Welcome to the site! I'm a leader, author, and speaker in the field of school technology policies. Click the links to find more information and resources.
Scholarly Work
The following information includes scholarly papers and presentations that are part of my PhD coursework.
Knowledge Area Module on Social Change
I am attaching a link to my most recent paper on Social Change, especially in the context of how social change and technology interact. Abstracts are provided if you want to know more, but here is the link to the document itself: Christopher Wells’ KAM 1 on Social Change.
Abstract: Breadth
In the Breadth section, three themes are discussed that reflect the original theorists of sociology, including Durkheim, Compte, Weber, Marx, and Saint-Simon. Originally, sociology emerged as a way to study “different” cultures around the world, to compare and contrast values and ethics, and perhaps to establish some sense of superiority over different cultures. Social change is both a systemic and systematic process, and includes ideas on complete systems as well as the relationships among systems. Globalism is another emerging idea that involves social change, mainly because the technology advancements allow technology-mediated communication among individuals at low costs. The interactions among individuals create a “culture sharing” environment, which often leads to a more global worldview and social change.
Abstract: Depth
The Depth component includes summaries of 16 recent articles organized thematically into three categories: theory applications, approaches to social change, and technology impacts on social change. Theory applications are a review of the evidence where theories were the source for social change activities. Different approaches to social change were discussed in the second theme, which was a natural progression from theories to implementation for the specific field of social change. Third, the influence of technology on social change is thematically explored in the articles, because technology impacts sociology, globalism, and social change in many of the readings. Several articles were compared and contrasted, due to the ways technology is being used that result in social changes.
Abstract: Application
The Application section provides a working instructional model to discuss and lead a short course on sociology and social change. Six different lessons are included that address each of the themes listed in the previous sections. The course is designed to provide a “beginner’s” view of sociology and social change, and includes topics on social theories, social change, globalism, and technology’s impact on social change. Each module includes a pre-reading from the KAM content, activity and discussion prompts, and instructor notes to facilitate deeper discussions in the areas of sociology, social change, and globalism. Each workshop module can be delivered stand-alone or in a series, and requires an instructor who has a solid knowledge and understanding of social change topics.
Leadership Development paper now available!
The Breadth component provides foundations of leadership development as seen through the works of leading leadership development theorists. By exploring foundations of leadership development theories, leading writers in the field of organizational leadership, and emerging leadership topics in the more recent literature, different ideas and researchers’ works are compared, contrasted, and reviewed to summarize major contributions to the field. Several of the models are explored in light of a leadership studies framework that includes organizational context, leader competencies and abilities, and follower characteristics. Transformational leadership, methods for leadership development, more recent leadership models focused on change processes, and holistic leadership development, are all examined in the Breadth section.
The Depth component provides examples of leadership development theories in action, especially through three themes that will be discussed following the annotated bibliography entries. Sixteen final articles were chosen from peer-reviewed articles based on applicability to this KAM, the relationship to the subject area (leadership development and virtual teams), and the development of leadership training programs. Articles range in publication date between 2005 and 2010, identifying themes in leadership development, virtual teaming, and virtual team development. Three themes emerged: leadership models, trust behaviors, and virtual group characteristics. This section provides a starting point to examine leadership development for virtual teams, including cross-cultural teams, in situ teams, and teams that rely on technology to communicate.
The Application component of this KAM provides several tools for creating leadership
awareness and social change through the consideration of business globalization, leadership development in companies incorporating virtual teams, and trust development among workers. There are two components of the Application section: a slide show introducing leadership and virtual teaming concepts, and a job-aid that provides a tool for larger discussions among leaders about leadership qualities needed to become a more global organization. Like the Breadth and Depth sections of this KAM, the Application component takes a more global approach and is not focused exclusively on North American leadership models, but reflect a wide variety of concepts, including leadership development, trust development, globalization readiness, and virtual team development.
Principles of Organizational and Social Systems
From time to time, I get asked for writing samples, and since I just finished a significant research paper on Systems Thinking, entitled “Principles of Organizational and Social Systems,” I thought I would share it here. This paper is one of six demonstrations prior to my dissertation, and are considered Knowledge Area Modules, or KAMs.Yes, I know it’s KAM 3, and my next KAM on Leadership is KAM 5. These research papers are not always completed in a sequential order.
The 130-page paper is posted on Google Docs for anyone to view (just click here).
Also, a quick thank-you is in order to my Walden University mentor, who was a great help throughout the KAM process.
Abstract: Breadth
This section examines the foundations of systems theory, and outlines the “lens” of K-12 education as the focus of this document. To establish the broader perspective around the field of systems theory, the Breadth section explores seminal works by leading practitioners, including Daneke, Capra, Baert, Axelrod and Cohen, and Gharajedaghi, each of whom has contributed significantly to the body of work around systems theory. Systems thinking was first developed using resource methods initially developed for ecology, because concrete indicators of success did not always provide accurate data around business health. Instead, the interactions among different systems were explored as a method for determining new ways for reaching business goals, creating social change, and connecting to the K-12 educational environment.
Abstract: Depth
Recent peer-reviewed journal articles on the use of systems thinking tools have been examined and summarized, and three themes emerged in the discussion of the articles: the flexibility required to change curriculum and “scaffold” systems thinking lessons into a learning organization, the involvement of the entire school community in social and cultural change, and the amount of time required to make meaningful changes in teaching and learning. While several of the articles applied directly to K-12 education, others were relevant as examples from parallel fields or as meaningful foundational articles for further discussion. The need for systems thinking at the organizational and instructional levels is also discussed in detail.
Abstract: Application
Informed by the research presented in the Depth and Breadth sections of this document, the Application component provides three potential uses of the systems thinking concepts in a K-12 environment: an assessment of the current condition of systems thinking in a K-12 school, a collaborative online workshop design for introducing systems theory to school staff members, and a job-aid to support administrative planning for implementing more systemic activities at a school. These are non-experimental activities that can be implemented in further research if desired in the pursuit of educational and social change. Following these applications, there is a discussion connecting the activities to relevant research and experiments from the Breadth and Depth sections.
