Interview Questions

In order to procure honest, thoughtful, and introspective information regarding the

current state and level of instructional technology integration in Ontario, I constructed the
following interview questions aimed at educational professionals, running the gambit from
classroom teachers to university professors. In addition to a short cover page explaining my
intentions and the reasoning behind my inquiries, the below questions were posed to a number of
educators in the province of Ontario:
1) Since the institution of Achieving Excellence in 2014, have you seen an increased
presence, integration, and provisions for technology in the average K-12 classroom?
Rationale: This particular question was crafted in order to address the current educational
legislation head-on. Educational legislation will always be viewed differently by varying parties
for a number of personal or professional reasons. However, the reasoning behind the inclusion of
this question, relates to how well the provisions regarding instructional technology are being
integrated.
2) Do you feel that educational technologies are being meaningfully incorporated into
classrooms throughout Ontario, and what do you feel the overall benefit is for the student
population?
Rationale: While providing new initiatives is always important to any educational district,
nation, or province, initiatives are only successful or worthwhile when their provisions actually
encourage meaningful learning opportunities. When it comes to educational technology, it is not
enough just to provide hardware and software options, these options must be used in an authentic
and engaging manner in order to positively impact students.

3) With the rise of mobile technologies for both leisure and productivity, has Ontario begun
to provide for one-to-one programs for their students, as is becoming popular in the U.S.?
If so, has the program met with success, and if not, are there any plans for the
incorporation of mobile technologies in the future?
Rationale: Through my country case study research project, as well as classroom experience, I
have found that the concept of mobile technologies in the classroom is quickly becoming an
important aspect of instructional technology integration in both the United States and Ontario.
Recognizing this trend, I wanted to ascertain if and how such tendencies are being applied in
Ontario.
4) When using educational technologies with students, what degree of participation and
persistence do you feel comes from overall student motivation regarding the hardware or
software at hand?
Rationale: When harnessing new and existing instructional technologies, motivation is a key
factor for student involvement and buy-in. While one must be wary that motivation does not lead
to distraction, I wanted to ascertain if the province of Ontario is leveraging their hardware and
software to the greatest extent possible in order to furnish student interest.
5) Do you feel that teachers are receiving adequate professional development in order to
authentically incorporate instructional technologies into their classroom? If so, what does
the province offer for such support?
Rationale: While providing hardware and software is a key aspect of enabling instructional
technology integration, teacher support and adequate training is the only way to ensure the
authentic and engaging usage of such materials in the classroom. Professional development is a
key factor to continual usage and appropriate integration in my home-school, so I was

particularly interested to see if such endeavors were equally reflected and provided for in
Ontario.
6) In order to make technology integration possible, do all schools in your province
including English, French, Catholic, and public, receive the same amount of funding and
hardware? In the United States, only Public Schools receive state and federal funds for
such endeavors, making funding somewhat difficult for independent or parochial schools.
Rationale: As a classroom teacher in an independent school, funding is always a concern when it
comes to providing for new instructional technologies. Without state or federal funding, it can
sometimes be difficult to continually purchase and update hardware and software options. Given
Ontarios four-fold school system, I wanted to better understand how funding impacts Ontarian
schools.