REFORM BY DESIGN: USING DESIGN THINKING TO CREATE TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN CHANGE IN SCHOOLS

Millions of children today have access to high performance computing devices on a daily basis in their schools. The ubiquity of computers in schools is creating an environment wherein discussions are less about whether to integrate computers into schools but rather how best should that occur. School leaders must ensure that the integration of technology into schools creates a situation that is better than the one that exists now. Currently this is a condition that is assumed, but not guaranteed if not explicitly designed. I argue that the tenets of design thinking are well suited to serve school leaders in this regard and suggest that school leaders who adopt a "design attitude," as opposed to a commonly used "decision attitude," will be able to create exponential, innovative change in schools.