eLearning Consortium Canada

Lesley Monette Director of eLearning

Lesley Monette has a B. A. (Distinction), University of Saskatchewan, B. Ed. York University, B. Ed. (Secondary Specialist) University of Saskatchewan, M. Ed. (Curriculum & English). She also has her Ontario Principal's Qualifications. Lesley was the Coordinator of Technology for the North York Board of Education until amalgamation when she became the Manager of Academic Services Information Technology South, for the Toronto District School Board. One of the highlights of this position was hosting Symposium 2000, a presentation of Innovative schools in the TDSB. In 2000 she was seconded to the position of Director of Academics, University of Toronto Schools OISE/UT and in the following year she became Director of Information Technology, at Branksome Hall.

Lesley's leadership highlights include designing and developing the innovative CyberArts programs at Don Mills Collegiate, chairing the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training LEIC Information Technology Subcommittee during amalgamation, establishing the first TDSB Website Committee, and developing the first TDSB summer MIT conference (Monocliffs PD) for teachers. More recently she implemented Branksome Hall's Technology revitalization project and chaired the CESI review for Branksome Hall.

In addition to presenting workshops at ECOO, and across Canada, Lesley wrote technology/curricular articles and co-authored several textbooks under her married name of Wasylenki. LOGIBUL DAN LA PAYE D'INFORMATIQUE, Modulo, Quebec (French & Russian translations) were followed by DATA PROCESSING APPLICATIONS, Copp Clark Pitman, (Canadian & Australian versions, translated into French) and MORE DATA PROCESSING APPLICATIONS, Copp Clark Pitman, 1992. In 2003 she was a contributing author to EDUCATING for GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP in a CHANGING WORLD, OISE.

Lesley has seen the impact of technology on education from her early days as a pioneer with the the PET and Apple IIe computers, and continues to believe that technology fosters student centred instructional practices and the empowerment of the student as a learner. She sees eLearning as the next step in creating classrooms without walls and a truly global learning environment. "Our students have always needed to communicate effectively, to think critically and creatively, and to interact with one another to generate authentic learning. Today, with the explosion of eLearning, they have opportunities to control when and how they do it and to share their knowledge with members of an expanded educational community."