Technology

Technology has made huge advances in that last ten or so years, and education is having a very difficult time keeping up with all the new advances. Inadequate funding keeps some schools from getting the technology that they need to keep up with other more well funded schools. I think that when used correctly, technology can be a very good tool to use in the classroom and is something that students need to learn about because technology is everywhere and knowledge about technology is needed in almost every field.
Things like basic computer skills - typing, using PowerPoint, and how to use the Internet, are definitely things that students need to be taught. These are skills that students will need throughout their lives. Other types of technology can also be both fun and useful in the classroom, but it is time consuming. Individually, teachers will have to make the choice as to what technologies they use with their students and, most importantly, teach them how to use. Of course this means that the teacher will have to have proficient knowledge about the technology to teach it to students. Using digital cameras and iMovie can be a a lot of fun, but the time has to be taken to show students how to use them correctly, not just sending them off blindly to hopefully figure it out on their own.
There is educational value in using some technologies, and not only because technology is now such a huge part of our lifestyle. Having students work together on movie projects can teach cooperation and how to work in a group so that one person is not doing all the work. Blogs can create places for students to "talk" to each other about different things that they believe in or have gone to that is outside the school spectrum. There are so many technologies out there, however, that as teachers we cannot cover them all. We will have to pick the ones that we know the most about, will not be too time consuming or difficult to work into our curriculum, and that will benefit the students most when looking at what to use in our classrooms. We cannot just leave technology out of the classroom anymore and it is very clear that it can be used for more than just typing and playing computer games.