The Power of Technology in School Leadership during COVID-19

Dr. Antonios Kafa is a Lecturer of Educational Leadership and Management at Frederick University in Cyprus. He teaches in the department of education in areas related to educational leadership and administration, coordinates the distance M.A. program "Educational Administration & Leadership", and supervises doctoral students. He is a Ph.D. holder in Educational Leadership and Policy at the Open University of Cyprus. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Education and Psychology from the University of Athens and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from the European University Cyprus. His doctoral dissertation was awarded as a "Highly Commended Award Winner" in the Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards 2016. He is also a member and researcher in the international comparative research project entitled "International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP)", conducting research on behalf of Cyprus. Furthermore, he is one of the members of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Educational Administration Society, a co-convenor of the Educational Leadership network of the European Educational Research Association (EERA), a visiting lecturer at the Cyprus Police Academy, as well as a reviewer for various scientific journals in the area of educational management and leadership. He authored a number of papers in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and participated in various European and international conferences. His research interests include different aspects of educational leadership and administration, such as successful school leadership, school principals' personal values systems and authentic leadership, school leadership in low-performing schools, and the future of school leadership in crisis and times of uncertainty. Besides seeking new ways for professional growth, Antonios loves to broaden his horizons for personal growth by travelling and immersing himself in new cultures.

Dr. Nikleia Eteokleous holds a PhD in Educational Administration with emphasis in Educational Technology, M. Ed in Instructional Systems, and M. Ed in Educational Administration from the Pennsylvania State University and BA in Public and Business Administration from the University of Cyprus. She works as an Associate Professor in Educational Technology at Frederick University. She is also the Head of the Distance Learning Committee and the Director of the Open and Distance Learning Center (ODLC). Her research interests focus on technology integration in the educational practice; teacher education and technology, designing learning environments enhanced with technology and online learning environments. She currently focused on research activities related to open and online distance learning, and the integration of robotics, makerspaces, maker education in the educational practice. She is the co-founder of Frederick' University Robotics Academy, a research and educational unit that promotes and conduct research in the area of robotics education. Numerous papers, book chapters and conference papers are published in regards to educational robotics, STEAM and the development of problem-based skills, 21st century skills, creativity, computational thinking skills, disciplinary learning objectives. She has published articles in established and well-known international scientific journals, book chapters as well as conference proceedings. She has presented various scientific papers in international and national conferences. In addition, her academic activities include participation in numerous research projects having different roles and responsibilities.  She has been working on several projects on designing and delivering DL programs of study, DL professional development trainings and MOOCs. Finally, she has been appointed by the Cyprus Minister of Education as member of the Digital Technology Exploitation in Education advisory board.

 Preface.- Part 1. Introduction.- Chapter 1. The Impact of the Pandemic Crisis and the Use of Technology in School Leadership: An Introduction.- Part 2. International Perspectives on School Leadership and Technology during COVID-19.- Chapter 2. Providing Continuity of Student Instruction During and After COVID-19: An International Study of School Leaders' Use of Technology.- Chapter 3. Leadership and Technology Supporting Quality and Equitable Schools Through the Pandemic Crisis.- Chapter 4. School Leadership in Times of Uncertainty: A School Principal's Reflections from Cyprus.- Chapter 5. Rural School Leadership and Digital Technologies: Understandings, Applications, Challenges and Solutions.- Chapter 6. School Principals as Agents on the Path to the Digitization of Greek Schools: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic.- Chapter 7.  The Digital Divide-Insights into an Uneven Playing Field.- Chapter 8.Leadership in Rural Texas During COVID-19: Testimonios from the Field.- Chapter 9. School Leadership under the conditions of Digitalization.  A German Insight into Conditions and Challenges for School Leaders.- Chapter 10. Digitalization, School Leadership and the New Normal: School Leaders' Perceptions of Post-pandemic Development in School Organizations.- Part 3. Technological Trends on School Leadership.- Chapter 11. Virtual Communities of Practice as a Means of Confronting with Educational 'Emergency Situations' for Inclusive School Communities: The Case of COVID-19 Pandemic.- Chapter 12. AI Tools for Education: The Development of a Free Asynchronous Course.- Part 4. Conclusion.- Chapter 13. School Leaders and Technology During COVID-19: Lessons Learned from the Field and Future Implications.