Leadership and school integration of ICT. Teachers perceptions in Spain

Different international studies have shown that educational leadership is a relevant factor in the process of instructional integration of digital technologies in classrooms. The purpose of this article is to Analyse the perceptions that teachers have about leadership of ICT coordinator. An ICT coordinator is an educational agent whose main mission is to promote the process of pedagogical integration of technologies in the school. This paper presents a study about ICT coordinators, conducted through a questionnaire to more than 5161 teachers from different Spanish regions. It is argued that the coordinator must have ICT skills of various kinds that are more complex than mere instrumental mastery of technology. These functions must be linked to support the innovative use of ICT in teaching and learning by the teaching staff of a school. Evidence shows that ICT coordinators are becoming widespread and that teachers consider them necessary to promote innovation based on ICT. Differences between regions are observed in the implementation, the development of their roles and tasks, and on the perception of the need for an ICT coordinator. Depending on the educational stage, differences on the degree of implementation are detected. We come to the conclusion that regional educational policies should properly train and strengthen this agent of change.