Framing Innovation: The Impact of the Superintendent's Attitude and Use of Technology on the Acceptance of Large-Scale Technology Initiatives

Thesis advisor: Diana PullinThesis advisor: Vincent ChoThe existing literature regarding leadership to support technology innovation in schools is limited. This qualitative study employs a multiple case study method to explore the leadership of superintendents in five school districts that have moved toward a 1:1 learning environment. This dissertation examined how superintendents gain acceptance for large-scale technology initiatives by describing the superintendent's own use of technology and their attitude about technology. The study explored the impact a superintendent's attitude and use of technology had on the acceptance of technology initiatives. The study highlights how superintendents use technology both professionally and personally. The study results indicated that while the superintendent's attitude about mobile devices in the hands of students has a profound impact on gaining acceptance for a large-scale technology initiative, it is inconclusive if the superintendent's use of technology has such an impact. The result is an important addition to the literature including recommendations for superintendents seeking to implement a large-scale technology initiative in their district.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Framing Innovation: The Impact of the Superintendent's Technology Infrastructure Decisions on the Acceptance of Large-Scale Technology Initiatives

Thesis advisor: Diana C. PullinThesis advisor: Vincent ChoA multiple-case qualitative study of five school districts that had implemented various large-scale technology initiatives was conducted to describe what superintendents do to gain acceptance of those initiatives. The large-scale technology initiatives in the five participating districts included 1:1 District-Provided Device laptop and tablet programs (DPD), a Bring Your Own Device program (BYOD), and a Blended program that included a district-sponsored Lease-To-Own laptop and tablet program (LTO). Superintendents and other personnel that were identified by each superintendent as having a key role with the technology initiative were interviewed. Key documentation regarding the large-scale technology initiative was also reviewed. To help bring perspective to the actions of superintendents surrounding large-scale technology initiatives, frame theory was used as a theoretical framework for the overall study. This study sought to determine the factors considered by superintendents in making decisions about technology infrastructure, the factors considered in making decisions about funding a large-scale technology initiative, and how technology infrastructure or funding decisions impacted the perceived acceptance of the initiative. The study found that the decisions made by superintendents with regard to the technology initiative can have an impact on the acceptance of the initiative by all stakeholders. The importance of robust and reliable Wi-Fi networks, funding for technology initiatives from multiple sources, and the significance of device capabilities and reliability were also identified as significant factors in the acceptance of large-scale technology initiatives.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Framing Innovation: Do Professional Learning Communities Influence Acceptance of Large-Scale Technology Initiatives?

Thesis advisor: Vincent ChoThesis advisor: Diana C. PullinThis study explored the role of professional learning communities for district leadership implementing large-scale technology initiatives such as 1:1 implementations (one computing device for every student). The existing literature regarding technology leadership is limited, as is literature on how districts use existing collaborative structures such as professional learning communities (PLCs) to implement technology initiatives. This study examined how superintendents and their leadership teams expect educator collaboration and whether and how they connect these expectations to large-scale technology implementation. Specifically, the concept of professional learning communities (PLCs) and their constructs were studied as collaborative mechanisms designed to support educators implementing large-scale technology initiatives. This qualitative study employs a multiple case study method to explore how the use of collaborative structures supported large-scale technology implementation in five school districts. These respondents and their stories detail a unique moment in educational leadership as increasing numbers of districts seek to implement such large-scale initiatives in school systems. Study results highlight how superintendents use leadership planning and implementation teams to serve as PLCs at the district level. This study confirms that the collaborative constructs of the PLC do serve to assist in the implementation of large-scale technology implementations in school systems, but largely at the central office strategic planning level. Superintendents utilize these collaborative structures for personal learning as they design implementation but do not scale up such structures for use by all educators across the implementation or system. Recommendations are made for use of collaborative structures to create technology educator learning ecologies across school systems.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Framing Innovation: the Role of Distributed Leadership in Gaining Acceptance of Large-Scale Technology Initiatives

Thesis advisor: Diana PullinThesis advisor: Vincent ChoThis dissertation of practice utilized a multiple case-study approach to examine distributed leadership within five school districts that were attempting to gain acceptance of a large-scale 1:1 technology initiative. Using frame theory and distributed leadership theory as theoretical frameworks, this study interviewed each district's superintendent and members of the technology leadership team and assessed how they interacted with the superintendent and each other. Using these theoretical frameworks, this study made several findings relevant to scholarship around technology leadership at the school district level. One finding related to frame theory was that superintendents achieved acceptance of these large-scale 1:1 technology initiatives using the prognostic and motivational frames. Furthermore, superintendents considered constraints and developed strategic processes for implementation of technology initiatives. With respect to distributed leadership theory, this study found that the technology leadership teams included a primary leader and secondary leaders. Furthermore, superintendents interacted with the technology leadership team through institutional practices and took on tasks that fell within their job responsibilities. Typically, these institutional practices were regularly scheduled meetings, such as a district leadership team meeting. Lastly, the technology leadership team interacted through institutional practices, intuitive working relations, spontaneous collaboration and coordinated tasks that fell both in and outside of their typical job responsibilities. Many of the technology teams' interactions that fell within spontaneous collaboration and intuitive working relations were to problem solve issues with the technology implementation, such as members meeting with the technology director to troubleshoot infrastructure challenges. This dissertation of practice is beneficial for educational and organizational scholars and practitioners interested in how large-scale initiatives are accepted within a school district.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Framing Innovation: Does an Instructional Vision Help Superintendents Gain Acceptance for a Large-Scale Technology Initiative?

Thesis advisor: Diana PullinThesis advisor: Vincent ChoThere is limited research that outlines how a superintendent's instructional vision can help to gain acceptance of a large-scale technology initiative. This study explored how superintendents gain acceptance for a large-scale technology initiative (specifically a 1:1 device program) through various leadership actions. The role of the instructional vision in helping superintendents gain acceptance for a technology initiative was the focus of this research. Five school districts where a large-scale, 1:1 technology initiative was being implemented were the location for this study. These superintendents as well as district administrators with key roles in the technology initiative were interviewed to explore their knowledge and perceptions regarding the district's instructional vision and how it was being utilized to gain acceptance for the technology initiative. The study found that the superintendents utilized various strategic processes to create resonance with stakeholders between the instructional vision and the technology initiative. The superintendents utilized instructional visions that contained many elements of constructivist and 21st century learning skills. However, the definition and communication of the superintendent's specific instructional vision was not always clear and consistent throughout the district. The mission statements, technology plans and district administrators often communicated an instructional vision for the district that was unrelated to the instructional vision communicated by the superintendent. Additionally, while the implementation of the instructional vision was described as a collaborative effort in all of the districts, the development of the instructional vision was primarily limited to the superintendent and his leadership team (principals and central office academic administrators). Study results showed that while there was an understanding amongst district administrators of how technology can support teaching and learning, there was inconsistency in the understanding of the superintendent's instructional vision for the district and how technology should be utilized to help accomplish these goals. Often, it would appear that the technology initiative was driving the instructional vision for the districts and not the other way around. Since there is limited research that outlines how a superintendent's instructional vision can help to gain acceptance of a large-scale technology initiative, this study hopes to highlight the use of the instructional vision in gaining acceptance of a large-scale technology initiative and the practical methods of achieving this.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Breaking the photoswitch speed limit

The forthcoming generation of materials, including artificial muscles, recyclable and healable systems, photochromic heterogeneous catalysts, or tailorable supercapacitors, relies on the fundamental concept of rapid switching between two or more discrete forms in the solid state. Herein, we report a breakthrough in the “speed limit” of photochromic molecules on the example of sterically-demanding spiropyran derivatives through their integration within solvent-free confined space, allowing for engineering of the photoresponsive moiety environment and tailoring their photoisomerization rates. The presented conceptual approach realized through construction of the spiropyran environment results in ~1000 times switching enhancement even in the solid state compared to its behavior in solution, setting a record in the field of photochromic compounds. Moreover, integration of two distinct photochromic moieties in the same framework provided access to a dynamic range of rates as well as complementary switching in the material’s optical profile, uncovering a previously inaccessible pathway for interstate rapid photoisomerization.</p

CATALISE: A multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study. Identifying language impairments in children

Delayed or impaired language development is a common developmental concern, yet thereis little agreement about the criteria used to identify and classify language impairments inchildren. Children's language difficulties are at the interface between education, medicineand the allied professions, who may all adopt different approaches to conceptualising them.Our goal in this study was to use an online Delphi technique to see whether it was possibleto achieve consensus among professionals on appropriate criteria for identifying childrenwho might benefit from specialist services. We recruited a panel of 59 experts representingten disciplines (including education, psychology, speech-language therapy/pathology, paediatricsand child psychiatry) from English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland,New Zealand, United Kingdom and USA). The starting point for round 1 was a set of 46statements based on articles and commentaries in a special issue of a journal focusing onthis topic. Panel members rated each statement for both relevance and validity on a sevenpointscale, and added free text comments. These responses were synthesised by the firsttwo authors, who then removed, combined or modified items with a view to improving consensus.The resulting set of statements was returned to the panel for a second evaluation(round 2). Consensus (percentage reporting 'agree' or 'strongly agree') was at least 80 percentfor 24 of 27 round 2 statements, though many respondents qualified their responsewith written comments. These were again synthesised by the first two authors. The resultingconsensus statement is reported here, with additional summary of relevant evidence, and aconcluding commentary on residual disagreements and gaps in the evidence base.</p

Nanotransfection-based vasculogenic cell reprogramming drives functional recovery in a mouse model of ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke causes vascular and neuronal tissue deficiencies that could lead to substantial functional impairment and/or death. Although progenitor-based vasculogenic cell therapies have shown promise as a potential rescue strategy following ischemic stroke, current approaches face major hurdles. Here, we used fibroblasts nanotransfected with Etv2, Foxc2, and Fli1 (EFF) to drive reprogramming-based vasculogenesis, intracranially, as a potential therapy for ischemic stroke. Perfusion analyses suggest that intracranial delivery of EFF-nanotransfected fibroblasts led to a dose-dependent increase in perfusion 14 days after injection. MRI and behavioral tests revealed ~70% infarct resolution and up to ~90% motor recovery for mice treated with EFF-nanotransfected fibroblasts. Immunohistological analysis confirmed increases in vascularity and neuronal cellularity, as well as reduced glial scar formation in response to treatment with EFF-nanotransfected fibroblasts. Together, our results suggest that vasculogenic cell therapies based on nanotransfection-driven (i.e., nonviral) cellular reprogramming represent a promising strategy for the treatment of ischemic stroke