Tech Savvy Principal

William Ziegler

Pottsgrove High School Principal Bill Ziegler has garnered another award.

As regular readers of this blog are aware, last month Zieger was named President-elect of the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals

He better get a shelf.

Now we are informed that Ziegler is one of three school leaders from around the country who won a Digital Principal Award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

The awards were for integrating digital media in their efforts to
improve instruction, student achievement and their own leadership, according to a release from the Reston, Va.-based organization.

Here's what they had to say about him.

At Pottsgrove, Ziegler "led a highly collaborative process to build a 1-1 program. Ziegler created a Teacher Digital Team and a Student Digital Team, and he worked closely with parents and the district to ensure all stakeholders were involved and invested in the school’s digital transformation.

His leadership extends to the state level where, as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals, he launched the weekly #PAESSPchat on Twitter and introduced a Tech Studio, conducted by NASSP Digital Principals, to the state conference.
He regularly models the power of new media to everyone in the Pottsgrove community, and recently turned the school’s Twitter handle over to a student so the community could see the school for a student’s perspective.

“As a principal, I am responsible for leading in a digital age,” Ziegler says, “and assuring that our students are equipped, prepared, and ready to be digital learners, leaders, and citizens.”
The NASSP Digital Principal Award program was created in 2012 to recognize excellence in technology leadership.

The 2015 candidates were nominated by their peers or teachers, then invited to submit a portfolio of items that highlight their digital leadership. The portfolios were reviewed by a panel of expert judges and three principals were identified as the 2015 winners.

The three 2015 NASSP Digital Principals will receive an expenses-paid trip to Ignite ’15 in San Diego, CA, February 19-21 to formally receive their award and to present on a panel about technology leadership.

The other two principals were John Bernia, of Oakview Middle School in Oakland Township, Michigan and James Richardson, principal of Buck Lodge Middle School in Prince George's County, Maryland.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs.

NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high-quality professional learning experiences.
Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society http://www.nhs.us/, National Junior Honor Society http://www.njhs.us/, National Elementary Honor Society http://www.nehs.org/, and National Association of Student Councils. http://www.nasc.us/