Reflection on Interview with a Technology LeaderRobinder KahlonUniversity of Ontario Institute of TechnologyRunning head: INTERVIEW REFLECTION 1

REFLECTION ON INTERVIEW WITH A TECHNOLOGY LEADER 3

Reflection on Interview with a Technology Leader I interviewed a senior decision-maker in the Toronto District School Board regarding various issues around the integration of technology into education. As I met her in the lobby of the school board offices, she was friendly and engaging. We began our conversation in the elevator as I described my effectiveness of my online Masters program courses. From this, she began a surprisingly candid discussion on her vision for moving the TDSB forward into a new era of learning, and the difficulties she faced in making her vision a reality. As I started the recorder, I worried that she may hold back now that she was on the record. She absolutely did not. She described board trustees as being beholden to the special interest groups that helped elect them, and teachers unions as reactionary, protecting teachers interests at the expense of our education system. She decried the yearly decrease in the boards IT budget, and the mismanagement of the TDSBs budget overall. She is vehement in her promotion of her vision for technology: mobile devices (smartphones and laptops) accessing e-resources that have been created by individual teachers, by the TDSB and by the Ministry; social networking incorporated into learning; e-learning, both in blended format and a full-time e-learning high school. She has begun implementation of her vision by purchasing 18,000 laptops for students, a huge increase from the 3500 desktops that were being purchased every year prior for 8 years, with the same budget. She strongly believes that the school board should become more fiscally responsible in its decision-making, investing in technology now that will yield dividends in the future. She broached a contentious topic: suggesting that partnerships with sponsoring corporations may be one method to give our students access to the technology they need.She left me shocked by the obstacles surrounding technology integration in the TDSB, but inspired that there are leaders such as her willing to take on these challenges. She invited me to stay in contact with her, and I will certainly support her efforts to improve learning for the 21st century learners in our school board.