| The month of
October is notably different for our school
board. It is the first month in years that Jack
Breaton is not holding the portfolio of
Superintendent of Program. As a result of the changes
to education, Jack was in the position of being
able to retire and pursue additional challenges.
I know that we all wish him the best in
retirement and any future endeavours that he has
planned.
Over the years,
Jack had significant impact on classrooms and, in
particular, on the use of computer technology in
those classrooms.
During his tenure
with the Essex County Board of Education, many
significant advances in computer use can be
attributed to his direct leadership and interest:
- replacement
of all typewriters in secondary schools
with computers and laser printers;
- a system-wide
approach to significant use of computers
in elementary schools;
- development
of a wide-area network;
- outfitting of
all administrators with laptop computers;
- support for
multimedia applications in classrooms
whether it be in the creation or the use
of commercial products in various
literacy projects;
- standardization
of Windows as a platform for all
computers in the system;
and probably the advancement that he is
most proud of:
- development
of a computer skills continuum for Grades
1-8.
Provincially, and
regionally, Jack had been a big force in
education with his work on Edutech, the Regional
Computer Advisory Committee, the Tri-County
Learning Consortium, and the Western Ontario
Staff Development Program.
As he leaves us,
all classrooms have grown immensely due to his
efforts, vision, and determination to bring only
the best for the students in Windsor and Essex
County.
Jack's new
ventures will keep him deeply involved in
education. Staying in touch with technology, he
has already registered a website http://www.1plus1learning.com to provide a visible
Internet presence.
We wish him every
success in this new venture and best wishes for a
long, happy retirement.
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