I agree. All technology should be used where it’s useful and not used where it isn’t useful. To resurrect an old buzz-word, it should be used where it is “appropriate.”

What I disagree with is the idea that digital technology is somehow different from all other technologies, and that it should automatically be used in all classrooms for a significant amount of time.

I do not think teachers should start with the assertion, “I must use digital technology in my classroom”, and then ask “how can I make myself use it?” I think they should start with the assertion, “This is what I want my students to know,” and then ask, “What is the best way to help them accomplish that?”

[Of course, one thing you might want your students to know is how to create a document in Word or how to do a semi-effective Web search.]

Perhaps one of our problems is that so many people in education use the word “technology” when they really mean “something having to do with computers.” Writing is a technology. White boards are a technology. Cars are a technology. The question isn’t whether or not to use technology. The question is how to use the various technologies we have to help our students become what we want them to be.

Let’s look at into and set activities that you can do to either illicit interest in a topic, or activate prior knowledge. You can talk and most of that time that’s fine, but sometimes, like teaching language learners, it will not be enough. So you can use still photos. Many ELD projects have that. Video is another method and a GREAT one. What’s more effective a picture or a video of a volcano? But you don’t want to show a whole film, maybe just a snippet. so you have to either cut film (ack) or cue it up. With digital video, call it up Movie maker, select what you want, snip it by clicking a button.
A did a whole post on podcasting for oral language development (BTW that is a critical standard to address with ELLs) here: http://mizmercer.edublogs.org/2008/02/09/questions-are-good/. This is MUCH easier done online than with tape machines, etc. You could just have them talk in class, but if you don’t occasionally record them, you are missing the opportunity to create a permanent record of their progress.

I like what technology allows me to create as a teacher to inspire my students, and what it lets them create.

Exciting point. It’s a good thing that when the automobile first came out, we embraced it and made it a point to integrate it into our regular classroom practice. Otherwise, the car would never be used as successfully as it is now. No doubt there would also be a driving divide; many of our students would be condemned to never get behind the wheel of a car themselves.

Oh, wait. None of that is true. Forcing “autos in the classroom” would have been a big mistake. How different really are “computers in the classroom?”

As an educational technologist I don’t see technology as a passing ‘fad’. While many students are still affected by their access to technology (digital divide), they are still more aware than we often given them credit for.

Do we still have a long way to go? Most certainly! The pendulum swings and in time we will all find a middle ground that allows our ’seasoned’ teachers to not only feel comfortable with technology but also enjoy using it. In the end it will only benefit students and give them the 21st century skills they will need to compete in a global society.