Reflections on Barry Litun's Presentation - July 7, 2009

Continuity – Vision is the most common theme. Others are collaboration, relationships, efficiency of funding (Barry alluded to this).

Salience – Barry is responsible for the education of a large number of students at all levels. His business is education. As he said, IT “is here to stay. It’s not a fad.” Therefore, he needs to be conversant with IT in education in order to provide the best possible services to his stakeholders.

Outcomes – He places great emphasis on equitable access to technology throughout his division. He wants students to get the best education possible in any school in his district. He has to be proactive in his approach to the financial aspects of the whole IT realm, while at the same time making sure that the students in his district are not disadvantaged in any technological way.

Processes – He began his tenure by listening. He worked to make himself a member of the team before beginning the changes that he wanted to make. He believes firmly in communication and collaboration among all the people involved. He has worked hard to ensure that the schools share common goals and PD time, while at the same time not usurping their autonomy. By setting up the Town Hall Meetings, he has provided a platform for stakeholders to have input that affects the long-term planning necessary to providing a strong IT program. Barry was quick to give credit to the other members of his team. It wasn’t “his” project – it belonged to everyone in the organization.

Characteristics – Barry was very open. He made a point of introducing himself to each class member individually. He spoke of the importance of building relationships and networks, while modelling one way to go about it. He shared his vision of the long-term goals and IT plans within his school division. He showed sensitivity when speaking about the inequities that can arise from not having a shared vision for IT throughout the entire district. He and his team built a large part of the IT vision around the problems that he had seen. He was a very good communicator. His presentation was interesting and entertaining at the same time, both necessities for an afternoon session!