Relating the contribution of school-based ict coordinators to their leadership role

A team of competent staff members is commonly believed to be vital for the successful deployment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in a school. In England, school-based ICT coordinators are highly valued and often regarded to be both pedagogical and technological leaders at their schools. In contrast, ICT coordinators in Hong Kong are often not afforded such status. A quantitative survey, described in this paper, demonstrates that the contribution of ICT coordinators in Hong Kong is not as highly valued as that of their counterparts in England. This may imply that educators and policymakers in Hong Kong should seriously re-consider the leadership role of their ICT coordinators. Such a position ideally should be filled by staff members who excel in terms of both pedagogical and technological proficiency. Not only providing adequate ICT direction, such an ICT coordinator also might offer school-based training, or mentoring, for other less-competent colleagues.