal:
[Enter your goal to increase student learning on classroom and high-stakes assessments]
Real world action you must take to reach the learning goal:
Develop an Infographic of an e-learning module to support data-driven personalized learning.
Realistic activities to practice the action:
- Practice 1: Exploring e-learning module prototypes
- Practice 2: Accessing data to align results and instruction
- Practice 3: Designing personalized learning for each student
Essential resources offered to complete the practice activities and product:
Video: Your Coach highlights models for personalized learning
InfoFeeds: Benchmarking data sources for analyzing results, related research findings
Website: Evidenced-based practices for Personalized learning
Coaching Tip: Your Coach shares insights and experiences
Product - My Infographic: Select a digital tool to develop an infographic
Collaboration: Peer and coach feedback and assessment

Learning Layout 5: Digital Learning Systems

Measurable Learning Goal:
[Enter your goal to increase student learning on classroom and high-stakes assessments]
Real world action you must take to reach the learning goal:
Construct a Solution Brief that demonstrates why and how a digital learning system supports school improvement.
Realistic activities to practice the action:
- Practice 1: Exploring digital learning management systems
- Practice 2: Determining features that support school improvement
- Practice 3: Aligning school improvement goals with digital learning systems
Essential resources offered to complete the practice activities and product:
Video: Your Coach highlights models for digital learning systems
InfoFeeds: Benchmarking LMSs, online learning communities, and related research findings
Website: eLearning industry articles and best practices
Coaching Tip: Your Coach shares insights and experiences
Product - My Solution Brief: Select a format to develop a solution brief
Collaboration: Peer and coach feedback and assessment

Learning Layout 6: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues

Measurable Learning Goal:
[Enter your goal to increase student learning on classroom and high-stakes assessments]
Real world action you must take to reach the learning goal:
Construct a Professional Blog to inform staff and stakeholders of a social, legal, or ethical issue related to technology.
Realistic activities to practice the action:
- Practice 1: Analyze social, legal, and ethical technology issues in education
- Practice 2: Explore resources about blog design and follower support
- Practice 3: Post a series of blog entries from a leader's perspective
Essential resources offered to complete the practice activities and product:
Video: Your Coach highlights social, legal, and ethical technology issues
InfoFeeds: Benchmarking EdWeek Digital Education Blogs and related research findings
Website 52 Education Blogs You Should Know
Coaching Tip: Your Coach shares insights and experiences
Product - My Professional Blog: Select a blog app to develop a professional blog
Collaboration: Peer and coach feedback and assessment

Learning Layout 7: Sharing, Assessment, and Kaizen

Overview of Final Learning Layout: This component contains a review of the Learning Layouts and their connections to real world actions by leaders of learning.
Dynamic Learning Lab: This component contains the guidelines for demoing innovations and sharing best works.
Portfolio Reflection and Program Feedback: This component contains the activities for completing your virtual Portfolio Reflection and Program Feedback Survey.
Kaizen: This component promotes connecting your accomplishments to continued professional learning after the program.

Sources: The Program Measurable Learning Goals, Real World Actions, Practice Activities, and Essential Information were adapted from Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA, 2009), National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (ISTE, 2002), Maryland Technology Standards for School Administrators (2007), and LearningFRONT school and instructional improvement standards and projects developed and delivered collaboratively with local school systems, teacher education institutions, and national organizations.

The LearningFRONT Dynamic Learning Community

The LearningFront Dynamic Learning Community (LDLC) supports professional learning entirely over the Internet. It blends what people do best -- nurture, facilitate, and support -- with what technology does best -- process information at the speed of light. LDLC members become colleagues, join teams, learn, collaborate in cohorts, and share products and performances.

Technology for Leaders of Learning is offered through the LDLC Program Coach, Team, and Self-Paced Strategies. These strategies help you to complete practice, development, collaboration, and assessment activities and to demonstrate real world actions expected in program learning layouts. The program includes seven learning layouts, which are subdivided into components and activities. Text, graphics, animations, video, AI-ChatGPT, and social learning tools such as Syzygy, colleague and team messages, and instant messaging support each learning layout. The program also helps you to use the TaskBuilder and WikiTasks tools to develop and share program products.

Program Coach Strategy - Nick Hobar is the program subject matter expert and author of Technology for Leaders of Learning and will serve as your Program Coach. Please use a Colleague Message to contact him directly throughout the program. Learn More about Nick Hobar.
Team Strategy - In the Team Strategy, members complete learning layouts working as a cohort, in teams, and independently as part of a scheduled webinar. Members submit practice activities and products to their coach, colleagues, and teams for formative feedback and to their coach to confirm completion and earn badges. The Team Strategy can include brief coaching sessions for individual members during the scheduled webinar.
Self-Paced Strategy - In the Self-Paced Strategy, members complete learning layouts independently, at their own pace, in their preferred location, and submit practice activities and products to their coach, colleagues, and teams for formative feedback and to their coach to confirm completion and earn badges. The Self-Paced Strategy can include brief coaching sessions for individual members in a scheduled web conference.

Technology for Leaders of Learning supports the LDLC Program Coach, Team, and Self-Paced Strategies by leveraging the skill sets of cohort members to offer peer instruction and feedback thereby converting, for example, a 1:12 coach-member ratio to a 12:1 coach-member ratio facilitated by the program coach.

Program Delivery and Timeline. Technology for Leaders of Learning is delivered as described below and displayed in this Infographic.

Week 1.

Using the Team Strategy your program coach will initiate Technology for Leaders of Learning by conducting a webinar to meet members virtually, clarify program expectations, establish colleagues and a cohort team, and demonstrate the LearningFRONT integrated social and professional learning tools. These tools are used to collaborate, complete practice activities, and construct program products. This webinar will include time for members to complete a self-assessment and practice the first and second learning layouts to gain experience with the LDLC integrated tools and virtual collaboration and learning.
Using the Self-Paced Strategy, you will continue to work on the second learning layout for leadership and innovation after the webinar and practice the LDLC tools.

Weeks 2-4

Using the Self-Paced Strategy, you will acquire and apply content and skills to complete learning layout practice activities and develop products for leadership and innovation, blended professional development, and personalized learning.
Using the Team Strategy, your program coach will conduct the second webinar for the cohort members to share progress and challenges, initiate the fifth learning layout for digital learning systems, and prepare for the final four weeks of the program.

Weeks 5-7.

Using the Self-Paced Strategy, you will acquire and apply content and skills to complete learning layout practice activities and products for digital learning systems and social, legal, and ethical issues.

Week 8

Using the Team Strategy, your program coach will conduct a culminating webinar to reflect on your own portfolio development, share best works, provide program feedback, and build on the collective expertise of your program cohort. The program cohort member relationships and products will serve as powerful professional learning resources for use in your career development opportunities and to share in learning communities beyond the completion of Technology for Leaders of Learning.

Program Schedule

Technology for Leaders of Learning is is delivered through the LDLC according to the schedule of dates and times posted when registering for the program and can be modified for a customized approach with interested individuals and organizations.

Expectations: For a successful outcome to your efforts in Technology for Leaders of Learning, you are expected to complete the following learning layouts and products to demonstrate your achievement of the program real world actions. The real world actions are described in the "Action Activity" in each Learning Layout and the target completion dates are specified below.
Products	Learning Layouts	Completion Dates
Self-Assessment	LL1 - My Home Base and Self-Assessment	During the first Team Strategy Webinar and updated after each Learning Layout
Practice Activities	Learning Layouts 2 - 6	During Team and Self-Paced Strategies
Learning Technology Action Plan (LTAP)	LL2 - Leadership and Innovation	Draft: By the end of Week 4 Final: By the end of Week 7
Web 2.0 Demo	LL3 - Blended Professional Development	By the end of Week 3
Infographic	LL4 - Personalized Learning	By the end of Week 4
Solution Brief	LL5 - Digital Learning Systems	By the end of Week 5
Professional Blog	LL6 - Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues	By the end of Week 7
Portfolio Reflection	LL7 - Portfolio Reflection and Kaizen	During the final Team Strategy Webinar

Review the infographic of the program products and timeline projected for developing and submitting program expectations.

Technology for Leaders of Learning uses a portfolio reflection to measure your performance and award a program completion badge and certificate. Your portfolio reflection will apply the following rubric to measure progress from your initial self-assessment toward the completion of the program vision, challenge, and real world actions. You will consider the rubric performance levels and descriptors as you reflect on your accomplishments in the program. You may seek external validation of your portfolio reflection by sharing it for feedback with a colleague, mentor, or other professional associates.

Portfolio Reflection: Rubric Performance Levels and Descriptors
Dynamic	Fully understand technology for leaders of learning; Submitted all practice activities that provided vivid examples and answered pertinent questions to demonstrate my knowledge of technology for leaders of learning; Masterfully navigated LearningFRONT social and professional learning tools to support my learning; Enjoyed learning collaboratively and sharing products with my program colleagues, teams, and coach; Attended all program webinars in accordance with the program schedule, stayed on task, asked probing questions, and took risks to learn deeply; Where appropriate, offered insightful interpretations or extensions of the program real world settings; and Completed at least four expected program products at the dynamic level and can confidently implement them in my classroom, school, or organization.
Proficient	Substantially understand technology for leaders of learning; Submitted all practice activities that provided relevant examples and answered relevant questions to demonstrate my knowledge of technology for leaders of learning; Skillfully navigated LearningFRONT social and professional learning tools to support my learning; Enjoyed learning collaboratively and sharing products with my program colleagues, teams, and coach; Attended all program webinars in accordance with the program schedule, stayed on task, and asked probing questions to learn deeply; and Completed at least three program products at the dynamic level and with support can implement them in my classroom, school, or organization.
Novice	Just beginning to understand technology for leaders of learning; Submitted some practice activities to demonstrate my knowledge of technology for leaders of learning; Still learning how to navigate LearningFRONT social and professional learning tools to support my learning; Enjoyed learning collaboratively and sometimes shared products with my program colleagues, teams, and coach; Attended some program webinars in accordance with the program schedule; and Completed only two program products at the dynamic level and need more help to implement them in my classroom, school, or organization.

You will use the colleague and team messaging systems, Program, TaskBuilder, WikiTasks, Syzygy, and other worldwide information services and advanced library search tools identified in the program references to complete program real world action products. In addition to Team and Self-Paced strategies, your program coach is available for virtual coaching sessions scheduled according to the Coaching Tool. For LearningFRONT technical help please contact: LearningFRONT Support Team.