Technology and the Classroom

I have always been one for trying new things in the classroom, if it helps the students understand the subject more completely, and I believe that computers in the classroom can and will have a great impact on the way our kids learn, both today and in the future. Technology today, unfortunately, is quickly outpacing the teacher’s ability to keep up with new developments, tools, and programs. The teacher of today must now find ways to integrate this technology into new lesson plans, and projects for the students, while trying to find the time to keep up with the business of teaching day-to-day. This new usage of technology can be both a blessing and a curse.
I agree that schools should have computers for the students to use for homework, group projects, and exploration of the wealth of information available to them through all the various forms of electronic media. However, until school systems can afford the enormous cost of hundreds, or even thousands, of computers for each school, true full usage of technology in the classroom as envisioned by the International Society for Technology in Education(1), will be nothing more than a pipe dream. It is true that more teachers and students today know and use these technologies regularly, if not daily, but there is still a large portion of the population, especially on Guam, who do not own a computer of any kind.
At this point, we as teachers must strive to build into sections of our lesson plans technology uses that help us teach concepts, while being sensitive to the limitations of equipment access to some of our students. In this class so far, we have learned how to meet the NETS*T standards 2A and 2B(2) in our lessons. I am hoping that I can learn even more ways to use technology in a classroom that most likely will not have a computer.
References
(1) International Society for Technology in Education. (2009). Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
http://www.iste.org/

(2) ISTE/NETS for Teachers 2008 Standards. (2008) Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS
_for_Teachers_2008.htm