Much is going on in the educational field in Europe at the level of school leadership: this is what struck me most during a Comenius In-Service Course I attended recently in Kingston, UK.

Thanks to Ultralab, and a project called 'Collier', school leaders in countries as diverse as Slovenia, Turkey, Denmark, Holland and the UK can get together online and discuss mutual concerns, as well as share the results of action research they are carrying out in their respective schools.

This is an exciting thought. Today, it is not just the teacher who is no longer isolated in the classroom: heads and assistant heads can also break barriers. They are encouraged to be reflective practitioners, which empowers them to deepen their understanding of their school and to creatively handle change. They are also invited to share and collaborate with other leaders beyond their own school. Leadership need not be a solitary and lonely job any more.

The In-Service Course, entitled "Collaborative Learning for Visionary Leadership" included talks on grounded theory and action research at Kingston University, as well as school visits and a headteachers' Forum.

I enjoyed visiting St Paul's Primary School where the youngsters were extremely friendly and eager to share their lesson with me; and Lampton School, a multi-cultural secondary school whose charismatic head has formed a collaborative, well-integrated and highly efficient management team to steer her school to the forefront of the league tables.

During the evaluation at the end of the course, all the participants agreed that we had also learned much from one another, when we talked together and shared our own personal experiences as leaders. This often happened informally in the canteen at lunchtime, in pubs in the evening, or on buses on our way to university.

Our experience seemed to highlight the two ways we communicate in the 21st century: using technology and meeting face-to-face. In our case, we concluded we wanted both.

Whatever the sci-fi gurus may think, machines cannot satisfactorily shove aside the personal touch or render it unnecessary.