Jeff+Reaburn

I am the System Principal of Information Services with the Avon Maitland District School Board, which is located in Southwestern Ontario, north of London and to the east of Lake Huron. Our board covers Huron and Perth Counties, with 44 elementary schools, 9 secondary schools, a large online education program called AMDEC, and a secondary school in a correctional facility for young offenders. Our board is primarily rural, with the city of Stratford as our only large urban centre.

My duties include the supervision of our IT team of technicians and trainers, supervision of the Information Services Department, and liaison between these departments and the schools and other departments within the board. This is my second year as Principal of IS and I continue to enjoy a rather steep learning curve. Prior to assuming this role, I was an English teacher, department head, vice-principal and principal mostly in secondary schools (22 years) in the Avon Maitland DSB though I did spend the first seven years of my career teaching Grades 7-9 in a 1-12 school in Coronation, Alberta.

My interest in computer technology began when I bought my own children their first computer in 1990, a Macintosh LC II, but I have become much more passionate about the importance of technology in education in the last five years. I have seen a tremendous increase in interest among teachers in the last few years as well and I am very excited to be involved in the PLP program. One of my main goals for this school year is to increase the level of professional development and training for teachers to assist them in integrating technology into their classroom practices. I see collaboration among teachers as being a crucial element in this process and I think the PLP approach is an ideal way to share our expertise and passion.

So, I look forward to meeting a lot of new educators and I hope to do a great deal of learning.