Annotated Bibliography
Cini, M.A. (1998). Learning leadership online: A synergy of the medium and the message. The 	Journal of Leadership Studies, 5, 103-115.

M.A. Cini’s article makes intriguing connections between new movements in leadership theory and new movements (in 1998) in distance education.   For instance, leadership studies, according to Cini, are beginning to focus less on a singular leader and more on followers.   Similarly, the pedagogies of distance education are beginning to focus less on the role of the instructor to deliver content and more on the roles of students to create their own knowledge structures.   In both cases, power is being (re)distributed to all levels.   And in both cases (leadership and DE) newer models are based on teams and working together across time, space, and organizational boundaries.   Cini notes that the traditional hierarchical organization chart is probably being “stretched past its ability” to adequately describe the function of new leadership models.    Similarly, the organizational process DE has relied on is being stretched past its ability to be useful.   With these observations, Cini suggests that it seems entirely proper to teach leadership online, aligning content and process—using a medium that encourages shared responsibility to teach models of shared responsibility.   
I chose this article because it seemed entirely appropriate for our class.  We, too, are learning leadership online, and it is intriguing to think of correspondences in leadership studies and the pedagogical strategies for online learning.  This article implicitly confirms the values of distributed power for both leadership and learning.   And that appeals to me personally.   I especially like how this model allows for a leadership process that matches the implicit values in a constructivist pedagogy.

Dede,  C. (1993).  Leadership without followers. In G. Kearsley & W. Lynch, Eds. Educational 	Technology:Leadership Perspectives (pp. 19-28). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational 	Technology Publications. 

Although C. Dede’s article was written in 1993—before the eruption of the World Wide Web—everything in the article seems entirely appropriate for the last 15 years.   In effect, Dede foresaw the explosion of information and communication technologies and predicted the concomitant changes that would occur in education as a result of that explosion.   Dede argues that these huge changes in the mission, market, curriculum and clients of education will require leaders who are not only good at management, facilitation, and politics, but also leaders who can: (1) envision opportunities, (2) displace cherished misconceptions, (3) inspire others to act of faith, and (4) discourage followers.   Dede gives specific advice on how to accomplish each of those four attributes.   To envision opportunities, leaders must broaden their information beyond areas of specialization, practice reflection, and keep an open mind.  To displace cherished misconceptions, leaders must package new assumptions and paradigms into a larger vision that is inspirational for each stakeholder in the process.   To inspire others to act on faith, leaders need to make the change process personally rewarding to each player, as well as help participants see how their personal identities extend beyond their current jobs.    To discourage followers, leaders must recognize that “true solutions to problems are always based on ideas from multiple perspectives.”  The trick is to incorporate the vision, knowledge, and commitment of others to the extent that everyone is jointly leading.    
I chose this article because it is a seminal article on leadership in the field of educational technology.  I especially like the concept of leaders without followers-- that a real leader in our discipline should be able to incorporate the vision, knowledge, and commitment of others to the extent that we all are jointly leading.   And finally, the article is wonderfully practical.  Dede clearly states what must be done, why it should be done, and how to do it. The article itself provides a model for how we (in the field of distance education) should write and how we (in the fields of distance education and leadership) should act. 

Keaster, R.   (2005).  Distance education and the academic department.   Educause Quarterly, 5, 	48-53.  

This article is a case-study of a 16-person academic department that implemented a distance education initiative in a 15,000-student university.  The author was the department chair who introduced distance education to the department, as well an instructor/researcher in change leadership.  He admits he did not consciously use “The Sacred Six” action steps (developed by the Southwest Educational Development laboratory) during the initiative, but he reflects on his experience in the context of those Six Steps.  The “Sacred Six” steps are: (1) create a context for change, (2) clarify a shared vision and goals, (3) provide for planning and resources, (4) provide for training, (5) monitor progress, and (6) provide continual assistance.  Essentially, Keastor emphasizes the importance of planning, motivation, and engaging all stakeholders in the process for creating a need for change. 
I chose this article because of the topic-- it was written by an academic chair who had initiated a distance education initiative and had taught leadership studies.  So his observations seemed especially relevant to this class.  But I could find nothing startling here—just a confirmation of what most of us instinctively know, or know from our readings and experience---plan carefully, remove obstacles, and work together.  

Parchoma, G.   (2005). Roles and relationships in virtual environments: A model for adult 	distance  educators extrapolated from leadership in experiences in virtual organizations.       	International Journal on E-Learning 4, 463-487.  

G. Parchoma looks at how leadership has functioned in virtual organizations and applies those lessons and experiences to the field of distance education.  Virtual organizations, argues Parchoma (as well as distance education environments), are characterized by shifting memberships, ephemeral organizational boundaries, lack of organizational status for individuals in virtual environments, and, of course, lack of shared physical space.   To compensate for this, virtual organizations and distance educators need new leadership models.  But these models should not depend on the charismatic leader, or on models built around coercive or legitimate power; rather, the models should rely on more distributed forms of power and leadership.  And these distributed models function best when communication is a priority.  Communication is the glue that ties everything together.  In essence, Parchoma argues that leadership in virtual organizations and distance education functions best when it is not about organizational roles, but about relationships. 
I chose this article because I like how it attempts to understand roles in distance education based on experiences with leadership roles in virtual organizations.  It seemed perfect for our class.  And it does provide an antidote to the situational leadership models we have been studying—an alternative based on real experiences in virtual organizations.  Whatever the many attributes there may be with situational leadership models, the models are not designed or developed in the context of virtual organizations. 

Portugal, L.  M. (2006).  Emerging leadership roles in distance education: Current state of affairs 	and forecasting future trends," Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration IX  (	III).   (Fall 2006).   Retrieved October, 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.		 westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall93/portugal93. htm.  

This article is a consideration of how distance learning has impacted higher education in general and leadership roles in particular.  Essentially, it is structured around Beaudoin's (2002) seminal article on distance education and leadership, and most of Portugal's article does little more than recount Beaudoin's findings: our society is changing, the academy is changing, and there is a need for DE leaders who are visionary, flexible, adaptable, and able to work beyond their own departments to become not only situational leaders but transformational leaders as well.   To the interesting component of Beaudoin's article--where he laments the lack of research in distance education leadership--Portugal adds very little (perhaps because little has been done in the intervening four years), although she does make an effort to forecast future leadership trends and adds some research on recent issues related to the business of distance learning. 
I chose this article because it works off Michael Beaudoin's seminal work on leadership and distance education.   Perhaps the biggest addition Portugal makes to Beaudoin’s work is the consideration of what she calls current distance education modalities.  But this is, perhaps, the most confusing section of her article.  She discusses random new technologies (PDAs, eBooks), with new applications (conferencing software) with broad concepts (eLearning, virtual library) with new pedagogies (Resource Based Learning) without putting them into a clear context.  Finally, in a surprising act of bad writing, she adds a key concept (that DE is appropriate to differentiated instruction) in the summing up of her argument (next to last sentence of the article), without having introduced the idea in the body of her paper.