The schools specialist may prefer dinner parties to Facebook and his green leather bookmark to weblinks, but he still marvels at kids’ capacity to use the latest technology

What’s your most played iTune?

I tend to refresh the tracks I stick on my iPod on a fairly regular basis. The last thing I downloaded was Snow Patrol, which I listened to a lot by the pool in Lanzarote over the past few weeks.

Do you read books and articles online?

With so many trade magazines out there for building, surveying, project managing and education I try to read as many as them online as possible to save me drowning in a pile of magazines. Obviously I still get a hard copy of Building though …

Do you use any social networks?

My type of social networks are dinner parties. Being involved in education I guess I should be more down with the kids, but online social networking has never really appealed to me.

What’s your favourite bookmark?

I have a lovely green leather one with tassels at the end that I picked up in a National Trust gift shop many years ago. Is that the sort you mean?

What have you bought online recently?

Three weeks ago I bought a few albums from iTunes. I try to buy as much as possible online because so many places charge you extra for insisting on speaking to real people.

Your favourite online meeting place?

Tesco.com. Sorry, wrong type of meat.

What’s in your digital holster?

Spending a lot of time out on various building sites, I rely heavily on my Blackberry for emails. Having installed IT suites in numerous schools, it always amazes me how much technology is used and how it is second nature to even the youngest kids today. A new school building we just opened is equipped with state-of-the-art digital devices, from electronic whiteboards to swipe cards. It is great we are able to utilise digital technology to advance teaching and security in schools.

Programmes on TV or the computer?

You can’t beat watching on a nice big TV but I actually use my computer for keeping up to speed on sports. I watch a lot of football and cricket online –I really enjoyed watching England stuff South Africa in the one-day series via my computer screen.

Email or snail mail?

I really enjoy the novelty of receiving a letter, especially if it is handwritten, but that said, sending emails is quicker, more efficient and can involve lots of people in a conversation, which makes decision-making on projects much quicker.